This paper offers preliminary work on system dynamics and Data mining tools. It tries to understand the dynamics of carrying out large-scale events, such as Hajj. The study looks at a large, recurring problem as a var...This paper offers preliminary work on system dynamics and Data mining tools. It tries to understand the dynamics of carrying out large-scale events, such as Hajj. The study looks at a large, recurring problem as a variable to consider, such as how the flow of people changes over time as well as how location interacts with placement. The predicted data is analyzed using Vensim PLE 32 modeling software, GIS Arc Map 10.2.1, and AnyLogic 7.3.1 software regarding the potential placement of temporal service points, taking into consideration the three dynamic constraints and behavioral aspects: a large population, limitation in time, and space. This research proposes appropriate data analyses to ensure the optimal positioning of the service points with limited time and space for large-scale events. The conceptual framework would be the output of this study. Knowledge may be added to the insights based on the technique.展开更多
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-Co V) has emerged in the Arabian Gulf region, with its epicentre in Saudi Arabia, the host of the ‘Hajj' which is the world's the largest mass gathering. Tran...Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-Co V) has emerged in the Arabian Gulf region, with its epicentre in Saudi Arabia, the host of the ‘Hajj' which is the world's the largest mass gathering. Transmission of MERS-Co V at such an event could lead to its rapid worldwide dissemination. Therefore, we studied the frequency of viruses causing influenza-like illnesses(ILI) among participants in a randomised controlled trial at the Hajj 2013. We recruited 1038 pilgrims from Saudi Arabia, Australia and Qatar during the first day of Hajj and followed them closely for four days. A nasal swab was collected from each pilgrim who developed ILI. Respiratory viruses were detected using multiplex RT-PCR. ILI occurred in 112/1038(11%) pilgrims. Their mean age was 35 years, 49(44%) were male and 35(31%) had received the influenza vaccine pre-Hajj. Forty two(38%) pilgrims had laboratory-confirmed viral infections; 28(25%) rhinovirus, 5(4%) influenza A, 2(2%) adenovirus, 2(2%) human coronavirus OC43/229 E, 2(2%) parainfluenza virus 3, 1(1%) parainfluenza virus 1, and 2(2%) dual infections. No MERS-Co V was detected in any sample. Rhinovirus was the commonest cause of ILI among Hajj pilgrims in 2013. Infection control and appropriate vaccination are necessary to prevent transmission of respiratory viruses at Hajj and other mass gatherings.展开更多
The Islamic sacred city Mecca is the destination of global Muslims’hajj activities.Saudi Arabia and countries with a large number of Muslims attach great importance to the special role of hajj in inter-national relat...The Islamic sacred city Mecca is the destination of global Muslims’hajj activities.Saudi Arabia and countries with a large number of Muslims attach great importance to the special role of hajj in inter-national relation,especially in the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Somaliland,which is mainly reflected in two aspects.Firstly,Somaliland is one of the main export destination of the live-stock for Eid Al Adha of the hajj rituals.Eid Al Adha is an important part of the hajj rituals,and is also the obligation of most hajj pil-grims.With the sharp increase in the number of pilgrims all over the world in recent years,Saudi Arabia needs to import a large number of livestock from Somaliland and Sudan to meet its basic religious needs.Somaliland is a so-called‘republic’within Somalia’s territory that declared‘independence’on its own,which has not been universally recognised by the international community.Over the years,Somaliland has maintained a relatively stable situation.Its economic mainstay is livestock export,especially during the hajj season.Although the export of livestock from Somaliland to Saudi Arabia has been interrupted many times due to the animal infec-tious diseases,the huge demand for sacrifice in the hajj rituals highlights the importance of Somaliland.In other words,the smooth and complete performance of the hajj has largely main-tained the development of Saudi Arabia’s relations with Somaliland.Secondly,Saudi Arabia invited the‘President’of Somaliland to Mecca for hajj,and also urged the easing of conflicting relations between Somaliland authorities and the Somali federal govern-ment.Somalia does not recognise the‘independence’of Somaliland.The conflict between the two sides also affects the allocation of hajj quota,which has triggered strong dissatisfaction and resis-tance in Somaliland.For example,Somaliland complained to Saudi Arabia for Somalia’s‘politicisation’of hajj.In order to cool down the conflict in Somalia,Saudi Arabia invited the‘President’and some s展开更多
