This study examined how the external sector affects the performance of the manufacturing sector in Nigeria from 1981 and 2023. The investigator used data on how much the manufacturing sector contributes to the country's total economic output, the exchange rate, foreign direct investments, the country's debt to other countries, how open the country is to international trade, official development aid, and money sent back by people living abroad – migrant remittances inflow. All these data came from reports by Nigeria’s central bank and the World Bank's World Development Indicators. The study used a specific method called Autoregressive Distributed Lag Bounds testing to analyze the data. The results showed that there is a long-term link between the different factors studied. In the long run, the exchange rate and trade openness have a negative and strong effect on manufacturing sector performance. On the other hand, foreign direct investments, the country's external debt, development aid from other countries, and money sent back by migrants all have a positive and strong effect on the manufacturing sector. In the short term, foreign direct investments, development aid, and migrant remittances inflow have a negative and strong effect on manufacturing sector. Meanwhile, the exchange rate, external debt, and trade openness have a positive and strong effect in the short term. Based on these results, the study concluded that opening up the economy, managing the exchange rate carefully, using external debt and aid in a productive way, and effectively using remittances inflow can help improve the performance of the manufacturing sector in Nigeria. The study also suggested that the government should create a clear policy that balances openness with building local capabilities and ensures that external resources are used well for developing manufacturing sector in Nigeria.

Social wasps select nesting environments that must simultaneously support attachment, brood protection, colony growth and access to resources. This study compares documented nest-site use and nest architecture of the paper wasp Polistes flavus and the Oriental hornet Vespa orientalis in four localities of District Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: Lund Khwar, Katlang, Shergarh and Takht Bhai. Field observations combined non-destructive photographic documentation with selective colony collection after gentle smoking, followed by laboratory examination of nests and specimens. The source manuscript reports 16 colonies; however, the supplied row-level field table contains 16 individually documented colonies, eight per species, and quantitative frequencies in this revision are therefore calculated from those 16 records. Polistes flavus was recorded primarily on trees (6/8 colonies), with the remaining colonies on buildings (2/8), whereas Vespa orientalis occurred mainly in underground cavities (4/8) and buildings (3/8), with one colony on a tree. Correspondingly, six of eight P. flavus records were coded as natural sites, while six of eight V. orientalis records were coded as man-made. The reported lower-bound colony counts were substantially higher for V. orientalis (median 215; range 150-350) than for P. flavus (median 45; range 25-90), although these values are approximate because the field log used '+' notation. Nest architecture also differed: P. flavus was described as producing open, non-enveloped, usually single-comb nests 9-20 cm long, while V. orientalis produced larger, enveloped, multi-comb nests 20-30 cm long. Both species used paper-like material and hexagonal brood cells. The observations support clear species-level differences in documented nest-site use and architecture, However, habitat preference could not be confirmed because the availability of alternative nesting substrates was not assessed. Future studies should evaluate nest-site availability, microclimate, nest dimensions, and seasonal occupancy.

Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency is the most important disorder of the pentose phosphate pathway in erythrocyte metabolism resulting in decreased activity of the enzyme. G-6-PD deficiency has been reported to be common in populations living in malaria endemic areas. Certain drugs that are used in the treatment of malaria and other conditions are known to induce hemolysis in G-6-PD deficient individuals. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of G-6-PD deficiency in individuals with malaria infection. One hundred subjects were recruited in the study with 50 individuals positive for malaria infection as test subjects and 50 negatives for malaria infection serving as controls. A G-6-PD deficiency prevalence of 14% was found in the study, 86% of the G-6-PD deficient individuals were from the control group while 14% were from the malaria positive group. A significant difference (p≤0.01) in G-6-PD deficiency was found between the malaria group and the control group. Among the G-6-PD deficient individuals 93% were males. There was a significant (p≤0.05) difference in Packed Cell Volume and hemoglobin levels between the G-6-PD deficient group and the G-6-PD normal group. The lower prevalence of G-6-PD deficiency among the malaria group compared to the control group validates studies linking G-6-PD deficiency with malaria. Also, the higher prevalence seen in control group and males, suggests that gender plays an important role in this enzyme deficiency hence the need for G-6-PD screening in our community given the overuse of agents that may predispose a G-6-PD deficient individual to oxidative stress which could cause some hematological complications such as hemolytic anemia.

