Quality assurance framework for the design and delivery of virtual, real-time courses.
Cybersecurity awareness framework for academia.
A conceptual outcome-based framework for the design and delivery of real-time virtual courses.
This study examines the Linguistic Landscape (LL) of two streets in Beirut<br /> (Foch and Weygand) following a series of protests in October 2019 against<br /> the Lebanese government. We analyzed signs of protest on those two streets<br /> collected in 2020 and compared them to archival data collected back in 2015<br /> prior to the commencement of the protests. We drew upon an expanding LL<br /> literature of contestation and resistance and theoretically framed our study<br /> in concepts of reclaiming public spaces through protest signs (Martín Rojo,<br /> 2014a). Photographic data was collected and analyzed based on a critical<br /> discourse historiographical approach (Flowerdew, 2017). Implications with<br /> regard to Beirut’s changing identity and conflicting discourses of protest,<br /> hope, and censorship competing for space on its streets are presented. The<br /> study also presents asynchronous narrative layering as an approach that<br /> addresses historical and cultural dimensions and power structures that<br /> underlie the narratives that shape protest movements.
Machine learning algorithms, such as KNN, SVM, MLP, RF, and MLR, are used to extract valuable information from shared digital data on social media platforms through their APIs in an effort to identify anonymous publishers or online users. This can leave these anonymous publishers vulnerable to privacy-related attacks, as identifying information can be revealed. Twitter is an example of such a platform where identifying anonymous users/publishers is made possible by using machine learning techniques. To provide these anonymous users with stronger protection, we have examined the effectiveness of these techniques when critical fields in the metadata are masked or encrypted using tweets (text and images) from Twitter. Our results show that SVM achieved the highest accuracy rate of 95.81% without using data masking or encryption, while SVM achieved the highest identity recognition rate of 50.24% when using data masking and AES encryption algorithm. This indicates that data masking and encryption of metadata of tweets (text and images) can provide promising protection for the anonymity of users’ identities.
AI chatbots are emerging as a very helpful tool in the medical field, specifically in radiologic imaging. AI chatbots can be used to assist radiologists in reading CT, help prioritize cases based on urgency, collect patient information, improve patient communication and education and help patients understand the exam and prepare for the procedure, etc. This study introduces a newly designed AI chatbot that can greatly assist with patient admissions for MRI examinations. The chatbot improves patient-technician/physician communication and helps in reducing communication/human errors which can lead to diagnostic mistakes. The MRI chatbot was tested on around 98 patients who had taken MRI examinations. Results showed that over 75% of patients who interacted with the chatbot found it to be effective, clear and accurate. This also positively correlated (sig<0.01) with the latter patients’ satisfaction with the chatbot and intention to reuse it in case they had an MRI examination. These results have significant future implications where the chatbot can be intuitively used to help in MRI examination admissions.
Background: The pathogenic fungus Candida albicans is a leading agent of death in immunocompromised individuals with a growing trend of antifungal resistance. <br /> Methods: The purpose is to induce resistance to drugs in a sensitive C. albicans strain followed by whole-genome sequencing to determine mechanisms of resistance. Strains will be assayed for pathogenicity attributes such as ergosterol and chitin content, growth rate, virulence, and biofilm formation. <br /> Results: We observed sequential increases in ergosterol and chitin content in fluconazole-resistant isolates by 78% and 44%. Surface thickening prevents the entry of the drug, resulting in resistance. Resistance imposed a fitness trade-off that led to reduced growth rates, biofilm formation, and virulence in our isolates. Sequencing revealed mutations in genes involved in resistance and pathogenicity such as ERG11, CHS3, GSC2, CDR2, CRZ2, and MSH2. We observed an increase in the number of mutations in key genes with a sequential increase in drug-selective pressures as the organism increased its odds of adapting to inhospitable environments. In ALS4, we observed two mutations in the susceptible strain and five mutations in the resistant strain. <br /> Conclusion: This is the first study to induce resistance followed by genotypic and phenotypic analysis of isolates to determine mechanisms of drug resistance.
In the Prayer to ask of God the proper use of sickness, Pascal distances himself from a profane and worldly use of health and illness, to appropriate them according to a theological, christo-soteriological, pharmacological and anthropological use. Pascalian illness is then a religious épochè according to the “reason of the effects”. The Pascalian pharmakon is twofold: on the one hand, poison is a remedy, because illness can be the occasion of spiritual health and salvation; and on the other hand, the remedy is poison, because health is an open door to illness. This inversion occurs through grace in the heart, according to an anthropology of disproportion. The heart is the place of conflict where health and illness are both worldly indices of finitude and divine indices of infinity. Despite the rhetorical trap of guilt and moralization, and despite the lack of distancing from the Christian God, Pascal invites to a disposition of openness of the heart that heals the heart itself.
In contemporary medical practice, the notion of prognosis is mainly linked to the question of probability and explanation, in relation to the cause/effect couple, and within the framework of evidence-based medicine (EBM). However, this conceptual link stems from a reductive understanding of health. An amplifying and qualitative hermeneutics of prediction, based on a conceptual, narrative and identity approach to health, allows for better predictive care, thus more proactive, provocative, and more centered on the narrative identity of the patient.