Notwithstanding the religious intention of billions of devotees,the religious mass gathering increased major public health concerns since it likely became a huge super spreading event for the severe acute respiratory ...Notwithstanding the religious intention of billions of devotees,the religious mass gathering increased major public health concerns since it likely became a huge super spreading event for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2).Most attendees ignored preventive measures,namely maintaining physical distance,practising hand hygiene,and wearing facemasks.Wearing a face mask in public areas protects people from spreading COVID-19.Artificial intelligence(AI)based on deep learning(DL)and machine learning(ML)could assist in fighting covid-19 in several ways.This study introduces a new deep learning-based Face Mask Detection in Religious Mass Gathering(DLFMD-RMG)technique during the COVID-19 pandemic.The DLFMD-RMG technique focuses mainly on detecting face masks in a religious mass gathering.To accomplish this,the presented DLFMD-RMG technique undergoes two pre-processing levels:Bilateral Filtering(BF)and Contrast Enhancement.For face detection,the DLFMD-RMG technique uses YOLOv5 with a ResNet-50 detector.In addition,the face detection performance can be improved by the seeker optimization algorithm(SOA)for tuning the hyperparameter of the ResNet-50 module,showing the novelty of the work.At last,the faces with and without masks are classified using the Fuzzy Neural Network(FNN)model.The stimulation study of the DLFMD-RMG algorithm is examined on a benchmark dataset.The results highlighted the remarkable performance of the DLFMD-RMG model algorithm in other recent approaches.展开更多
Saudi Arabia every year receives more than two million Muslims from all over the world to perform the Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah. It must take place during a specific period of the year in a specific and li...Saudi Arabia every year receives more than two million Muslims from all over the world to perform the Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah. It must take place during a specific period of the year in a specific and limited space. In spite of the effort government agencies devote to this event, a variety of disasters usually take place each year. As the number of pilgrims is increasing every year the problem is becoming an alarming one. More and more resources are allocated to eliminate the occurrence of such disasters. More than one strategy has been proposed to make the Hajj as safe as possible. Knowing that the problem is very complex as it involves numerous actors, and many entangled criteria and elements, the question is which strategy is best. This paper presents the Analytic Network Process as a sound methodology for structuring the Hajj problem by designing an analytical model to find which strategy to focus on to make the pilgrimage as safe as possible.展开更多
Hajj is one of the‘Five Pillars’in Islam.However,the large-scale cross-border movement of pilgrims around the world poses huge challenges over health security.Saudi Hajj governance is not only a need to maintain hea...Hajj is one of the‘Five Pillars’in Islam.However,the large-scale cross-border movement of pilgrims around the world poses huge challenges over health security.Saudi Hajj governance is not only a need to maintain health security,but also to a large extent the sharia considerations related to the prerequisites for Hajj.In recent years,Saudi Arabia has gained rich experience in dealing with the challenges of SARS,MERS and other infectious diseases on Hajj.With the spread of the COVID-19 to Mecca in February 2020,Saudi Arabia has been facing serious challenges.Based on domestic and global epidemic prevention considerations,the Saudi government finally introduced the new policy on 2020 Hajj,which for the first time halted the Hajj of overseas Muslims,and only selected a very limited number of pilgrims within Saudi territory to perform Hajj.Saudi actually balances three major structural contradictions between maintaining health security and fighting the epidemic,and to a certain extent ensuring the rights of Muslims around the world.With the easing of the epidemic in Saudi Arabia in 2021,how to ensure that the Hajj can be performed in 2021 under the COVID-19 has aroused great attention from the international community.For the current review,Saudi new Hajj policy in 2020 has achieved due results.Saudi Arabia continued the scaled-down Hajj policy in 2021 due to the constant mutations of the coronavirus.The formation of Saudi Hajj policy under COVID-19 directly comes from the rich experience of Saudi Arabia in effectively maintaining the Hajj health security during the spread of different global epidemics,and fundamentally rooted in the hygiene and cleanliness within the Islamic civilisation.展开更多
In recent years, modelling crowd and evacuation dynamics has become very important, with increasing huge numbers of people gathering around the world for many reasons and events. The fact that our global population gr...In recent years, modelling crowd and evacuation dynamics has become very important, with increasing huge numbers of people gathering around the world for many reasons and events. The fact that our global population grows dramatically every year and the current public transport systems are able to transport large amounts of people heightens the risk of crowd panic or crush. Pedestrian models are based on macroscopic or microscopic behaviour. In this paper, we are interested in developing models that can be used for evacuation control strategies. This model will be based on microscopic pedestrian simulation models, and its evolution and design requires a lot of information and data. The people stream will be simulated, based on mathematical models derived from empirical data about pedestrian flows. This model is developed from image data bases, so called empirical data, taken from a video camera or data obtained using human detectors. We consider the individuals as autonomous particles interacting through social and physical forces, which is an approach that has been used to simulate crowd behaviour. The target of this work is to describe a comprehensive approach to model a huge number of pedestrians and to simulate high density crowd behaviour in overcrowding places, e.g. sport, concert and pilgrimage places, and to assist engineering in the resolution of complicated problems through integrating a number of models from different research domains.展开更多
