Browsing by Author "Takshe, Aseel A."
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Item 24-epibrasinolide modulates the vase life of lisianthus cut flowers by modulating acc oxidase enzyme activity and physiological responses(MDPI AG, 2021-05) Darvish, Mohammad; Shirzad, Habib; Asghari, Mohammadreza; Noruzi, Parviz; Alirezalu, Abolfazl; Pateiro, Mirian; Takshe, Aseel A.; Lorenzo, José ManuelEthylene is the most important factor playing roles in senescence and deterioration of harvested crops including cut flowers. Brassinosteroids (BRs), as natural phytohormones, have been reported to differently modulate ethylene production and related senescence processes in different crops. This study was carried out to determine the effects of different levels of 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) on ACC oxidase enzyme activity, the final enzyme in ethylene biosynthesis pathway, vase life, and senescence rate in lisianthus cut flowers. Harvested flowers were treated with EBL (at 0, 3, 6, and 9 µmol/L) and kept at 25◦C for 15 days. The ACC oxidase activity, water absorption, malondialdehyde (MDA) production and vase solution absorption rates, chlorophyll and anthocyanin contents, and the vase life of the flowers were evaluated during and at the end of storage. EBL at 3 µmol/L significantly (p ≤ 0.01) enhanced the flower vase life by decreasing the ACC oxidase activity, MDA production and senescence rates, and enhancing chlorophyll and anthocyanin biosynthesis and accumulation, relative water content, and vase solution absorption rates. By increasing the concentration, EBL negatively affected the flower vase life and postharvest quality probably via enhancing the ACC oxidase enzyme activity and subsequent ethylene production. EBL at 6 and 9 µmol/L and in a concentration dependent manner, enhanced the ACC oxidase activity and MDA production rate and decreased chlorophyll and anthocyanin accumulation and water absorption rate. The results indicate that the effects of brassinosteroids on ethylene production and physiology of lisianthus cut flowers is highly dose dependent. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Item A review of the environmental implications of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates(Elsevier B.V., 2022-08) Alalawi, Shaikha; Issa, Sahar T.; Takshe, Aseel A.; ElBarazi, IffatThis paper reviews the environmental implications associated with the COVID-19 pandemic at the individual and community levels in the UAE. The positive effects emanating from the pandemic include improved air quality and reduced contamination of public spaces with pollutants. On the other hand, far-reaching negative effects include poor disposal of medical plastic waste and facemasks and the rise in unhygienic health practices amongst residents of UAE. The long-term ecological implications of the pandemic are still not well understood. The findings shed the light on the importance of addressing the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic through preventative policies and strategies for better environmental health and readiness for future crises. Future research could assess the long-term environmental conse-quences of the pandemic on the UAE. © 2022Item Analysis of the United Arab Emirates' contribution to the sustainable development goals with a focus on global health and climate change(Emerald Publishing, 2023) Alkhaldi, Mohammed; Moonesar, Immanuel Azaad; Issa, Sahar T.; Ghach, Wissam; Okasha, Ahmad; Albada, Marina; Chelli, Sabrina; Takshe, Aseel A.Purpose: The world is confronted by various current development challenges, including global health security and climate change. The rapid growth of these challenges warned all nations regardless of their development or geographical position. As an emerging international power, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was among these nations and is viewed as a proactive key actor. Design/methodology/approach: This review was conducted as a thematic synthesis from 27 studies, reports and publications along with authors' insights. Using MS Word and Excel programs, three stages of data exploration, extraction and synthesis and analysis were applied. Data gathering, analysis and thematization and compilation. Findings: The UAE is giving significant attention to global health and climate change. Over the past 20 years, multipolicies, strategies and bodies were developed to lead the national, regional and global SDGs. Global health and climate change became the most two notable priorities on the government agenda and its strategic thinking is that both priorities can no longer be overlooked. Nationally, the UAE has made significant economic, scientific, social and health growth. Building a resilient and world-class healthcare system was one of six national priorities of the achieved UAE National Agenda 2021. Globally, UAE has proved its global health leadership by ensuring lasting and collective multilateral partnerships and collaborations that led to remarkable achievements in global health and climate change. Examples on the global scale: partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) to target billions of people of the world's population and ensure they get Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) without financial hardship, the partnership between UAE and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to establish the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) to fight diseases and put an end to polio. Additionally, the state's role in the COVID-19 global efforts such as vaccine development, supply chain and distribution targeted low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The UAE has shown a constant