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Screening for Pesticide Residues in Red Chili Peppers Before and After Pickling by Small Food Businesses in Lebanon: Investigating the Impact of pH and Salt on Residue Stability
No full textPesticide use is a common practice in Lebanon's agriculture industry, aiming to enhance
crop yields and protect plants against pests. However, improper overuse, handling, storage,
and disposal of pesticides can lead to crop contamination and the presence of pesticide
residues. The objective of this study is to screen for pesticide residues in red chili peppers,
commonly used by small food processing businesses in Lebanon, before and after pickling.
This study concentrated on red chili peppers, due to their extensive consumption and
widespread use in small food processing businesses, particularly in pickle production. The
collected red chili pepper samples underwent thorough pesticide residue analysis using GCMS technique. Results showed the absence of residues from organophosphate and
carbamate pesticides in raw and pickled red peppers. More studies are needed to account
for the potential influence of various external factors, such as the presence of other
chemicals, storage conditions, and processing methods, which may impact the presence of
pesticides on crops and in the processed product
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF WHEAT VARIETIES FOR ENHANCED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY IN THE MENA REGION
Get PDFThroughout the 2022/2023 growing season, a field experiment was conducted at
the Advancing Research Enabling Communities Centre (AREC) in the Beqaa plain at the
American University of Beirut, Lebanon, to assess eleven advanced durum wheat
genotypes obtained from the Prima Cereal Med Project, two genotypes (Icaverve &
Margherita) sourced from ICARDA, and an imported Italian wheat variety (Demantillo).
Results showed that there were no significant differences among treatments for grain
yield, hay yield, and spike number. Although statistical significance was not detected, the
mean performance indicated that ESDCB-2015/2016-82 and IDSN46-7010 genotypes
exhibited the highest productivity, with grain yields of 4.89 t/ha and 4.75 t/ha,
respectively. However, significant variations were observed in plant height. The Iride
genotype (48.7 cm) differed significantly from the Monastir genotype (55.3 cm) at 110
days after planting, and the Margherita genotype (70.8 cm) differed from the Monastir
genotype (78.3 cm) at 113 days after planting. Tiller number also exhibited a significant
difference between Saragolla (3.1) and Antalis (4.2). The calculated harvesting index
showed a significant difference between Margherita (39.6%) and Iride (46.3%). In
addition, proximate analysis was conducted to determine moisture, protein, fat, crude
fiber, ash percentages, and starch content, along with the thousand kernel weight for all
varieties. In conclusion, while statistical significance was not evident, the mean
performance of the genotypes suggests that ESDCB-2015/2016-82 and IDSN46-7010
were the most productive, with grain yields of 4.89 t/ha and 4.75 t/ha, respectively. To
contextualize these results, a comparison was made with studies conducted in Lebanon
and other countries, providing insights into the genotype, location and agricultural
practices effect
Exploring Transformational Leadership Skills Among Nurse Managers at AUBMC Using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire
No full textObjective: This performance improvement study aims at exploring transformational leadership skills among nurse managers at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). Through analyzing perceived leadership behaviors and identifying areas for
improvement among nurse managers. A leadership development plan can be tailored to enhance the leadership skills of the nurse managers based on the study. Background: Effective leadership is pivotal in healthcare settings, with studies indicating that investing in training programs and resources for nurse managers, particularly in transformational leadership, is essential for improving their competency, job satisfaction, and organizational performance. The Clinical and Professional Development Center (CPDC) at AUBMC offers a variety of tailored continuing education and training programs for nurses, including those focused on management and leadership. It is hoped that this study would assist the nursing administration and the CPDC in planning nurse managers’ professional development to lead their units to better outcomes. Methods: This is a performance improvement project that includes a study utilizing a cross sectional survey design. The sample is a convenience one including all the nurse managers across diverse departments in the medical center. The primary assessment tool was the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) 5x short which is based on the Full Range Leadership Model. This tool consists of 45 items that measure Transformational, Transactional, and passive avoidance in addition to sociodemographic questions. Previous research, such as that conducted by Carlson et al. (2021), has extensively validated the Multifactorial Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) across various health professionals. Results: The results showed that nurse managers at AUBMC mostly exhibit transformational leadership qualities, which include focusing on motivating and inspiring their teams, promoting innovation, and supporting career growth. Nonetheless, there is potential for growth, specifically in the Idealized Behavior aspect, where leaders have the 3 opportunity to enhance their position as ethical examples. The findings also showed a reduced level of transactional leadership and limited passive avoidance behaviors. Conclusion and Implication: This study contributes to a broader understanding of transformational leadership skills among nurse managers at AUBMC, underscoring the importance of developing these abilities to foster a positive workplace environment and drive organizational success.
