Obesity in Saudi Medical Students and Alignment with Eating Disorders: A Stratified Random Cross-Sectional Investigation.

As a result of the increasing global incidence of obesity and related diseases, this study aims to investigate the prevalence of obesity and its correlation with eating disorder (ED) screening among medical students to develop effective prevention strategies and provide better outcomes for these students. We conducted a quantitative analytical cross-sectional study at the College of Medicine at King Saud University between November 2023 and February 2024. A stratified random sampling technique was utilized, enrolling a net number of 415 participants. Participants were asked several questions, including demographic information, weight, height, and past medical history, and were given a validated screening tool for EDs. Participants' mean age was 21.4 ± 1.67 years, and 17.6% were considered obese. The prevalence of positive screening for EDs was 27.7%; it was more common in females (p = 0.013) and those who earned more than 1000 SAR per month (p = 0.011). Female students also exhibited almost twice the odds of having EDs than males (AOR = 1.957; 95% CI = 1.218-3.146; p = 0.006). Furthermore, non-obese students showed decreased odds of having EDs compared with obese students by at least 48% (AOR = 0.517; 95% CI = 0.287-0.929; p = 0.027). Our study revealed a concerning prevalence of ED symptoms and obesity among medical students, suggesting profound implications. Therefore, multicenter studies are needed to assess the generalizability of the results and apply the findings to targeted national campaigns and interventions tailored specifically to medical students.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Prevalence of Hallux Valgus in the General Population.

The objective of this systematic review was to determine the prevalence of hallux valgus (HV) in the general population by conducting a review and meta-analysis of existing studies. Published articles on the incidence of HV were systematically searched and evaluated on reputable medical databases such as PubMed. The keywords "the prevalence of hallux valgus and/or bunions"were used to create the search syntax on the various databases. Data were gathered on prevalence, population under study, and methodology. A total of 11 articles that met the search criteria were identified and included in this review for a total of 10,886 participants across the studies. The pooled prevalence of HV across the studies was3.75 (95% confidence interval = 0.388-0.517). Therefore, the prevalence varied widely across the studies reviewed. Prevalence was observed to be high among females and increased with risk factors such as body mass index, which were identified as significant across the studies. This review was limited by insufficient data and the lack of a standard HV diagnosis method. Therefore, a standard HV diagnosis tool is recommended.

Event-triggered fault-tolerant control for input-constrained nonlinear systems with mismatched disturbances via adaptive dynamic programming.

In this paper, the issue of event-triggered optimal fault-tolerant control is investigated for input-constrained nonlinear systems with mismatched disturbances. To eliminate the effect of abrupt faults and ensure the optimal performance of general nonlinear dynamics, an adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) algorithm is employed to develop a sliding mode fault-tolerant control strategy. When the system trajectories converge to the sliding-mode surface, the equivalent sliding mode dynamics is transformed into a reformulated auxiliary system with a modified cost function. Then, a single critic neural network (NN) is adopted to solve the modified Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation. In order to overcome the difficulty that arises from the persistence of excitation (PE) condition, the experience replay technique is utilized to update the critic weights. In this study, a novel control method is proposed, which can effectively eliminate the effects of abrupt faults while achieving optimal control with the minimum cost under a single network architecture. Furthermore, the closed-loop nonlinear system is proved to be uniformly ultimate boundedness based on Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, three examples are presented to verify the validity of the control strategy.

Metamaterial Based Ku-Band Antenna for Low Earth Orbit Nanosatellite Payload System.

The concept of nanosatellite technology becomes a viable platform for earth and space observation research to minimize cost and build time for the payload. The communication approach is the essential fundamental attribute of a satellite, of which the antenna is a crucial component for forming a communication link between the nanosatellite and the earth. The nanosatellite antenna must comply with some special requirements like compact size, lightweight, and high gain with a space-compatible structure. This paper proposes a compact metamaterial-based Ku-band antenna with circular polarization for the nanosatellite communication system. The designed antenna obtained an impedance bandwidth of 2.275 GHz with a realized gain of 6.74 dBi and 3 dB axial beamwidth of 165° at 12.10 GHz. The overall antenna size of the designed is 0.51λ × 0.51λ × 0.17λ, which is fabricated on Rogers 5880 substrate material. The antenna results performance has been examined with a 1 U nanosatellite structure and found suitable to integrate with metallic and nonmetallic surfaces of any miniature nanosatellite structure.