commitment to climate change mitigation and building a sustainable ecosystem by hosting global organizations, leading initiatives, supporting countries and is now organizing the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) this year. Great opportunities can be exploited to promote the country's contributions through further investment in cooperation, research and technology for better knowledge, sound policies, and innovative solutions for all regional and global health and climate change challenges. Originality/value: This review is a fresh evidence-synthesizing attempt to document the role of the UAE. This role is well placed to play an additional major role with all partners to address these pressing challenges by boosting its role, especially in the Middle East region and advancing a new regional-oriented revolutionary expanded developmental plan that centered on low-resource countries empowerment, multilateralism, intersectionality and lasting collaborations. © 2023, Mohammed Alkhaldi, Immanuel Azaad Moonesar, Sahar T. Issa, Wissam Ghach, Ahmad Okasha, Marina Albada, Sabrina Chelli and Aseel A. Takshe.Item Application of machine learning risk prediction mathematical model in the diagnosis of Escherichia coli infection in patients with septic shock by cardiovascular color doppler ultrasound(Elsevier B.V., 2021-07) Shen, Hualiang; Hu, Yinfeng; Liu, Xiatian; Jiang, Zhenzhen; Ye, Hongwei; Takshe, Aseel A.; Al Dulaimi, Saeed Hameed Kurdithis study was to explore the diagnosis of septic shock patients with Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection based on cardiovascular color Doppler ultrasound (CCDUS) images under the machine learning risk prediction mathematical model (risk prediction model). 120 septic shock patients with Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection, admitted to xxx hospital were selected as research subjects, and they were randomly divided into experimental group and control group, including 76 males and 44 females, with an average age of (45.47 ± 11.35) years old. The prediction model, random forest mathematical model (RF model), and feature combination were trained and applied in the CCDUS. The error rate, F1-score, and area under the curve (AUC) were compared. It was found that the prediction effect of the risk prediction model was better (P < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was drawn based on the risk prediction model, and it was found that the AUC was 0.924, and the best cutoff value was 0.247. The consistency test between the predicted death result and the actual result showed that Kappa = 0.824, which was higher than 0.75. The pathogenic microorganisms of the patients were mainly Gram-positive bacteria (GPB) in 32 cases (53.33%). There were 19 cases whose pathogenic bacteria was E. coli, and 11 cases (57.9%) of which were acquired in the intensive care unit (ICU). The patient mortality rate was 41.67%. Finally, the acute physiology and chronic health II (APACH II) score and D-dimer of the patients were substituted into the Logistic regression model. The effect of the risk prediction model was better than the RF model and feature combination; the measurement results based on the risk prediction model had good consistency; the D-dimer and APACH II score were independent factors for death of the septic shock. © 2021 The Author(s)Item Assessing climate change indicators in the United Arab Emirates(Inderscience Publishers, 2022) Kamkar, Fatma; Khawatmi, Layla; Arif, Aysha; Hamed, Hamed; Issa, Sahar T.; El Khatib, Rami; Takshe, Aseel A.; Karkain, Rashed M.Anthropogenic and natural activities have led to a global phenomenon known as climate change, which evidence shows, is worsening. Climatic changes can sometimes be observed at a regional level by assessing certain indicators such as temperature, precipitation, and humidity. This study aims to explore climate indicators in the United Arab Emirates that play a possible role in climate change. To gain insight into the longer-term changes, we looked at regional changes by analysing trends of mean monthly temperature, maximum monthly temperature, minimum monthly temperature, mean monthly humidity, and rainfall quantities per year over the period of 2003 to 2019. The trend analysis showed an increasing trend in the maximum monthly temperature, minimum monthly temperature, mean monthly temperature, and mean monthly humidity, but a decreasing trend in rainfall quantities, which may suggest climate change at a regional level. Copyright © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.Item COVID-19: Virus or Viral Conspiracy Theories?(BiomedGrid LLC, 2020-03-16) Abaido, Ghada M.; Takshe, Aseel A.A novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV2 has attracted considerable attention in the past three months, unlike its sisters the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and the disease it causes has been termed “coronavirus disease 2019” (COVID-19). The mortality rate of COVID-19, however, is lesser than that of SARS and MERS. Then why does COVID-19 seem to be a scarier pandemic than any before? Is it a serious virus outbreak or a sort of violence that has perpetrated across communities? The outbreak of the virus itself feels like it’s happening in your own home. This article attempts to understand the reasons for the widespread attention received by COVID-19. To do so, it briefly presents what is known so far about the SARS-CoV2 virus. After that, it explores whether the media has played a role in the widespread and perhaps exaggerated attention directed at COVID-19. At the dawn of 2020, several pneumonia cases were reported in the city of Wuhan, China, that were caused by a novel coronavirus.Item