The findings provide a foundation for targeted strategies aimed at enhancing leadership practices, with the knowledge gained helping shape specialized leadership programs designed to strengthen transformational qualities in nurse managers. Furthermore, this
modest-scale investigation aligns with the CPDC's continuous efforts in leadership development, supporting a culture of excellence and
growth within the healthcare setting
INTERACTION OF ARTIFICIAL-INTRINSICALLY DISORDERED PROTEIN POLYMERS WITH ENZYME-LOADED GIANT UNILAMELLAR VESICLES
No full textMembrane-less organelles (MLOs) are dynamic sub-cellular compartments that form primarily via the liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). IDPs are necessary for the reconstitution of MLOs models in vitro, and may interact with curved biological membranes, or induce curvature upon binding. Cell mimicry is a sub-field of synthetic biology that aims to artificially recreate natural entities such as organelles and cells mimicking one or more functionalities of natural mammalian cells. Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) constitute one model of artificial cells (ACs), and are close to mammalian cells in size and membrane composition. Notably, a new class of phase separating artificial-IDPs known as “Intrinsically disordered protein polymers” (IDPPs) were recently developed, yet were not explored for the design of GUVs loaded with artificial MLOs (AOs), nor for their plausible interactions with artificial membranes. In this work, we aim to investigate these IDPPs for such applications. To this end, we separately express and purify two versions of IDPPs (Q20 and Q30), and homogenize them in glucose buffer. Next, we stimulate homogeneous Q20 or Q30 with BSA-FITC or β-galactosidaseRho (β-galRho) or catalase-FITC (Cat-FITC) that distinctly co-condensed with IDPPs into AOs in bulk. Following the assembly of a high number of BSA-FITC-loaded GUVs via the double emulsion transfer method, and the incubation of loaded GUVs in homogeneous Q20 or Q30, we demonstrate the membrane-crossing capacity of IDPPs by the formation of membrane-associated AOs. Further advancements towards encapsulating β-galRho or Cat-FITC, and testing the reproducibility of the phenomenon with both enzymes were hindered by the insertion of β-galRho into the GUV’s membrane, and the low viscosity of Cat-FITC solution preventing its encapsulation via the double emulsion transfer metho
Examining Associations Between Caregiver Burden and Caregiver Mental Health in Three Governorates in Lebanon
No full textBackground and Objective: There is a global aging trend and the share of older adults is expected to double by 2050. This trend will be accompanied by a higher demand for caregivers who need to be around older adults to provide emotional and physical support. Caregivers who care for older adults often face physical and mental health ailments, financial struggles and social withdrawal. The projected increase in the proportion of the elderly, accompanied by the expected increase in the demand for caregivers, emphasizes the importance of understanding the factors associated with care giver burden and care giver mental health. Studies available in Lebanon are scarce and indicate the need to further investigate burden of care and its effect on caregivers in order to provide evidence that would support development of interventions or policies for caregivers. The objective of this study is to assess caregiver burden, caregiver mental health, the association between caregiver burden and caregiver mental health and to examine this association according to gender in three governorates in Lebanon.
Methods: This is based on secondary data analysis from two cross sectional studies conducted between 2013 and 2017 to assess dementia and other health issues of older adults aged 65 years and above. A multi-stage cluster sampling technique was utilized to randomly recruit participants and ensure a representative sample in both studies. The two studies have a total of 739 informants of older adults out of whom 144 took care of participants occasionally or much of the time and these were used in the analysis. Bivariate analysis was conducted using Yates-corrected Chi-square test to identify the significant correlates with caregiver burden and caregiver mental health. Also, simple and multiple binary logistic regression were used to calculate and report the unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios with their 95% confidence interval(CI).