AIM To estimate the pharyngeal carriage rate of Neisseria meningitidis(N. meningitidis), Streptococcus pneumoniae(S. pneumoniae) and Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) among Australian Hajj pilgrims.METHODS In 2014, sur...AIM To estimate the pharyngeal carriage rate of Neisseria meningitidis(N. meningitidis), Streptococcus pneumoniae(S. pneumoniae) and Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) among Australian Hajj pilgrims.METHODS In 2014, surveillance was conducted in two phases among Australian Hajj pilgrims: The first phase during Hajj in Mina, and the second phase soon after returning home to Australia. Nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swabs were taken from participants then tested, firstly by nucleic acid testing, and also by standard culture.RESULTS Of 183 participants recruited in the first phase, 26(14.2%) tested positive for S. pneumoniae; 4 had received pneumococcal conjugate vaccine(PCV13). Only one tested positive for N. meningitidis(W). Of 93 2^(nd) phase samples cultured, 17(18.3%) grew S. aureus, all methicillin sensitive, 2(2.2%) grew N. meningitidis(on subculture; one serotype B, one negative), and 1(1%), from an unvaccinated pilgrim, grew S. pneumoniae.CONCLUSION Relatively high carriage of S. pneumoniae and little meningococcal carriage was found. This indicates the importance of a larger study for improved infection surveillance and possible vaccine evaluation.展开更多
AIM To evaluate the uptake of a mandatory meningococcal, a highly recommended influenza, and an optional pneumococcal vaccine, and to explore the key factors affecting vaccination rate among health care workers(HCWs) ...AIM To evaluate the uptake of a mandatory meningococcal, a highly recommended influenza, and an optional pneumococcal vaccine, and to explore the key factors affecting vaccination rate among health care workers(HCWs) during the Hajj.METHODS An anonymous cross-sectional online survey was distributed among HCWs and trainees who worked or volunteered at the Hajj 2015-2017 through their line managers, or by visiting their hospitals and healthcare centres in Makkah and Mina. Overseas HCWs who accompanied the pilgrims or those who work in foreign Hajj medical missions were excluded. Pearson's χ2 test was used to compare categorical variables and odds ratio(OR) was calculated by "risk estimate" statistics along with 95% confidence interval(95%CI).RESULTS A total of 138 respondents aged 20 to 59(median 25.6) years with a male to female ratio of 2.5:1 participated in the survey. Only 11.6%(16/138) participants reported receiving all three vaccines, 15.2%(21/138) did not receive any vaccine, 76.1%(105/138) received meningococcal, 68.1%(94/138) influenza and 13.8%(19/138) pneumococcal vaccine. Females were more likely to receive a vaccine than males(OR 3.6, 95%CI: 1.0-12.7, P < 0.05). Willingness to follow health authority's recommendation was the main reason for receipt of vaccine(78.8%) while believing that they were up-to-date with vaccination(39.8%) was the prime reason for non-receipt. CONCLUSION Some HCWs at Hajj miss out the compulsory and highly recommended vaccines; lack of awareness is a key barrier and authority's advice is an important motivator. Health education followed by stringent measures may be required to improve their vaccination rate.展开更多
SETTING: Millions of pilgrims visit Makkah (Mecca), Saudi Arabia, from regions of endemic tuberculosis. Little consideration has been given to the potential impact of this disease on the local population. OBJECTIVES: ...SETTING: Millions of pilgrims visit Makkah (Mecca), Saudi Arabia, from regions of endemic tuberculosis. Little consideration has been given to the potential impact of this disease on the local population. OBJECTIVES: To assess knowledge about TB among residents of Makkah and Jeddah (Makkah’s principal travel gateway). METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 1004 residents. Data were analyzed by gender. RESULTS: Spread of TB by coughing was a transmission route known by 44.2% of males and 59.6% of females (P < 0.001);20.0% of participants knew that TB is caused by bacteria;71.6% of females and 52.3% of males knew TB is infectious (P < 0.001). Regarding approaches to TB prevention, 48.0% of respondents answered patient isolation and 15.2% vaccination. Overall, 50.6% of males and 38.3% of females (P < 0.001) would seek modern medical treatment if hemoptysis occurred. With a persistent cough, 65.4% of respondents would do nothing or wait before consulting a healthcare provider. High numbers of “don’t know” responses were recorded throughout the survey. CONCLUSIONS: Within the population across pilgrimage areas in Saudi Arabia, knowledge is lacking concerning TB transmission, the cause of the disease, means of prevention and the success of treatment, highlighting an urge need for better public education.展开更多