Lower Ultra-High Frequency Non-Deployable Omnidirectional Antenna for Nanosatellite Communication System.

The concept of the nanosatellite comes into play in launching miniaturized versions of satellites or regarding payloads with minimizing cost and building time. The economic affordability of nanosatellites has been promoted with a view to launching various nanosatellite missions. The communication system is one of the most important aspects of a satellite. The antenna is a key element for establishing a communication link between the earth and the nanosatellite. The antenna and solar panel of the nanosatellite are two of the most vital components that profoundly impact antenna type and design. This paper proposes a non-deployable lower ultra-high frequency (UHF) antenna, strategically mounted on the satellite body, to address the constraints of deployment complexity and solar panel integration. The antenna was fabricated and performances measured with a 1U nanosatellite structure, which achieved resonance frequency at 401 MHz frequency bands with 0.672 dBi realized gain. The overall antenna size is 0.13λ × 0.13λ × 0.006λ. The major challenges addressed by the proposed antenna are to design a nanosatellite-compatible lower UHF antenna and to ensure solar irradiance into the solar panel to minimize input power scarcity.

Evaluation of applied public health emergency system at Prince Mohammed International Airport in Almedinah during Hajj season 2014: a qualitative case study.

BACKGROUND: During the Hajj season 2014, several public health measures were applied by the Ministry of Health at Prince Mohammed International Airport in Almedinah. However, several operational defects affected the provision of preventive health services for passengers and airport workers. This study aims to evaluate the applied public health emergency system at the airport, detect any potential gaps and to provide appropriate operational solutions. METHODS: This is a qualitative case study conducted at Prince Mohammed International Airport in Almedinah during the 2014 Hajj season, September 2014. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, focus groups and policy document reviews. Interviews were conducted with the 14 individuals of the airport's decision makers and relevant health practitioners. Data were recorded via taking notes during interviews and data coding was performed to produce the main themes and subthemes of the study. RESULTS: The main findings of the study revealed three main defects affecting the applied public health emergency system at the airport. The main themes were mainly related to shortage in logistics related to public health emergency systems, shortage in proper documentation of policies and lack of documented protocols of communications among airport stakeholders. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlighted the main factors hindering the application of public health emergency measures at the airport. A Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan was proposed as a method to regulate the process of providing logistics for public health preventive services, the method of producing documented policies and methods of producing Memoranda of Understandings as communication regulators.

Evaluation of knowledge and behavior of workers in Prince Mohammed International Airport in Western Saudi Arabia regarding public health emergency measures applied during Hajj season 2014.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the knowledge and behavior of workers at a Saudi airport regarding public health emergency measures applied during Hajj season. METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional study conducted at the Prince Mohammed International Airport in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia between August and September 2014. Data were collected by semi-structured questionnaires during personal interviews. Non-random purposive sampling was conducted to target workers at higher risk of acquiring infection from travellers. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-six participants were recruited of whom 92.5% were males. The study participants were workers in 8 different sectors. Twenty-six percent of the participants were health workers. Non-health workers were more likely to be concerned on acquiring infection while working at the airport compared with health workers (p=0.023). The most commonly feared disease was Ebola viral disease (EBV) among 30% of health workers, and 47% of non-health workers. Approximately 47% of non-health workers reported no knowledge of the procedures implemented during public health emergencies. The proportion of participants who received public health related training among non-health workers was significantly lower compared with health workers (p less than 0.00001). CONCLUSION: More emphasis should be given to educating airport workers on the potential health threats at the airport. Specific guidelines for public health emergencies at the airport should be established and communicated with airport sectors.