Development and Usability Assessment of a Mobile App (Demensia KITA) to Support Dementia Caregivers in Malaysia: A Study Protocol(MDPI, 2022-10) Rashid, Nurul Syaireen A.; Chen, Xin Wee; Mohamad Marzuki, Muhamad Fadhil; Takshe, Aseel A.; Okasha, Ahmad; Maarof, Faridah; Yunus, Raudah MohdThe impact of dementia on caregivers is complex and multi-dimensional. In low- and middle-income settings, caregivers are often left without adequate support, despite their multiple needs. These include health information, caregiving skills, social and emotional support, and access to local resources—all of which can be partially fulfilled by technology. In recent years, mobile apps have emerged and proven useful for caregivers. We found a few existing apps suitable for Malaysian users in terms of affordability and cultural and linguistic compatibility. Our study aims to design a mobile app that suits dementia caregivers in Malaysia and consists of three phases. Phase I is content development that employs Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Nominal Group Technique (NGT) involving field experts. Phase II comprises a mobile app (Demensia KITA) designed in collaboration with a software developer specializing in mobile health apps. Phase III entails testing the usability of the app using the Malay version of the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (M-MAUQ). This study protocol elaborates on the rigorous steps of designing a mobile app and testing its usability, along with anticipated challenges. Our protocol will provide insight for future researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers and pave the way for better use of digital technology in the field of aging and caregiving. © 2022 by the authors.Item Eco-anxiety: A Q method analysis towards eco-anxiety attitudes in the United Arab Emirates(Routledge, 2022) Takshe, Aseel A.; Hashi, Zahra; Mohammed, Marwa; Astari, AnnisaHumans are witnessing extreme events such as droughts, floods, heat waves, wildfires, and emergence of novel diseases causing unprecedented changes to our planet. These rapid changes coupled with a transparent world that enjoys access to information mean that today’s population is more aware and attentive about the progress of climate change. The purpose of this study is to discover attitudes towards new gained consciousness and the term Eco-anxiety. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines eco-anxiety as a ‘chronic fear of environmental doom’. To investigate this phenomenon, we use Q-methodology to analyse discourses on the topic. Thirty-nine people from four different stakeholder groups were surveyed. Five distinct discourses were generated covering the connection between environmental awareness and psychological well-being, coming to terms with emotional response to climate change, importance of climate change, awareness about eco-anxiety leading to a more positive outlook, and disbelief that eco-anxiety and climate change can affect mental well-being. © 2022 GAPS.Item Faculty perceptions of online presence: intercultural considerations(Emerald Publishing, 2023-10-30) Yousef, Dima; Takshe, Aseel A.; Contu, DavidePurpose: The Covid-19 pandemic forced educational institution to rapidly switch to online delivery. Even if the pandemic seems to be over, online learning will continue to constitute at least a part of the course’s delivery in the future. With that in mind, this study aims to explore the factors that influence teaching presence online and how these perceptions will guide teachers to adopt practices that will impact their presence accordingly. Given the changes implemented due to the pandemic, this study is essential to identify the significance of teaching and social presence in online classes. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were used to find answers to the posed research questions. Exploring the perceptions and experiences of four university teachers, this study, informed by the community of inquiry (CoI) model, investigated the impact of teaching and social presence on the online learning experience in higher education. Findings: The findings indicate that teachers acknowledged the importance of these two elements in teaching online. Moreover, the study investigates how teachers could establish teaching and social presence to enhance the online learning experience. Originality/value: The study explores teachers’ views on the importance of presence, their practices to achieve in an online learning environment and addresses a gap in the literature on “teaching presence from the educator’s perspective, [since] most studies exploring the student’s perspective” (Gurley, 2018, p. 200). © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.Item Helicobacter pylori infection in adult obesity-related nephropathy patients under the partial differential network mathematical model-based artificial intelligence health data monitoring(Elsevier B.V., 2021-07) Xu, Pengjie; Chen, Bo; Takshe, Aseel A.; Omar, Khairi MohamedThis study aimed to explore the relationship between obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG) and Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection in adults. Therefore, an artificial intelligence health data monitoring system was established based on the partial differential network mathematical model. The 13C breath test method was applied to detect HP infection in the research objects. A total of 130 patients were included in this study, and rolled into an experimental group (test results were negative) and a control group (test results were positive) according to the results of the 13C breath test. The results showed that there were 83 patients (63.85%) with HP-positive infection