Background: The sources of respiratory disorders commonly occurred during the Hajj ceremony are now challenging and its infectious or allergic nature remained unknown. The present comprehensive study was conducted to ...Background: The sources of respiratory disorders commonly occurred during the Hajj ceremony are now challenging and its infectious or allergic nature remained unknown. The present comprehensive study was conducted to assess sources of respiratory disorders in Hajj pilgrims. Method: In this prospective observational study, blood samples of 130 pilgrims were taken for assessment of serum levels of infectious and allergic sources. The measurement of IgA, IgG, IgM was used for assessment of infectious reactions against microbial antigens, NBT test was employed to assess phagocytic functions, and the measurement of gamma interferon was used for assessing immunity status against infections. Also, measurement of IgE and IL-4 was applied as two markers for assessing allergic reactions. The ELISA test was also used to assess serum levels of immunoglobulin A, G, M, E, IL-4 and gamma interferon before and three weeks after returning from Hajj ceremony. All of the volunteers were followed up along the trip and the involved pilgrim’s characteristics were recorded. Results: The present study showed no significant change in the level of allergic biomarkers including IgE and IL-4, however the mean levels of IgM, gamma Interferon and NBT test were increased after the trip compared with before that. Conclusion: Infections play a major role in occurrence of respiratory disorders among Hajj pilgrims and thus the role of allergic sources is doubtful.展开更多
Hajj is among the world＇s largest mass gatherings, drawing between 2 and 3.5 million Muslims from 183 nations annually to perform pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Infectious disease outbreaks can be imported both i...Hajj is among the world＇s largest mass gatherings, drawing between 2 and 3.5 million Muslims from 183 nations annually to perform pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Infectious disease outbreaks can be imported both into the Hajj population and exported internationally by returning pilgrims. The domestic Saudi population can also be at risk of outbreaks traveling amid this mass migration. With yellow fever reported for the first time in China following the infection of expatriate Chinese workers in Angola and a full blown outbreak underway in wider West Africa, the prospect of yellow fever outbreaks in Asia threatens to impact Saudi Arabia, both during and beyond the Hajj season. With global focus trained on Zika, the rising threat of yellow fever cannot be overlooked. Strategies to mitigate risk to Saudi Arabia and the global population are thereby suggested.展开更多
Background: Respiratory disorders are the most common diseases among Iranian pilgrims in Hajj. Some studies recommended flu and pneumococcal vaccines separately or in combination to reduce respiratory diseases occurre...Background: Respiratory disorders are the most common diseases among Iranian pilgrims in Hajj. Some studies recommended flu and pneumococcal vaccines separately or in combination to reduce respiratory diseases occurrence and its morbidity. These effects are not clear in afflicted Hajj pilgrims. Objective: This is a cohort study that investigates the effects of above-mentioned vaccines each or their combination on respiratory syndromes and their consequences among Iranian pilgrims in Mecca. Method: The participants were 295 Iranian pilgrims from the beginning to the end of the journey. They were systematically observed for getting afflicted with a respiratory syndrome or not. In this study, we have assessed the effects of flu and pneumococcal vaccines on respiratory disease occurrence and on 8 clinical consequences including as: the duration of fever, duration of cough, duration of bed rest, presence of post nasal discharge and dirty sputum, the total disease length, and the number of referrals to the hospital, physician’s visits and complications. The data for this study were gathered through a questionnaire with 14 basic questions and 60 choices. This was processed using the SPSS software of 11.5 version, T- and Chi-square tests. Results: The results showed no significant correlations between the above-mentioned factors and vaccination with one or both flu and pneumovax-23 except for the duration of coughs which was significantly reduced in all cases (p < 0.01) and also decreased complications of the disease (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The study suggests the high-risk groups, should be vaccinated with combination of flu and pneumovax-23 vaccines in Hajj.展开更多
自2012年9月首例中东呼吸综合征(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome,简称MERS)病例在沙特阿拉伯报告以后,MERS已随着跨境国际旅行播散至阿拉伯半岛以外的地区。其绝大多数病例发生于沙特阿拉伯境内,因而MERS是否会随着朝觐等国际旅行活...自2012年9月首例中东呼吸综合征(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome,简称MERS)病例在沙特阿拉伯报告以后,MERS已随着跨境国际旅行播散至阿拉伯半岛以外的地区。其绝大多数病例发生于沙特阿拉伯境内,因而MERS是否会随着朝觐等国际旅行活动全球范围扩散,是很值得关注的一个问题。本文就MERS与国际旅行相关数据进行综述。展开更多
