An-Najah Staff

Objective Several studies confirmed alcohol and psychotropic drug consumption as important risk factors underlying fatal accidents. This paper presents updated toxicological findings in the fatalities of road traffic accidents of Amman district, in order to have an overall picture of the occurrence of these substances in these victims in Jordan. Method Over a seven-year period (2008–2014), 2743, autopsies were conducted at Jordan University Hospital in which the sum of n = 311 (11.38%) were victims of road traffic accidents. Blood samples from these victims were collected. Toxicology screening for psychotropic drugs and alcohol was conducted on these samples, and the results were analyzed according to age, sex and victim's status.
Results This study revealed that Alcohol and psychotropic drugs were positive in 36.5%, (n = 58) of the cases, and for alcohol alone (n = 13, 37.1%). The majority of the victims were pedestrians (n = 155, 49.8%). Additionally, 29.6% (n = 92) of the cases were of ages 19–29. Detected psychotropic drugs were benzodiazepines, barbiturates. None of the collected specimens were positive for illicit cocaine, amphetamines or cannabis.
Conclusions The results from this study proved the existence of alcohol and psychotropic drugs in the victims of road traffic accidents; Indicating an association between the uses of these substances in accident involvement. Though having some limitations, other conclusions require further data collection, cooperation with related parties in Jordan, and utilizing simple extended toxicological screens.  

 Occupational fatalities are a worldwide problem. Certain occupations pose a greater risk than others. Recent statistics on global occupational injuries and diseases that might lead to temporary or permanent disability and even worse might lead to death, are staggering. The purpose of this study was to estimate the death rates from occupational injuries in Jordan over a period of four years; to estimate occupational fatality rate that results from accidental injuries and identify the most risky concurrent occupations with the type of injuries, the age and nationality of the victims.

Paratuberculosis is an endemic disease and induces high economical losses in Jordan. There is no information available on genotypic variation of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) isolated from animals in Jordan. In this study, we investigated 150 fecal samples from sheep, goats, and cattle for the presence of paratuberculosis using bacterial culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-RFLP analysis of insertion sequence IS1311. Analysis of the results revealed that genotypic information from sheep, goat, and cattle could classify them into cattle or sheep strains. All culture isolates from cattle, 12.5% of the isolates from sheep, and 50% of the isolates from goats were cattle strain, while 87.5% of the isolates from sheep and 50% of the isolates from goats were sheep strain. Sequencing of the IS1311 268 bp PCR product from the three animal species confirmed the different MAP patterns.

Background Pressure ulcer remains a significant problem in the healthcare system. In addition to the suffering it causes patients, it bears a growing financial burden. Although pressure ulcer prevention and care have improved in recent years, pressure ulcer still exists and occurs in both hospital and community settings. In Jordan, there are a handful of studies on pressure ulcer. This study aims to explore levels of knowledge and knowledge sources about pressure ulcer prevention, as well as barriers to implementing pressure ulcer prevention guidelines among Jordanian nurses.
Methods Using a cross-sectional study design and a self-administered questionnaire, data was collected from 194 baccalaureate and master’s level staff nurses working in eight Jordanian hospitals. From September to October of 2011, their knowledge levels about pressure ulcer prevention and the sources of this knowledge were assessed, along with the barriers which reduce successful pressure ulcer care and prevention.  ANOVA and t-test analysis were used to test the differences in nurses’ knowledge according to participants’ characteristics. Means, standard deviation, and frequencies were used to describe nurses’ knowledge levels, knowledge sources, and barriers to pressure ulcer prevention.
Results The majority (73%, n = 141) of nurses had inadequate knowledge about pressure ulcer prevention. The mean scores of the test for all participants was 10.84 out of 26 (SD = 2.3, range = 5–17), with the lowest score in themes related to PU etiology, preventive measures to reduce amount of pressure/shear, and risk assessment. In-service training was the second source of education on pressure ulcer, coming after university training. Shortage of staff and lack of time were the most frequently cited barriers to carrying out pressure ulcer risk assessment, documentation, and prevention.
Conclusions This study highlights concerns about Jordanian nurses’ knowledge of pressure ulcer prevention. The results of the current study showed inadequate knowledge among Jordanian nurses about pressure ulcer prevention based on National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel guidelines. Also, the low level of nurses’ pressure ulcer knowledge suggests poor dissemination of pressure ulcer knowledge in Jordan, a suggestion supported by the lack of relationship between years of experience and pressure ulcer knowledge.

With limited resources and rapidly increasing demands, sustainability is becoming an increasingly important issue, yet difficult goal to achieve in wadis (Salih and Ghanem, 2003). Sustainability of wadi systems is more complicated due to the conflicts and interactions among the different resource utilizations. Therefore, sustainability of wadi systems, and rather any natural entity, can only be achieved through an integrated management approach. In this study, an attempt is made to summarize the challenges facing sustainable development of a wadi system (Wadi Jerash) and to propose some solutions towards achieving that goal. The challenges considered in this paper include technical, socio-economic, environmental, institutional, political and legal aspects. Wadi Jerash project area, defined as the surface catchment of the Zerqa River in Jordan, is taken as an example due to its characteristics as a natural environmental set-up that need to be managed in a comprehensive and sustainable manner. The proposed methodologies are based on the outcome of wadi al Far\'a and Jerash integrated watershed management project. The overall aim of the project is to create sustainable development conditions for the study area through which water resources, natural resources and human resources are protected and conserved.

Two new forms of furcocercariae are described from the fresh water snail Melanopsis praemorsa collected from Menshiya Station at Jordan River and Jarash Falls, Jordan during 1984 and 1985. One is pharyngeate longifurcate monostome cercaria and the second is pharyngeate longifurcate distome cercaria. These cercariae are named Cercaria melanopsis XIV and XV. Both forms of cercariae develop within long thread-like sporocysts. Details are presented on the morphology and behaviour of these cercariae

In addition to shortage of fresh water resources, Jordan is suffering from shortages in recoverable commercial energy sources such as crude oil and natural gas. The limited energy sources in Jordan makes considering renewable energy options such as solar power very attractive, especially for remote areas. This will be extremely important for small-scale applications. Due to prevailing tough conditions, such as low water quality and shortage in supplies, there is a large demand for small desalination units, not only in locations not connected to a water supply network, but also as units for additional or independent supply. In this paper, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the potential of the development of water desalination using photovoltaic powered system in Jordan. A testing rig was built, where a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination system driven by photovoltaic power is used. The RO unit consists of a five-micron sediment filter that is made of polypropylene, two active carbon filters with 1–2 micrometer hole diameter, and one polyamide TFC membrane. The system is mechanically powered, directly coupling the photovoltaic power system to a DC motor, which is coupled to a pump that is capable of providing sufficient torque to run the RO system. Two PV arrays are connected in series and tilted a 32[1]to the south. To study the effect of tracking on the performance of the system, a one-axis east–west tracking flat plate photovoltaic is constructed. Results for both, the fixed flat plate and the one-axis tracking system were compared. Output electrical current, voltage and power of pump’s motor were measured. Pure water flow rate, TDS and PH of produced water were measured for both systems. Analysis of results show that a gain of 25 and 15% of electrical power and pure water flow, respectively, could be achieved using the east–west one-axis tracking system compared with fixed flat plate.