and 47 patients (36.15%) with HP-negative infection. The serum creatinine (SCr), 24-hour urine protein level, and the proportions of patients with damaged renal tubules, abnormal retinol-binding protein (RBP), and abnormal N-aceltyl-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) of the patients in the experimental group were markedly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05); the proportions of patients with global sclerosis, segmental sclerosis, severe fibrosis, and moderate fibrosis in the experimental group were substantially higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05); and the proportions of patients with hypertriglyceridemia, hyperuricemia (HUA), and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the experimental group were greatly higher than the proportions of the control group (P < 0.05). In short, the partial differential network mathematical model-based artificial intelligence health data monitoring system under E-health can obtain the basic information of the patients in real time, and the HP-positive infection was highly expressed in the ORG patients. The renal function damage of patients with HP-positive infection in ORG was more serious than that of patients with HP-negative infection. Thus, HP infection might be related to the process of ORG. © 2021 The Author(s)Item An Initial Reading into the UAE’s Food Security Response During COVID-19(PalArch Foundation, 2021) Takshe, Aseel A.; Lyra, Dionysia Angeliki; Alkhani, Faisal; Mendoza, Nicholas; Talli, MahaThe following report is a desk study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security within the United Arab Emirates. It focuses on highlighting the status of food security, and its 4 pillars, within the UAE, before COVID-19. Furthermore, it talks about the impacts and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food security pillars of access, availability, utilization, and stability. The study has shown that despite local and international movement restrictions, major job losses, trade restrictions, and travel bans, that the UAE is still able to provide ample, nutritious food for its community to access. Additionally, they have invested in local food security by way of new Agri-tech solutions such as smart greenhouses, AI-controlled food-growing environments, and vertical farming. Moreover, by increasing focus on local food and water production to further bolster their food sources and prepare them for any future food security related issues and challenges. This study also compares the UAE and its response to COVID-19 towards similar countries such as Singapore and other GCC countries. The report concludes that increasing local food production, investment in the Agri-tech sector, increasing local food storage capacity, optimizing coastal and inland farming practices, diversification and strengthening of international partners, and acquisition of international agricultural land, will help the UAE bolster its strength, in terms of food security and stabilizing food resources, for the community in the future to come.Item Investigating determinants of pro-environmental behaviors amongst UAE university students through Q-methodology(Springer Nature, 2023-12) Takshe, Aseel A.; Hennawi, Maram; Jebril, Sa’eda; Alawi, Shaikha; AlZaidan, Shahad; Okasha, AhmadNumerous high-tech advancements have established a healthy environment, reduced consumer consumption of non-renewable resources, and reduced the total ecological impact on the environment. Despite this technology, many people still do not have sustainable behavior ingrained in them. Environmental sustainability is threatened by human behaviors, and environmental choices made by individuals are correlated with pro-environmental behaviors. This research focuses on the relationship between people and the environment, the difficulties that have arisen as a result, and the factors that influence university students' pro-environmental behaviors. It explores the factors influencing university students in the United Arab Emirates to have positive environmental attitudes and behaviors using the Q methodology. The results elucidate several discourses, including connections between knowledge and attitude, the importance of formal and informal education, and necessary economic policies and incentives. The results of this research are consistent with those of other recent studies that place more emphasis on attitude than motivation when it comes to changing behavior towards the environment. © 2023, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.Item Pesticides exposure and public health(Frontiers Media SA, 2023) Issa, Sahar T.; Takshe, Aseel A.; Alwan, Nisreen H.; ElBarazi, IffatItem Prioritising climate change actions post COVID-19 amongst university students; a Q methodology perspective in the United Arab Emirates(Inderscience Enterprises Ltd., 2022) Takshe, Aseel A.; Lovett, Jon C.; Stenner, Paul; Contu, Davide; Weber, NoeliaThe COVID-19 pandemic caused strict regulations to lower transmission rates. Industries were shut down, people were in lockdown, and travel was curtailed. Restrictions were in effect for an enough period for people's behaviour to change. For example, online meetings rather than needing to travel. This opens the possibility for alterations to the perception that it is possible to commit to effective climate change actions. A Q methodology study was conducted to analyse how 33 university environmental students across the United Arab Emirates perceive the importance of prioritising climate change actions post-pandemic. Statistical analysis yielded four discourses. The first emphasises the need to learn lessons about climate sustainability and sustain them