Hajj(Islamic pilgrimage)is not only the world’s largest transnational religious movement,but also the only one in the world explicitly listed as one of the religious pillars of the Islamic faith.Viewing hajj within t...Hajj(Islamic pilgrimage)is not only the world’s largest transnational religious movement,but also the only one in the world explicitly listed as one of the religious pillars of the Islamic faith.Viewing hajj within the context of Islam’s continued global territorial expansion of the faith from the perspective of international relations is of great benefit to a better understanding of Islam and its participation in international relations.The total institution of hajj is composed of basic institutions and different countries’management institutions.The two holy cities are the cornerstones in Saudi Arabia’s construction of an Islamic international system.Hajj also has impacts on many specific areas of international relations.In the long run,realizing the interaction of hajj and international relations is very important for China’s national security.展开更多
Hajj and Umrah are two main religious duties for Muslims.To help faithfuls to perform their religious duties comfortably in overcrowded areas,a crowd management system is a must to control the entering and exiting for...Hajj and Umrah are two main religious duties for Muslims.To help faithfuls to perform their religious duties comfortably in overcrowded areas,a crowd management system is a must to control the entering and exiting for each place.Since the number of people is very high,an intelligent crowd management system can be developed to reduce human effort and accelerate the management process.In this work,we propose a crowd management process based on detecting,tracking,and counting human faces using Artificial Intelligence techniques.Human detection and counting will be performed to calculate the number of existing visitors and face detection and tracking will be used to identify all the humans for security purposes.The proposed crowd management system is composed form three main parts which are:(1)detecting human faces,(2)assigning each detected face with a numerical identifier,(3)storing the identity of each face in a database for further identification and tracking.The main contribution of this work focuses on the detection and tracking model which is based on an improved object detection model.The improved Yolo v4 was used for face detection and tracking.It has been very effective in detecting small objects in highresolution images.The novelty contained in thismethod was the integration of the adaptive attention mechanism to improve the performance of the model for the desired task.Channel wise attention mechanism was applied to the output layers while both channel wise and spatial attention was integrated in the building blocks.The main idea from the adaptive attention mechanisms is to make themodel focus more on the target and ignore false positive proposals.We demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed method through expensive experimentation on a publicly available dataset.The wider faces dataset was used for the train and the evaluation of the proposed detection and tracking model.The proposed model has achieved good results with 91.2%of mAP and a processing speed of 18 FPS on the Nvidia GTX 960 GPU.展开更多
文摘This paper offers preliminary work on system dynamics and Data mining tools. It tries to understand the dynamics of carrying out large-scale events, such as Hajj. The study looks at a large, recurring problem as a variable to consider, such as how the flow of people changes over time as well as how location interacts with placement. The predicted data is analyzed using Vensim PLE 32 modeling software, GIS Arc Map 10.2.1, and AnyLogic 7.3.1 software regarding the potential placement of temporal service points, taking into consideration the three dynamic constraints and behavioral aspects: a large population, limitation in time, and space. This research proposes appropriate data analyses to ensure the optimal positioning of the service points with limited time and space for large-scale events. The conceptual framework would be the output of this study. Knowledge may be added to the insights based on the technique.
基金made possible by a National Priorities Research Program grant (NPRP 6-1505-3-358) from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation)supported by an NHMRC Australia Fellowship
文摘Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-Co V) has emerged in the Arabian Gulf region, with its epicentre in Saudi Arabia, the host of the ‘Hajj' which is the world's the largest mass gathering. Transmission of MERS-Co V at such an event could lead to its rapid worldwide dissemination. Therefore, we studied the frequency of viruses causing influenza-like illnesses(ILI) among participants in a randomised controlled trial at the Hajj 2013. We recruited 1038 pilgrims from Saudi Arabia, Australia and Qatar during the first day of Hajj and followed them closely for four days. A nasal swab was collected from each pilgrim who developed ILI. Respiratory viruses were detected using multiplex RT-PCR. ILI occurred in 112/1038(11%) pilgrims. Their mean age was 35 years, 49(44%) were male and 35(31%) had received the influenza vaccine pre-Hajj. Forty two(38%) pilgrims had laboratory-confirmed viral infections; 28(25%) rhinovirus, 5(4%) influenza A, 2(2%) adenovirus, 2(2%) human coronavirus OC43/229 E, 2(2%) parainfluenza virus 3, 1(1%) parainfluenza virus 1, and 2(2%) dual infections. No MERS-Co V was detected in any sample. Rhinovirus was the commonest cause of ILI among Hajj pilgrims in 2013. Infection control and appropriate vaccination are necessary to prevent transmission of respiratory viruses at Hajj and other mass gatherings.