Objectives: This study aimed to identify the resistance mechanisms to micafungin and fluconazole in a clinical isolate of Candida glabrata. <br /> Methods: The isolate was whole-genome sequenced to identify amino acid changes in key proteins involved in antifungal resistance, and the isolate was further characterised by pathogenicity-related phenotypic assays that supported the sequencing results. <br /> Results: Amino acid substitutions were detected in 8 of 17 protein candidates. Many of these substitutions were novel, including in CHS3, CHS3B, and KRE5, which are involved in the development of micafungin resistance. Regarding fluconazole resistance, overexpression of efflux pumps was observed. Our isolate did not exhibit an increased virulence potential compared with the control strain; however, a significant increase in chitin content and potential to resist the cell surface disruptant sodium dodecyl sulphate was observed. <br /> Conclusions: This clinical Candida glabrata isolate experienced a change in cell wall architecture, which correlates with the development of micafungin resistance.<br /> <div> </div>
Background: The prevalence of Candida glabrata healthcare-associated infections is on the rise worldwide and in Lebanon, Candida glabrata infections are difficult to treat as a result of their resistance to azole antifungals and their ability to form biofilms. Objectives: The first objective of this study was to quantify biofilm biomass in the most virulent C. glabrata isolates detected in a Lebanese hospital. In addition, other pathogenicity attributes were evaluated. The second objective was to identify the mechanisms of azole resistance in those isolates. <br /> Methods: A mouse model of disseminated systemic infection was developed to evaluate the degree of virulence of 41 azole-resistant C. glabrata collected from a Lebanese hospital. The most virulent isolates were further evaluated alongside an isolate having attenuated virulence and a reference strain for comparative purposes. A DNA sequencing approach was adopted to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) leading to amino acid changes in proteins involved in azole resistance and biofilm formation. This genomic approach was supported by several phenotypic assays. <br /> Results: All chosen virulent isolates exhibited increased adhesion and biofilm biomass compared to the isolate having attenuated virulence. The amino acid substitutions D679E and I739N detected in the subtelomeric silencer Sir3 are potentially involved— in increased adhesion. In all isolates, amino acid substitutions were detected in the ATP-binding cassette transporters Cdr1 and Pdh1 and their transcriptional regulator Pdr1. <br /> Conclusions: In summary, increased adhesion led to stable biofilm formation since mutated Sir3 could de-repress adhesins, while decreased azole susceptibility could result from mutations in Cdr1, Pdh1 and Pdr1.<br /> <div> </div>
In recent years, following the groundbreaking achievements of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy in hematological cancers, and advancements in cell engineering technologies, the exploration of other immune cells has garnered significant attention. CAR-Therapy extended beyond T cells to include CAR natural killer (NK) cells and CAR-macrophages, which are firmly established in the clinical trial landscape. Less conventional immune cells are also making their way into the scene, such as CAR mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells. This progress is advancing precision medicine and facilitating the development of ready-to-use biological treatments. However, in view of the unique features of natural killer cells, adoptive NK cell immunotherapy has emerged as a universal, allogenic, “off-the shelf” therapeutic strategy. CAR-NK cytotoxic cells present targeted tumor specificity but seem to be devoid of the side effects associated with CAR-T cells. CAR-NK cells appear to be potentially promising candidates for cancer immunotherapy. However, their application is hindered by significant challenges, particularly the limited persistence of CAR-NK cells in the body, which poses a hurdle to their sustained effectiveness in treating cancer. Based upon the foregoing, this review discusses the current status and applications of both CAR-T cells and CAR-NK cells in hematological cancers, and provides a comparative analysis of the structure, genetics, and clinical outcomes between these two types of genetically modified immune cells.
The aim of this study is to explore the efficacy of the Faculty<br /> Development Program (FDP) implemented at the Saint George<br /> University of Beirut-Faculty of Medicine (SGUB-FM) under exceptional<br /> circumstances as the triple blow to Beirut.
<p>This paper outlines the development and implementation of a<br /> multidimensional faculty promotion matrix at Saint George University<br /> of Beirut Faculty of Medicine (SGUB-FM). The matrix, designed to<br /> provide a comprehensive and equitable evaluation of faculty across<br /> multiple dimensions, is anchored in six pillars: Research, Clinical<br /> Practice, Teaching Effort, Administrative Effort, Community Work, and<br /> Extra Degrees and Awards. These pillars encompass diverse<br /> components, including publication output, clinical activities, teaching<br /> responsibilities, administrative roles, community engagement, and<br /> additional qualifications, with each metric normalized using z-scores<br /> for fair comparison.</p> <p>This matrix analyzed the CVs and relevant documents of 112 faculty<br /> members, demonstrating its efficacy in providing equitable evaluation<br /> regardless of gender or rank. The results showed no significant<br /> differences in promotion rates among various faculty ranks,<br /> highlighting the matrix’s fairness and impartiality. The study also<br /> explores the relationship between faculty ranks and various<br /> performance metrics, revealing patterns in research productivity,<br /> clinical practice, and community engagement that escalate with<br /> higher academic ranks.</p> <p>SGUB FM's approach aligns its curricular designs and instructional<br /> implementations with international benchmarks, particularly those set<br /> by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), ensuring<br /> global standard compliance while catering to the institution's unique context. The matrix serves not only as an evaluation tool but also as a<br /> catalyst for faculty excellence and professional development. This case<br /> study offers valuable insights for medical institutions developing<br /> inclusive promotion criteria and emphasizes the importance of holistic<br /> evaluation frameworks in fostering academic excellence and<br /> professional growth.</p> <div> </div>