post-pandemic. The second, more pessimistic but advocates preventing a return to pre-pandemic norms by implementing post-pandemic climate change regulations. The third expects economic recovery to take priority over reducing emissions. The fourth raises opportunities and challenges for environmental sustainability post-COVID-19. Copyright © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.Item Robotic assisted surgery in the United Arab Emirates: healthcare experts’ perceptions(Springer Nature, 2023-12) Barkati, Nasim; Ntefeh, Noura; Okasha, Ahmad; Takshe, Aseel A.; ElKhatib, Rami; Chelli, SabrinaThe adoption of Robotic Assisted Surgery (RAS) has grown around the world. This is also the case in the Middle East and Gulf region and specifically to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The perception of RAS has been studied in the USA, Europe, and Canada. However, there is limited research on the perception of RAS in the UAE. The study aims to examine the perception of RAS among healthcare experts in the UAE and potential challenges. This qualitative study is based on interviewing healthcare experts in the UAE. Most of the study participants were clinicians and surgeons. In the UAE, RAS is adopted in general surgery, urology, brain surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology. Our findings show that healthcare experts have positive perceptions of RAS. The cost and lack of RAS training program are considered as challenges to adopting RAS in healthcare practices. More research is encouraged to examine perception variations with surgical practices in the UAE, Gulf and the Middle East. © 2023, The Author(s).Item UAE University Students’ Dietary Practices and Lifestyles at times of COVID-19: A Cross Sectional Study(Enviro Research Publishers, 2022-08) Takshe, Aseel A.; El Khatib, Rami; Contu, Davide; Shehaiber, Samir Nael; Alkaabi, MohammedWe examinedthe effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students’ dietary practices and lifestyles. In this study, the term “dietary practices” refers to people’s choice in food consumption, whereas “lifestyles” refers to their overall habits including both diet and exercise. We followed a quantitative approach through a cross sectional study and collected data from 475 university students in the UAE by means of an online survey. The results of this study indicated that a majority (67%) of the surveyed students seem to have changed their dietary practice for the better and were making healthier life choices. Additionally, it appears that students started leading more active, healthier lifestyles by incorporating exercise in their daily routine. The research concludes with initial suggestions and implications for healthcare practitioners and providing them with information regarding how younger adults in the UAE have behaved during a pandemic. Understanding the results from similar studies will help the health authorities in reshaping policies on nutrition in anticipation of any future pandemics. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Enviro Research Publishers.Item The ZigBee wireless information medical monitoring for bacterial infections using filter mathematical model(Elsevier B.V., 2021-06) Cao, Maocheng; Wang, Junjing; Wu, Chunfeng; Takshe, Aseel A.; Muwafak, Bishr Muhamedthe study drew attention to the application of ZigBee wireless sensor network system based on digital filter mathematical model in the post-chemotherapy monitoring of hematological tumor patients, and the diagnostic value of the average fluorescence intensity of peripheral blood neutrophil CD64 (nCD64) for bacterial infections. In this study, 128 patients with hematological tumors who underwent chemotherapy in hospital were selected as the research subjects. The ZigBee wireless sensor network system based on digital filtering mathematical model was used to monitor the physiological indicators of patients in real time. The subjects were divided into the infected group and the non-infected group according to clinical characteristics and imaging examination results, and dynamic monitoring was performed on patients of long hospital stay but without fever. The two groups were compared for the average fluorescence intensity of neutrophils and the expression of C-reactive protein (CRP), and the ROC curve (Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve) was used to judge the cut-off value, sensitivity, and specificity of PCT, CRP, and nCD64. It was found that, under the ZigBee wireless sensor network system based on digital filtering mathematical model, the patient's ECG frequency of the mixed baseline drift was relatively low, and the system filtered through the 0.5 Hz sine shock chill superposition. The detection accuracy was high; the subgroups of the infection group (the increased group, the normal group, the decreased group, and the deficient group) showed higher nCD64 average fluorescence intensity versus the non-infection group (P < 0.05). Dynamic monitoring points 1 and 3 showed higher nCD64 average fluorescence intensity versus the control group, non-infection group, and dynamic monitoring point 2 (P < 0.05).The ROC curve revealed that the sensitivity and specificity of average fluorescence intensity of nCD64 (in the infection group and the dynamic monitoring group) were 90.4 and 86.7, 79.6 and 79.6, respectively, in the diagnosis of hematological tumor patients after chemotherapy, higher than PCT and CRP. It suggested that ZigBee wireless information medical monitoring based on digital filter mathematical model can effectively diagnose bacterial infections in patients with hematological tumors after chemotherapy, together with nCD64 average fluorescence intensity. © 2021 The Author(s)