基金funded by the National Social Sciences Fund of China,‘Impacts of Islam on Contemporary International Relations’[grant no.21BZJ054]the program‘Evolution of Middle East Politics and Momentous Changes Unseen in a Century’[grant no.2020114046]of the Innovation Team of Shanghai International Studies University.
文摘The Islamic sacred city Mecca is the destination of global Muslims’hajj activities.Saudi Arabia and countries with a large number of Muslims attach great importance to the special role of hajj in inter-national relation,especially in the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Somaliland,which is mainly reflected in two aspects.Firstly,Somaliland is one of the main export destination of the live-stock for Eid Al Adha of the hajj rituals.Eid Al Adha is an important part of the hajj rituals,and is also the obligation of most hajj pil-grims.With the sharp increase in the number of pilgrims all over the world in recent years,Saudi Arabia needs to import a large number of livestock from Somaliland and Sudan to meet its basic religious needs.Somaliland is a so-called‘republic’within Somalia’s territory that declared‘independence’on its own,which has not been universally recognised by the international community.Over the years,Somaliland has maintained a relatively stable situation.Its economic mainstay is livestock export,especially during the hajj season.Although the export of livestock from Somaliland to Saudi Arabia has been interrupted many times due to the animal infec-tious diseases,the huge demand for sacrifice in the hajj rituals highlights the importance of Somaliland.In other words,the smooth and complete performance of the hajj has largely main-tained the development of Saudi Arabia’s relations with Somaliland.Secondly,Saudi Arabia invited the‘President’of Somaliland to Mecca for hajj,and also urged the easing of conflicting relations between Somaliland authorities and the Somali federal govern-ment.Somalia does not recognise the‘independence’of Somaliland.The conflict between the two sides also affects the allocation of hajj quota,which has triggered strong dissatisfaction and resis-tance in Somaliland.For example,Somaliland complained to Saudi Arabia for Somalia’s‘politicisation’of hajj.In order to cool down the conflict in Somalia,Saudi Arabia invited the‘President’and some s
基金This work was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research(DSR),King Abdulaziz University(KAU),Jeddah,Saudi Arabia,under grant no.(HO:023-611-1443)The authors,therefore,gratefully acknowledge DSR technical and financial support。
文摘Notwithstanding the religious intention of billions of devotees,the religious mass gathering increased major public health concerns since it likely became a huge super spreading event for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2).Most attendees ignored preventive measures,namely maintaining physical distance,practising hand hygiene,and wearing facemasks.Wearing a face mask in public areas protects people from spreading COVID-19.Artificial intelligence(AI)based on deep learning(DL)and machine learning(ML)could assist in fighting covid-19 in several ways.This study introduces a new deep learning-based Face Mask Detection in Religious Mass Gathering(DLFMD-RMG)technique during the COVID-19 pandemic.The DLFMD-RMG technique focuses mainly on detecting face masks in a religious mass gathering.To accomplish this,the presented DLFMD-RMG technique undergoes two pre-processing levels:Bilateral Filtering(BF)and Contrast Enhancement.For face detection,the DLFMD-RMG technique uses YOLOv5 with a ResNet-50 detector.In addition,the face detection performance can be improved by the seeker optimization algorithm(SOA)for tuning the hyperparameter of the ResNet-50 module,showing the novelty of the work.At last,the faces with and without masks are classified using the Fuzzy Neural Network(FNN)model.The stimulation study of the DLFMD-RMG algorithm is examined on a benchmark dataset.The results highlighted the remarkable performance of the DLFMD-RMG model algorithm in other recent approaches.
文摘Saudi Arabia every year receives more than two million Muslims from all over the world to perform the Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah. It must take place during a specific period of the year in a specific and limited space. In spite of the effort government agencies devote to this event, a variety of disasters usually take place each year. As the number of pilgrims is increasing every year the problem is becoming an alarming one. More and more resources are allocated to eliminate the occurrence of such disasters. More than one strategy has been proposed to make the Hajj as safe as possible. Knowing that the problem is very complex as it involves numerous actors, and many entangled criteria and elements, the question is which strategy is best. This paper presents the Analytic Network Process as a sound methodology for structuring the Hajj problem by designing an analytical model to find which strategy to focus on to make the pilgrimage as safe as possible.
