Continuous Campaign Research Articles

Modelling and prediction of the effect of operational parameters on the fate of contaminants of emerging concern in WWTPs

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) provide a barrier against the discharge of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) into the environment. The removal of CECs is highly WWTP-specific and the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood, hampering the optimization of biological treatment steps for their removal. To fill this knowledge gap, we assessed the influence of four operational parameters of activated sludge biological treatment, namely total suspended solids, temperature, pH and redox conditions, on the sorption and biodegradation of four CECs under controlled laboratory conditions. Design of Experiments was used to better address the factors influencing CECs removal and interactions among operational parameters. The derived statistical models showed results in concordance with previous studies and indicated how sorption and biodegradation of the investigated CECs depend on most tested parameters and few of their interactions. The predictions of the developed models have been compared with literature values, indicating how the tested parameters are responsible for most of the variability of sorption, while they could not reliably generalize biodegradation rates. The developed models were also implemented as an extension of a mechanistic biological treatment model, successfully describing the dynamic behaviour of a large-scale WWTP, which was observed during a three-day continuous monitoring campaign. Compared to a traditional modelling approach, the one including the developed models showed on average almost a three-fold uncertainty reduction, favouring its use to aid WWTP managers and regulators for improved assessment of CEC fate and removal. Finally, the models highlighted that, while higher temperatures and solids concentrations generically favoured CECs removal, removal efficiency vary significantly due to operational parameters and no globally optimum conditions for CECs removal exist. The use of these models opens the door to the combined dynamic management of both traditional contaminants and CECs in WWTPs.

413.4: The Beginning of the End for Living Unrelated Donation Kidney Transplantations in the Middle East: The Shiraz Transplant Center Experience

Background: The Middle East is a region with much controversy and limitations regarding deceased organ transplantations. In this report we describe our unique experience with the establishment of our deceased donor organ donation program for Central and Southern Iran. Methods: During the initial phases in the 70s and 80s, only living related kidney transplantations were allowed in Iran. However, this policy was not continued and was expanded due to severe shortage of hemodialysis facilities and an urgent need to increase the number of kidney transplantations. Accordingly, some centers in Tehran started unrelated kidney transplantation with the support of the government that offered bonuses to persuade unrelated donors. It should be mentioned that, during this time, permission for deceased organ donation was not yet obtained in Iran. The main focus of the Shiraz Transplant Center was to develop a deceased donation program from the beginning. During three decades this center was able to expand its deceased donation program to a degree that in 2008 it completely replaced all its unrelated kidney donations by deceased donations. Prior to 2008, most transplantations were related living and deceased donations, and only in cases where a patient was on the wait list for more than one year and a compatible donor was not found, they were only allowed to have living unrelated donations. The deceased program in the STC has since expanded and has aimed to stop unrelated living donations to achieve some goals which include: to abide by ethical guidelines in organ donations/transplantation such as the declaration of Istanbul, and to finally change the dominant practice of unrelated living donations within the Middle East. These efforts have resulted in an increase of deceased donations in Iran from 1.6 in 2004 to 14.34 per million population in 2019, and in some areas this has reached to as high as 50. Results: Up to March 2021, in the STC, overall 5389 kidney transplantations have been performed. Figure 1 shows the trend in kidney transplantation in the STC. Conclusion: Living unrelated donations are still an ongoing issue in the Middle East region. Our center, has implemented a wide deceased donor program and as a result has been able to completely stop unrelated living kidney transplantations. The deceased donor organ donation program should further be expanded within Iran and other countries in the region and continuous campaigns should be held up against any type of unethical issues such as living unrelated transplantations to meet with international standards.

Sexual Debut, Sexual Education, Abortion, Awareness and Prevalence of Contraceptive Among Female Undergraduates Students in Public and Private Universities in Ekiti State, Nigeria.