Results: 10% of the caregivers felt burden and 19% had mental health disorders. All of the caregivers who felt burden were females and non were males. Gender of the caregiver, living with the care-recipient, care-arrangement and type of care were significantly associated with caregiver burden. Burden was the only variable explaining caregiver mental health. Adjusting for care-arrangement, the odds of having mental health disorders among caregivers who felt burden was 17 times that of caregivers who felt no burden (95% CI = 4-74). No interaction with gender was shown.
Conclusion: It is imperative to build targeted interventions that reduce caregiver burden and enhance the mental wellbeing of caregivers especially females while taking the Lebanese context into consideration. Further studies are warranted to look at burden of care considering a larger number of caregivers to see how different patient characteristics affect burden level
A REVIEW OF THE USE OF THE SOIL AND WATER ASSESSMENT TOOL (SWAT) TO MODEL NUTRIENT LOADING IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Get PDFAs global climate patterns continue to evolve, the complex relation between land use, hydrology, and nutrient dynamics in watersheds becomes increasingly complex. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) has emerged as a robust tool for simulating the impacts of land management practices, climate variability, and changing environmental conditions on water resources. This thesis offers a comprehensive literature review of the application of SWAT in modeling nutrient loading, with a particular focus on addressing the challenges posed by climate change. It provides an insights into the strengths and limitations of SWAT, shedding light on its ability to capture the intricate relationships between climate, land use, and nutrient cycling. The review encompassed examining recent advancements and methodologies employed in utilizing SWAT to assess nutrient dynamics within diverse landscapes. Special attention was given to the tool's ability to predict nutrient transport, transformations, and loading under various climate change. The results of this work revealed weaknesses in the model’s ability to simulate nutrient transport in cold and mountainous regions. Moreover, it revealed a skew in the geographical extent where the model has been applied. Integration of future climate data projections was found to vary significantly between studies in terms of the spatio-temporal scale, GCM models adopted, and the use of ensemble estimates. This work helps policymakers identify the existing limitations of SWAT, while proposing future developments needed to improve its use as an effective predictive tool for assessing future water quality impairments in the face of a changing climate
Antimicrobial effects of chlorine dioxide in a hospital setting
Get PDFChlorine dioxide is a powerful disinfectant with strong antibacterial properties. We conducted a study at different sites of the Lebanese American University Medical Center-Rizk Hospital to determine the efficacy of the ECOM air mask in decreasing the particle load. Air cultures were obtained from three different locations, namely the patients’ elevator, visitors’ elevator and mobile clinic and the number of colonies grown on each type of agar was determined. We also measured particle counts at the three sites both at baseline and after placement of the ECOM air mask. After 7 days of ECOM air mask use, the numbers of colonies grown on all types of media was decreased by 20–100% versus the baseline values. The counts of particles of different diameters (0.3, 0.5 and 5 µm) were decreased at all three sampled sites. This study highlighted the efficacy of the ECOM air mask. The utility of the gaseous form of ClO2 as an antiseptic in the hospital setting appears promising. © 2023, The Author(s)
An examination of leading change: a longitudinal multiple case study of the leadership experiences of two public school principals in a school improvement project
No full textThis study explored the perceptions of two public school principals who have been part of the capacity-building program of TAMAM about the process of leading change in an improvement project that promotes a distributed leadership approach. Its goal was to understand how their participation in TAMAM impacted leading change perception and practice as well as whether, from their perspective, the developed leadership practices promoted school improvement practices. The study was guided by Spillane’s distributed leadership model, the TAMAM leadership model, and its theoretical framework, which hypothesized that distributed leadership is seen as an effective model to facilitate school improvement and its impact on school improvement is facilitated through the distribution of leadership, building leadership capacity, promoting organizational learning, building teachers’ capacity for improvement, and promoting non-positional teacher leadership. The study adopted an interpretivist, longitudinal, qualitative multiple case study design. Data included video recordings, narrative reports, and semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study revealed that distributed leadership is an effective means for school improvement when leaders let go of the urge to individually lead, leadership capacities of staff is built, non-positional leadership is promoted, and leadership work is divided per expertise. Moreover, it was found that the developed leadership practices were able to create and sustain school improvement practices. Finally, recommendations for future research were also proposed