基金the program‘Evolution of Middle East Politics and Momentous Changes Unseen in a Century’of the Innovation Team of Shanghai International Studies Universitythe program‘Impacts of Islam on the Contemporary International Relations’by the National Social Science Foundation of China[21BZJ054]the project‘Study on the Hajj Politics under the Perspective of Modern International Relations’of Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation[161086].
文摘Hajj is one of the‘Five Pillars’in Islam.However,the large-scale cross-border movement of pilgrims around the world poses huge challenges over health security.Saudi Hajj governance is not only a need to maintain health security,but also to a large extent the sharia considerations related to the prerequisites for Hajj.In recent years,Saudi Arabia has gained rich experience in dealing with the challenges of SARS,MERS and other infectious diseases on Hajj.With the spread of the COVID-19 to Mecca in February 2020,Saudi Arabia has been facing serious challenges.Based on domestic and global epidemic prevention considerations,the Saudi government finally introduced the new policy on 2020 Hajj,which for the first time halted the Hajj of overseas Muslims,and only selected a very limited number of pilgrims within Saudi territory to perform Hajj.Saudi actually balances three major structural contradictions between maintaining health security and fighting the epidemic,and to a certain extent ensuring the rights of Muslims around the world.With the easing of the epidemic in Saudi Arabia in 2021,how to ensure that the Hajj can be performed in 2021 under the COVID-19 has aroused great attention from the international community.For the current review,Saudi new Hajj policy in 2020 has achieved due results.Saudi Arabia continued the scaled-down Hajj policy in 2021 due to the constant mutations of the coronavirus.The formation of Saudi Hajj policy under COVID-19 directly comes from the rich experience of Saudi Arabia in effectively maintaining the Hajj health security during the spread of different global epidemics,and fundamentally rooted in the hygiene and cleanliness within the Islamic civilisation.
文摘In recent years, modelling crowd and evacuation dynamics has become very important, with increasing huge numbers of people gathering around the world for many reasons and events. The fact that our global population grows dramatically every year and the current public transport systems are able to transport large amounts of people heightens the risk of crowd panic or crush. Pedestrian models are based on macroscopic or microscopic behaviour. In this paper, we are interested in developing models that can be used for evacuation control strategies. This model will be based on microscopic pedestrian simulation models, and its evolution and design requires a lot of information and data. The people stream will be simulated, based on mathematical models derived from empirical data about pedestrian flows. This model is developed from image data bases, so called empirical data, taken from a video camera or data obtained using human detectors. We consider the individuals as autonomous particles interacting through social and physical forces, which is an approach that has been used to simulate crowd behaviour. The target of this work is to describe a comprehensive approach to model a huge number of pedestrians and to simulate high density crowd behaviour in overcrowding places, e.g. sport, concert and pilgrimage places, and to assist engineering in the resolution of complicated problems through integrating a number of models from different research domains.
基金supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) in Population Health Research titled "Immunisation in under Studied and Special Risk Populations: Closing the Gap in Knowledgethrough a multidisciplinary Approach"
文摘AIM To estimate the pharyngeal carriage rate of Neisseria meningitidis(N. meningitidis), Streptococcus pneumoniae(S. pneumoniae) and Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) among Australian Hajj pilgrims.METHODS In 2014, surveillance was conducted in two phases among Australian Hajj pilgrims: The first phase during Hajj in Mina, and the second phase soon after returning home to Australia. Nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swabs were taken from participants then tested, firstly by nucleic acid testing, and also by standard culture.RESULTS Of 183 participants recruited in the first phase, 26(14.2%) tested positive for S. pneumoniae; 4 had received pneumococcal conjugate vaccine(PCV13). Only one tested positive for N. meningitidis(W). Of 93 2^(nd) phase samples cultured, 17(18.3%) grew S. aureus, all methicillin sensitive, 2(2.2%) grew N. meningitidis(on subculture; one serotype B, one negative), and 1(1%), from an unvaccinated pilgrim, grew S. pneumoniae.CONCLUSION Relatively high carriage of S. pneumoniae and little meningococcal carriage was found. This indicates the importance of a larger study for improved infection surveillance and possible vaccine evaluation.