IntroductionOf the 182 million annual pregnancies in developing countries, 76 million are unintended and 66% of these are among non-users of contraception. Unintended pregnancy is a risk factor for abortion, disruption of education, future unemployment, and poor socio-economic status. This study aimed to determine the age of sexual debut, sexual education, abortion, awareness, and prevalence of contraceptives among female undergraduate students in public and private universities in Ekiti State.MethodsA comparative cross-sectional study was carried out among 418 [public (208) and private (210)] female university undergraduate students in Ekiti State using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data was gathered using a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS (IBM Corp. Released 2015. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp). Chi-square was used to assess the association between dependent and independent variables at the bivariate level of analysis. P-value<0.05 was taken as significant.ResultsThe mean age of respondents was 21.1±2.5 years in the public univeristy and 19.3±2.1 years in the private university. About 53.8% of students in the public university have been engaged in sexual intercourse as against 30% of students in the private university. The mean age at first sexual debut was lower in the public university (14.2±4.1 years) than in the private university (16.9±3.3 years) while more public university students (87.5%) had access to sexual education than their counterparts at the private university (79.0%). Of those who had ever been pregnant in public university (18.8%), about four-fifth (81.1%) of them had an abortion while all those who ever got pregnant (15.9%) in private university had an abortion.All the respondents in both universities were aware of contraception with the majority getting to know through social media. The prevalence of contraceptive use was lower among public university students (39.3%) than those in the private university (60.3%).ConclusionMean age at sexual debut and rate of abortion were lower in public university students than in private. While access to sexual education was higher in the public university than in the private university, the prevalence of contraceptive use was lower in the public university.Therefore it is recommended that the government and other relevant stakeholders need to institute continuous awareness campaign programs to increase contraception uptake and reduce the prevalence and effect of unwanted pregnancy as a result of unprotected sexual activities.

Public knowledge, practices, and awareness of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in Myanmar: The first national mobile phone panel survey.

In 2017, the Myanmar National Action Plan for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) (2017-2022) was endorsed by the Ministry of Health and Sports, Myanmar; one of its objectives was to increase public awareness of AMR to accelerate appropriate antibiotic use. This survey aimed to assess the public knowledge, practices and awareness concerning antibiotics and AMR awareness among adults in Myanmar. We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional mobile phone panel survey in January and February 2020. Participants were randomly selected from the mobile phone panel in each of three groups stratified by gender, age group, and residential area urbanity; they were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Collected data were weighted based on the population of each stratum from the latest national census and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Two thousand and forty-five adults from 12 regions and states participated in this survey. Overall, 89.5% of participants had heard about antibiotics; however, only 0.9% provided correct answers to all five questions about antibiotics, whereas 9.7% provided all incorrect answers. More than half of participants (58.5%) purchased antibiotics without a prescription, mainly from medical stores or pharmacies (87.9%); this was more frequent in age group (18-29 years) and those in rural areas (p = 0.004 and p < 0.001, respectively). Only 56.3% were aware of antibiotic resistance and received their information from medical professionals (46.3%), family members or friends (38.9%), or the media (26.1%). Less than half (42.4%) knew that antibiotics were used in farm animals. Most did not know that using antibiotics in farm animals could develop resistance (73.2%) and is banned for the purposes of growth stimulation (64.1%). This survey identifies considerable gaps in the knowledge, practices, and awareness about antibiotics among the general population in Myanmar. Continuous public education and awareness campaigns must be urgently conducted to fulfill these gaps, which would aid in promoting antibiotic stewardship, leading to combating AMR in Myanmar.

Israel’s inter-war campaigns doctrine: From opportunism to principle

ABSTRACT What started as opportunistic operations has gradually given rise to Israel’s prevailing military doctrine of Inter-War Campaigns (IWC). This article provides a comprehensive analysis of a phenomenon that has shaped conflicts in the Middle East, one that has been overlooked in the literature. The IWC utilises advantageous conditions to formulate continuous military campaigns below the threshold of severe conflict. This article argues that the IWC creates and manages limited competitive conflicts intended to mitigate adversaries’ force buildup in preparation for war. It provides the first account of the doctrine’s development, analyses its enabling factors, and discusses its degree of success.