Understanding Determinants of Electronic Cigarette and Heated Tobacco Product Use among Young Adults in Lebanon: Prevention and Policy Implications
Get PDFIn line with the global trends, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and heated tobacco products (HTPs) have found their way to the Lebanese market. The present study aims to explore the determinants of e-cigarette and HTP use among young adults in Lebanon. Convenience and snowball sampling were used to recruit participants aged 18–30 residing in Lebanon, who were familiar with e-cigarettes products. Twenty-one consenting participants were interviewed via Zoom and the verbatim transcriptions were analyzed thematically. The outcome expectancy theory was used to categorize the results into determinants and deterrents of use. HTPs were viewed by participants as another mode of smoking. The results showed that most participants perceived e-cigarettes and HTPs to be healthier alternatives to cigarettes/waterpipes and to be used as smoking cessation tools. Both e-cigarettes and HTPs were found to be easily accessible in Lebanon; although, in the recent economic crisis, e-cigarettes have become unaffordable. More research is needed to investigate the motivations and behaviors of e-cigarette and HTP users if effective policies and regulations are to be developed and enforced. Furthermore, greater public health efforts need to be made to increase awareness of the harmful impacts of e-cigarettes and HTPs and to implement evidence-based cessation programs tailored to those modes of smoking. © 2023 by the authors
ASSESSING THE PUBLICNESS IN NEOLIBERAL WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT: BEIRUT POST-WAR MARINAS COMPARED
Get PDFSince the 80s, many coastal cities around the world have invested in high-end marina developments. Despite a claim that such marinas can act as public amenities, these marinas have been criticized as a market-led development type that ‘privileged economic interests and consumerist citizenship over community interests’ (Boland et al., 2017 after MacLeod, 2011 p. 2).
In this thesis, I investigate the ability of marinas developed in post-war Beirut to act as public venues, especially, after the newly established ownership pattern has abstracted them to a sum of privately owned lots. “Public” here refers to the practice of space unrelatedly to land property, codification, and regardless of legal, ownership and governance statuses.
The thesis takes for case study the marinas of (a) Beirut Marina- Zaituna Bay and (b) Dbayeh Marina-Waterfront City. The thesis aims to analyze and compare the “publicness” of these marinas, looking at the impacts of urban policies, design approaches, and governance /management mechanisms in balancing between private interest and public profit.
The thesis adopts the Varna & Tiesdell star model to assess publicness and measure open spaces quality. The model takes ‘five meta dimensions’, namely ownership, control, civility, physical configuration, and animation. While classic models limit the understanding of “publicness” to property ownership, the Star Model hybridizes public and private by blurring boundaries and hence developing a more flexible definition of public space (Varna & Tiesdell 2010). The thesis extends further the indicators by accounting for informal practices as an integral part of the control, levels of civility, and introduced animations in the analyzed spaces. The selected tool will dissect the layers of publicness into a matrix that classifies spaces from least public to most public, measuring the level of publicness in each dimension and converging towards a more precise classification of public space based on the set of formal and informal indicators.
The thesis finds that despite a relatively similar ownership model, the two marinas studied in the thesis have very different levels of publicness. It shows that Zaituna Bay has achieved a much higher level of publicness most notably the outcome of its design, connectivity, and its management policies. Conversely, the thesis shows that the exceptions that were introduced by public policymakers during the development process of these marinas undermined in both cases their public nature.
In conclusion, the thesis aligns with Varna & Tiesdell’s discourse on ownership as being insufficient to measure publicness, centering design approaches (physical configuration) and management strategies (control, civility, and animation) as basis to maximize publicness through boosting different forms of access (visual, physical, financial, cultural).
The thesis contributes knowledge towards the articulation of proper urban policies, strategic design guidelines, and responsive governance mechanisms to maximize access and promote public benefit when Public Private Partnership approaches are adopted for waterfront marina developments