Background: Saudi Arabia’s health sector is undergoing substantial reform under Vision 2030, including expansion of insurance-based financing and private-sector participation. Evidence on the factors that shape patients’ choice between public and private hospitals in Jeddah remains limited. Objective: To identify demographic, socioeconomic, service, efficiency, and treatment-cost factors associated with patients’ choice of public versus private hospitals in Jeddah. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among adults aged 18 years or older who had used a public or private hospital in Jeddah within the preceding 12 months. Data were collected using a structured online questionnaire adapted from a prior Saudi study. Of 429 respondents, 400 complete responses were analyzed. The final multi-item scales showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: services/facilities 0.878; efficiency/staff performance 0.823; treatment cost 0.729). Chi-square tests, independent-samples t tests, and binary logistic regression were performed in SPSS version 27. Results: Private hospitals were used by 69.0% of respondents. Hospital choice was associated in bivariate analysis with age, gender, nationality, employment status, health insurance, and family size. Public-hospital users reported higher mean service/facility and efficiency scores, whereas private-hospital users reported higher treatment-cost scores. In the adjusted model, these perception scales were not independent predictors. Health insurance strongly increased the likelihood of private-hospital use (OR=6.269, 95% CI 3.140-12.517; p<0.001). Income of at least SR 20,000 was also associated with private-hospital use (OR=6.722, 95% CI 1.072-42.140; p=0.042), while government employment (OR=0.147; p=0.002) and family size of 12 or more (OR=0.103; p=0.004) reduced the likelihood. Conclusion: Hospital choice in Jeddah appears to be driven more by structural enabling resources particularly insurance, income, employment-related access, and household size than by subjective perceptions of service quality, efficiency, or treatment cost after adjustment.

Background: Havan Yagya is a traditional Vedic fumigation practice involving the combustion of medicinal herbs, wood, and clarified butter (ghee) in a consecrated fire. Ethnopharmacological evidence and emerging scientific literature suggest that the smoke generated during Havan possesses significant antimicrobial properties. Objective: The present preliminary study aimed to evaluate the effect of Havan Yagya on the observable microbial load settling from indoor room air using the passive settle plate method, and to quantify the percentage reduction in colony-forming units (CFU) at 30 minutes and 24 hours post-Havan. Methods: Sterile culture-media plates were exposed in a controlled indoor room environment before and after Havan under identical conditions. Plates were incubated aerobically at 37°C and visible colonies were enumerated. Results: A baseline average of 11.0 CFU/plate was recorded before Havan. At 30 minutes post-Havan, the average count decreased to 1.0 CFU/plate, representing a 90.90% reduction. At 24 hours post-Havan, the average count was 5.5 CFU/plate, corresponding to a 50% reduction from baseline. Conclusion: These findings indicate that Havan Yagya produces a marked short-term reduction in airborne microbial settling, with a sustained partial effect persisting for at least 24 hours. The results are consistent with published literature on medicinal smoke and traditional fumigation practices. Larger controlled trials are warranted to validate and extend these preliminary observations.

Unknown project risks play a critical role in the successful execution of projects. These risks may originate from internal or external sources and can present opportunities, threats, or neutral outcomes. The objective of this paper is to examine unknown project risks that may affect project outcomes. It discusses the challenges associated with identifying unknown risks and highlights the role of project managers and risk management teams in managing these risks and their potential impacts as well as in transforming unknown risks into known and manageable risks through structured risk identification, investigations and continuous monitoring. Effective identification and management of unknown risks enhance project decision-making, reduce uncertainties, and increase the likelihood of project success. This paper also presents a case study on the implementation of new technologies in Saudi Aramco. The study examines the challenges encountered during implementation and demonstrates how thorough investigations and clarification of identified uncertainties, known and unknown risks contributed to the successful implementation and adoption of these technologies within the company.

Background: Inadvertent medication administration errors and secondary contamination during pediatric pharmaceutical preparation represent critical global patient safety threats. Direct bedside observation provides an authentic clinical audit of actual nursing practice compared with self-reported survey methods. Objective: To investigate pediatric nurses' real-world clinical adherence to basic infection prevention protocols and safe medication storage and handling regulations across public referral hospitals. Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional observational audit was conducted across pediatric departments in four governmental hospitals: Shandi Teaching Hospital, Al-Mak Nimr Teaching Hospital, Hosh Bannaga Hospital, and Al-Misktab Hospital. A total-coverage sample of 130 frontline bedside pediatric nurses was directly observed during routine medication rounds using an expert-validated clinical checklist comprising 11 basic infection control items and 3 medication storage parameters. Bivariate associations between nursing characteristics and clinical adherence were evaluated using Chi-square tests with statistical significance defined at p ≤ 0.05. Results: Direct clinical audits identified widespread compliance gaps across frontline pediatric units. Procedural hand hygiene was correctly performed in only 50.0% of encounters before and after drug handling, and in 53.8% upon direct patient contact. Strict aseptic injection preparation technique was observed in 46.2% of participants. Serious vulnerabilities were noted in parenteral device handling: only 40.0% segregated multi-dose vials within centralized clean medication stations, and dedicated single-patient insulin pen usage was restricted to 40.0%. Compliant pharmaceutical storage aligned with manufacturer temperature and light recommendations was observed in 46.2% of nurses. Bivariate analysis revealed that bachelor's degree qualification and extended clinical experience were significantly associated with higher clinical compliance (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Routine nursing compliance with basic infection control and safe medication handling remains critically compromised in public pediatric inpatient settings. Hospital administrations must establish centralized aseptic preparation stations, institute strict patient-specific device labeling policies, and sustain regular observational audits.