Transmission and Cleaning Misconception During the COVID-19 Pandemic Time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and attitude of the public in Saudi Arabia toward the concept of surface decontamination during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based study was conducted over six months, from February 2021 to July 2021. We included adult Saudi and non-Saudi males and females living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Results: Six hundred and twenty-six responses from Saudi (92.7%) and non-Saudi (7.3%) participants with a median age of 24 years and interquartile range (IQR) of 21-29 years were received. Regarding knowledge level, 32.10% of the participants had good knowledge of respiratory virus transmission, and only 3.4% had good knowledge of decontamination products. Overall, 58.1% of the participants had a positive attitude toward decontamination products, and 28% had a negative attitude. Older participants, females, and participants who received their information from the Ministry of Health had higher odds of having a positive attitude toward disinfectant (OR = 1.022, 95% CI: 1.004 to 1.039, p = 0.013), (OR = 3.05, 95% CI: 2.08 to 4.47, p < 0.001), and (OR = 2.95, 95% CI: 1.44 to 6.05, p = 0.003), respectively. Conclusion: The current evidence suggests that the knowledge in the general population of Saudi Arabia is low regarding the transmission of COVID-19 infection and disinfectant products. The prevalence of using decontamination products and attitude toward it is average. Continuous awareness campaigns are required to increase the public's awareness toward such products to change the population's attitude and practice, improve the prevention, and reduce the spread of the infection and its related misconception.

Fog-Haze Transition and Drivers in the Coastal Region of the Yangtze River Delta.

Low-visibility events (LVEs) are severe weather phenomena that are closely linked with anthropogenic pollution, which negatively affects traffic, air quality, human health, and the environment. This study conducted a two-month (from October to December 2019) continuous measurement campaign on Chongming Island in Shanghai to characterize the LVEs transition and its drivers. The LVEs accounted for 38% of the time during the campaign, of which mist accounted for 14%, fog–haze for 13%, haze for 6%, and fog for 5%. The fog and mist mainly occurred from midnight to early morning, while haze mostly occurred during the daytime. Different LVEs were interdependent and transitioned from one to another. Fog generally turned into haze after sunrise, while haze turned into fog after sunset. Their formation and evolution were caused by the combined impacts of meteorological conditions and aerosol particles. It was found that temperature difference was the dominant meteorological factor driving the evolution of LVEs. Within the short term, cooling led to a greater increase in relative humidity than humidification. Radiative cooling during the night promoted the formation of fog and mist. During fog and mist events, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) were mainly internally mixed due to the impact of fog droplet removal and aqueous/heterogeneous aerosol reactions occurring under high humidity. Increased CCN concentration appeared to increase the fog droplet number and liquid water content in fog events. Overall, conditions of high humidity and high particle loading were conducive to LVEs, whereas conditions of sufficient water vapor at a low particle level and sufficient particles at a low humidity level also caused LVEs. This study provided insights into LVEs classification, evolution scheme, and aerosol roles from a micro point of view. The findings could be useful for improving forecasts of local radiative fog and other LVEs.

Investigating the drivers and acceptance of sustainable materials in Kuwait: A case study of CEB

Sustainable practices in construction industry are still facing numerous challenges despite the continuous efforts and campaigns for sustainable construction worldwide. This study aims to investigate the drivers of sustainable construction in the Kuwaiti construction industry with focus on Compressed Earth Blocks (CEBs) as an alternative sustainable construction material. It also aims to explore the level of awareness and acceptance of sustainable construction material among different stakeholders. The research was organized in three phases. The first phase identified the main drivers from relevant literature and similar studies in the past. In the second phase, a questionnaire-based survey was designed and implemented based on the findings from the literature. Two different questionnaires were designed for the survey: the first one was dedicated for stakeholders with limited knowledge about technical aspects of construction industry (owners, clients, real estate companies) and the second one was dedicated for practitioners and specialists (construction companies, engineers, project managers). In the third phase, statistical analyses were performed to compare the influence of the drivers on the stakeholders’ choices. Friedman test and Bonferroni-Dunn test were used to statistically demonstrate the level of importance of the investigated drivers. The results showed that the most influencing drivers in the choice of sustainable materials from the practitioners’ perspective are “Energy Efficiency”, “Availability and Accessibility to Resources”, “Environmental Impact”, “Enhancement of Health and Safety” and “Knowledge and Skill of Personnel” with no significant difference, followed by the “Client Demands” and the “Cost Savings” then finally the “Awareness on Sustainability”. It was also concluded that the clients’ perspective ranked the “Cost Saving” and the “Enhancement of Health and Safety” as the most important drivers followed by the “Availability and Accessibility to Resources” and the “Environmental Impact”. The survey also showed that despite the poor level of awareness on environmental sustainability, the results related to the level of acceptance of sustainable construction materials are optimistic. This observation demonstrates the readiness/willingness of clients and practitioners to shift towards sustainable construction materials, but the lack of knowledge and awareness can be the most challenging barrier to more sustainable practices. Hence, it is believed that strategies for promoting sustainability in construction industry should start by spreading knowledge among all involved stakeholders.

Compliance with the smoke-free policy in hospitals in Spain: the patients' perspective.

To explore compliance with the smoke-free policy in hospitals in Catalonia, Spain, by exploring inpatients' perceptions. We conducted a cross-sectional study of a random sample of 1047 inpatients from 13 public hospitals. We collected data about: (a) type of information about the smoke-free policy provided by the hospital, (b) patients' knowledge about the policy, (c) general appreciation of the compliance with the policy, and (d) specific appreciation of such compliance by noticing any sign of tobacco consumption. We described the data by several patients' and hospitals' characteristics and assessed their association with the perceived noncompliance using prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Few patients were informed about the smoke-free policy (4.8% orally, 6.1% in writing, and 55.6% through sign postings). About 64% were aware of the regulation and 73.5% believed that it was properly obeyed. While 0.7% had never or rarely observed smoking indoors, 36.2% had seen someone smoking outdoors sometimes or many times. Signs of tobacco consumption were observed indoors and outdoors. Factors associated with the perception of noncompliance were: being less than 45 years old versus being more than 64 years old (adjusted PR, 2.33; 95% CI, 1.09-4.98) and currently smoking versus have never smoked (adjusted PR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.02-3.34). Compliance with the smoke-free policy in hospitals according to the patients' view is notable, although several infringements were reported, mainly outdoors. The smoke-free policy in hospitals should be reinforced by prompting continuous awareness campaigns and the exemplary role of hospital workers.

Comparison and integration of CONT17 networks

Among the continuous (CONT) campaigns of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), CONT17 is a special CONT campaign which comprises three independent networks: two legacy networks, and one VGOS network to mainly check possible biases in network geometry. In this study, we estimate all types of geodetic parameters (station and source coordinates, and Earth orientation parameters (EOP)) within the single networks and compare them to investigate potential network dependent biases. Since the separate networks are technically linked to each other by common parameters, i.e. EOP and common radio source coordinates, they can be regarded as a single network on the Earth and integrated in one common adjustment. Thus, we also estimate the station and source coordinates, and the EOP from the integrated networks and compare them with those of the single networks to check the impact on the geodetic parameters. There are both subtle and large biases (up to 7.1 mm between the legacy networks in the Ty component and 23.3 mm between the legacy and VGOS networks in the D_3 component on the surface of the Earth) between the single networks depending on parameter types. The integrated network eventually compensates those differences. Adding the VGOS network to the legacy networks does not show any significant improvement for the latter. However, the integration can provide the VGOS network with better parameter estimates which is important for the new stations.

Coordinated Control of PM2.5 and O3 in Hangzhou Based on SOA and O3 Formation Potential

A continuous observation campaign was carried out with the Syntech Spectras GC955 volatile organics online monitoring system from March 1, 2019 to May 31, 2019 in Hangzhou. The constituent features of VOCs, the preferred VOCs species, and VOCs characteristic pollutant ratios were analyzed. The results showed that alkanes were the most important component in the volume fraction of VOCs, accounting for 62.40%. C2-C6 alkanes, benzene series, ethylene, and acetylene were the key species of VOCs. Olefins and aromatics were the main contribution components of OFP, with contribution rates of 41.35% and 37.50%, respectively. Aromatics were the main contributors to SOA, with a contribution rate of more than 90%. Low carbon alkanes, low carbon olefins, and benzene series were the key contributing species of OFP. Controlling toluene, m/p-xylene, and o-xylene is the key to the coordinated control of O3 and PM2.5. VOCs in the atmosphere of the sampling point were not only affected by motor vehicle exhaust but were also significantly affected by industrial emissions, such as solvents.

Source emission and attribution of a large airport in Central China

Large airport operation release harmful air pollutants and have adverse impact on local air quality. As one of the world's top 30 busiest airports, Xinzheng International Airport (CGO) located in Zhengzhou City, China, its emission impacts needs particular attention. To identify the possible impacts and quantify the contribution of CGO airport to air pollution, a comprehensive approach including emission inventory, continuous monitoring, coupled with statistical modelling was adopted in this study. We estimated a more detailed emissions inventory for CGO, including hourly and annual emissions from engines and auxiliary power units of aircrafts during landing and take-off flight, and airside ground support equipment (GSE) in 2019. The results indicate that almost all the CGO specific parameters including operating hours, fuel consumption and unit LTO emissions at different modes were lower than ICAO reference values. The annual total emissions of NOx, CO, HC, SO2 and PM from CGO from aircrafts and GSE were 1207.7, 921.3, 123.7, 268.3 and 36.2 tons, respectively. In addition to SO2, the main engines of the aircraft accounted for 80.3%, 62.6%, 45.5% and 74.3% of the total emissions, respectively. Meanwhile, a continuous monitoring campaign was conducted for one year in the vicinity of CGO airport. The monitoring data were analyzed using generalized additive model (GAM) to quantify the impact of NOx emissions from airport activities on air quality at CGO. The results showed that even the influence of environmental and meteorological variables was greater, nearly 13% of the ambient NOx concentrations were explained by emissions from airport activities, indicating the importance of airport-related emissions as the major source affecting local air quality.

An Integrated Approach for Evaluating the Restoration of the Salinity Gradient in Transitional Waters: Monitoring and Numerical Modeling in the Life Lagoon Refresh Case Study

Large lagoons usually show a salinity gradient due to fresh water tributaries with inner areas characterized by lower mean values and higher fluctuation of salinity than seawater-dominated areas. In the Venice Lagoon, this ecotonal environment, characterized in the past by oligo-mesohaline waters and large intertidal areas vegetated by reedbeds, was greatly reduced by historical human environmental modifications, including the diversion of main rivers outside the Venice Lagoon. The reduction of the fresh water inputs caused a marinization of the lagoon, with an increase in salinity and the loss of the related habitats, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. To counteract this issue, conservation actions, such as the construction of hydraulic infrastructures for the introduction and the regulation of a fresh water flow, can be implemented. The effectiveness of these actions can be preliminarily investigated and then verified through the combined implementation of environmental monitoring and numerical modeling. Through the results of the monitoring activity carried out in Venice Lagoon in the framework of the Life Lagoon Refresh (LIFE16NAT/IT/000663) project, the study of salinity is shown to be a successful and robust combination of different types of monitoring techniques. In particular, the characterization of salinity is obtained by the acquisition of continuous data, field campaigns, and numerical modeling.

Israel's Armor: The Israel Lobby and the First Generation of the Palestine Conflict

After World War II America had three objectives in the Middle East: contain Soviet influence, assure oil supplies to the West, and support Israel. Although the last objective often conflicted with the first two, strong support of the Jewish state became an enduring foundation of American policy. Walter L. Hixson's Israel's Armor is a meticulous examination of the influence of the Israel lobby on this process. He defines the lobby as “a continuous campaign of advocacy on the part of Israel and its American supporters to secure foreign policies perceived as favorable to the Israeli national interest” (p. 1). The lobby's ability to influence American decisions concerning both Israel and the Middle East, he maintains, often resulted in actions and policies at odds with America's broader interests. This thesis is not new; it was stated most famously and controversially in John J. Mersheimer's and Steven M. Walt's The Israel Lobby...

Molecular Techniques as Alternatives of Diagnostic Tools in China as Schistosomiasis Moving towards Elimination.

Schistosomiasis japonica caused by the trematode flukes of Schistosoma japonicum was one of the most grievous infectious diseases in China in the mid-20th century, while its elimination has been placed on the agenda of the national strategic plan of healthy China 2030 after 70 years of continuous control campaigns. Diagnostic tools play a pivotal role in warfare against schistosomiasis but must adapt to the endemic status and objectives of activities. With the decrease of prevalence and infection intensity of schistosomiasis in human beings and livestock, optimal methodologies with high sensitivity and absolute specificity are needed for the detection of asymptomatic cases or light infections, as well as disease surveillance to verify elimination. In comparison with the parasitological methods with relatively low sensitivity and serological techniques lacking specificity, which both had been widely used in previous control stages, the molecular detection methods based on the amplification of promising genes of the schistosome genome may pick up the baton to assist the eventual aim of elimination. In this article, we reviewed the developed molecular methods for detecting S. japonicum infection and their application in schistosomiasis japonica diagnosis. Concurrently, we also analyzed the chances and challenges of molecular tools to the field application process in China.

Real-Scale Experimental Evaluation of Energy and Thermal Regulation Effects of PCM-Based Mortars in Lightweight Constructions

Lightweight construction is experiencing a significant market implementation with sustained growth both for new buildings and retrofitting purposes. Despite the acknowledged advantages of this type of construction, their reduced thermal inertia can jeopardize indoor thermal comfort levels while leading to higher energy consumption due to high indoor temperature fluctuations and overheating rates. The incorporation of phase change materials (PCMs) into constructive solutions for lightweight buildings is a promising strategy to guarantee adequate thermal comfort conditions. Particularly, the utilization of mortars embedding PCMs as an indoor wall coating for new and existing buildings represents a solution that has not been widely explored in the past and needs further development and validation efforts. This work pursues the analysis of the thermal regulation effects generated by two thermally-enhanced mortars incorporating microencapsulated PCMs with different operating temperature ranges. To that end, an experimental campaign was conducted in Valladolid (Spain) to address the investigation of the proposed solution under a real-scale relevant environment. The proposed mortars were applied as an indoor coating to the envelope of a single-zone lightweight construction that was monitored (under different weather conditions along 1-year monitoring campaign) together with an identical building unit where the mortar was not added to the constructive base layer. The analysis of indoor temperature fluctuations under free-floating operating mode as well as the energy consumption of HVAC equipment under controlled-temperature operation was specifically targeted. Results derived from the continuous monitoring campaign revealed lower temperature fluctuations during summer and shoulder seasons, reducing indoor temperature peaks by 1–2 °C, and producing a time delay of 1–1.5 h into the temperature wave. A clear reduction in energy use due to the incorporation of the PCM-based indoor coating panels is also observed. Thus, this experimental research contributes to proving that the use of innovative mortars incorporating embedded PCMs enables the development of high-end efficient building solutions with innovative materials towards a sustainable built environment.

Regional effect as a probe of atmospheric carbon dioxide reduction in southern China

To mitigate climate change, China is striving to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions before 2030 and has derived a series of national environmental policies to advocate green development. Analysing the changes in regional atmospheric CO2 concentrations could be more convincing in evaluating the impact of the associated strategies. In this study, a three-year continuous observation campaign of the atmospheric CO2 mole fraction was first conducted at the summit of the Nanling Mountains, southern China in 2015–2017 to probe the timely feedback of the implementation of the green policies of the government. The effects of regional emissions and removals on the CO2 mole fraction were subsequently analysed to explore the primary processes and regional contributions driving the background CO2 concentration. Approximately 86.4% of the observed values were filtered as background events, with average CO2 concentrations of 395.9 ± 6.8 ppm. The curve-fitting CO2 mole fraction showed a slight short-term descending trend (0.6–2.2 p.m. y−1) that was rarely seen against the backdrop of a continuous rise of the global average over the years. In addition to the possible impacts of the changes in regional-scale CO2 sources and sinks, we inferred that the vigorously enforced sustainable development policies of the Chinese government should be accentuated to reduce CO2 emissions. Although the conclusion relies heavily on a relatively short dataset, this study may globally help the people to reduce carbon emissions.

Challenges to improve the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Immunization among dialysis population in Hamad General Hospital in the Nephrology Division, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, State of Qatar

Background: Hamad General Hospital (HGH) Nephrology Department is the main provider for dialysis services in Qatar, serving almost 900 patients. The introduction of the COVID-19 vaccination is a crucial step in protecting End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients who are vulnerable and prone to infections due to their immunocompromised status.1 They are at high risk because they are unable to practice adequate safe physical distancing as the majority of them are dependent on others due to age and the medical condition. During the first wave of the COVID 19 pandemic, the mortality rate was 20-30% among the dialysis population.2 Several challenges were faced since February 2020 to manage and control COVID-19 infection in dialysis units. Vaccination is the most important preventive measure in facing COVID-19. Hence, a multidisciplinary team was formulated in March 2020 aiming to raise the patients and staff awareness of the importance of COVID-19 vaccination. Methods: The assessment of dialysis patients’ knowledge and educational needs was done by conducting multidisciplinary focus group activities, providing educational materials in many languages, education through hospital TV channels, WhatsApp group activities with patient educators, and direct education during physicians’ monthly dialysis assessment. Monitoring the compliance rate was done by monthly data collection and targeting non-compliant groups. Results: After the implementation of COVID-19 immunization strategic plan by the end of June 2021, 75% (666 patients) out of 884 dialysis patients were vaccinated (Figure 1). The current vaccination update for over 16-year-old in Qatar is 62.8% 3. Moreover, COVID-19 positive patients were properly managed since the beginning of 2020 by following Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) guidelines to control the spread among the dialysis population and the successful initiation of COVID-19 vaccination program (Figure 2). Conclusion: Continuous educational activities and awareness campaigns have increased COVID-19 immunization percentage among the dialysis population and probably contributed to saving lives.

Variation Characteristics of Ambient Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Volume Fraction During Hangzhou COVID-19 Period

A continuous observation campaign was carried out with the Syntech Spectras GC955 volatile organics online monitoring system from December 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020 during the COVID-19 period in Hangzhou. Composition characteristics, diurnal variation, and atmospheric chemical reactivity of VOCs were analyzed. The results showed that φ(total VOCs) were the highest before the COVID-19 pandemic in different sites and the lowest during the first response period. The φ(total VOCs) at night was higher than that during the day. The daily variation in Wolongqiao φ(total VOCs) was less than that in Xiasha. The daily variation in φ(total VOCs) during the first level response period was less than that during the other three periods. The diurnal variation in the φ (total VOCs) in Xiasha showed a "V" shape, and that in Wolongqiao showed a typical bimodal structure. The OFP in Xiasha was higher than that in Wolongqiao. The OFP were the highest at the two sites before the COVID-19 pandemic. The OFP was the lowest during the first response period in Xiasha and the lowest during the second response period in Wolongqiao. The OFP of aromatics and olefins was higher, and the OFP of alkynes was the lowest in Xiasha. The OFP of olefin in Wolongqiao was much higher than that of the other three components, followed by alkane and alkyne.

Cross-Site Scripting Attacks and Defensive Techniques: A Comprehensive Survey

The advancement of technology and the digitization of organizational functions and services have propelled the world into a new era of computing capability and sophistication. The proliferation and usability of such complex technological services raise several security concerns. One of the most critical concerns is cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. This paper has concentrated on revealing and comprehensively analyzing XSS injection attacks, detection, and prevention concisely and accurately. I have done a thorough study and reviewed several research papers and publications with a specific focus on the researchers’ defensive techniques for preventing XSS attacks and subdivided them into five categories: machine learning techniques, server-side techniques, client-side techniques, proxy-based techniques, and combined approaches. The majority of existing cutting-edge XSS defensive approaches carefully analyzed in this paper offer protection against the traditional XSS attacks, such as stored and reflected XSS. There is currently no reliable solution to provide adequate protection against the newly discovered XSS attack known as DOM-based and mutation-based XSS attacks. After reading all of the proposed models and identifying their drawbacks, I recommend a combination of static, dynamic, and code auditing in conjunction with secure coding and continuous user awareness campaigns about XSS emerging attacks.