文摘AIM To evaluate the uptake of a mandatory meningococcal, a highly recommended influenza, and an optional pneumococcal vaccine, and to explore the key factors affecting vaccination rate among health care workers(HCWs) during the Hajj.METHODS An anonymous cross-sectional online survey was distributed among HCWs and trainees who worked or volunteered at the Hajj 2015-2017 through their line managers, or by visiting their hospitals and healthcare centres in Makkah and Mina. Overseas HCWs who accompanied the pilgrims or those who work in foreign Hajj medical missions were excluded. Pearson's χ2 test was used to compare categorical variables and odds ratio(OR) was calculated by "risk estimate" statistics along with 95% confidence interval(95%CI).RESULTS A total of 138 respondents aged 20 to 59(median 25.6) years with a male to female ratio of 2.5:1 participated in the survey. Only 11.6%(16/138) participants reported receiving all three vaccines, 15.2%(21/138) did not receive any vaccine, 76.1%(105/138) received meningococcal, 68.1%(94/138) influenza and 13.8%(19/138) pneumococcal vaccine. Females were more likely to receive a vaccine than males(OR 3.6, 95%CI: 1.0-12.7, P < 0.05). Willingness to follow health authority's recommendation was the main reason for receipt of vaccine(78.8%) while believing that they were up-to-date with vaccination(39.8%) was the prime reason for non-receipt. CONCLUSION Some HCWs at Hajj miss out the compulsory and highly recommended vaccines; lack of awareness is a key barrier and authority's advice is an important motivator. Health education followed by stringent measures may be required to improve their vaccination rate.
文摘SETTING: Millions of pilgrims visit Makkah (Mecca), Saudi Arabia, from regions of endemic tuberculosis. Little consideration has been given to the potential impact of this disease on the local population. OBJECTIVES: To assess knowledge about TB among residents of Makkah and Jeddah (Makkah’s principal travel gateway). METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 1004 residents. Data were analyzed by gender. RESULTS: Spread of TB by coughing was a transmission route known by 44.2% of males and 59.6% of females (P < 0.001);20.0% of participants knew that TB is caused by bacteria;71.6% of females and 52.3% of males knew TB is infectious (P < 0.001). Regarding approaches to TB prevention, 48.0% of respondents answered patient isolation and 15.2% vaccination. Overall, 50.6% of males and 38.3% of females (P < 0.001) would seek modern medical treatment if hemoptysis occurred. With a persistent cough, 65.4% of respondents would do nothing or wait before consulting a healthcare provider. High numbers of “don’t know” responses were recorded throughout the survey. CONCLUSIONS: Within the population across pilgrimage areas in Saudi Arabia, knowledge is lacking concerning TB transmission, the cause of the disease, means of prevention and the success of treatment, highlighting an urge need for better public education.
文摘Background: The sources of respiratory disorders commonly occurred during the Hajj ceremony are now challenging and its infectious or allergic nature remained unknown. The present comprehensive study was conducted to assess sources of respiratory disorders in Hajj pilgrims. Method: In this prospective observational study, blood samples of 130 pilgrims were taken for assessment of serum levels of infectious and allergic sources. The measurement of IgA, IgG, IgM was used for assessment of infectious reactions against microbial antigens, NBT test was employed to assess phagocytic functions, and the measurement of gamma interferon was used for assessing immunity status against infections. Also, measurement of IgE and IL-4 was applied as two markers for assessing allergic reactions. The ELISA test was also used to assess serum levels of immunoglobulin A, G, M, E, IL-4 and gamma interferon before and three weeks after returning from Hajj ceremony. All of the volunteers were followed up along the trip and the involved pilgrim’s characteristics were recorded. Results: The present study showed no significant change in the level of allergic biomarkers including IgE and IL-4, however the mean levels of IgM, gamma Interferon and NBT test were increased after the trip compared with before that. Conclusion: Infections play a major role in occurrence of respiratory disorders among Hajj pilgrims and thus the role of allergic sources is doubtful.
文摘Hajj is among the world＇s largest mass gatherings, drawing between 2 and 3.5 million Muslims from 183 nations annually to perform pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Infectious disease outbreaks can be imported both into the Hajj population and exported internationally by returning pilgrims. The domestic Saudi population can also be at risk of outbreaks traveling amid this mass migration. With yellow fever reported for the first time in China following the infection of expatriate Chinese workers in Angola and a full blown outbreak underway in wider West Africa, the prospect of yellow fever outbreaks in Asia threatens to impact Saudi Arabia, both during and beyond the Hajj season. With global focus trained on Zika, the rising threat of yellow fever cannot be overlooked. Strategies to mitigate risk to Saudi Arabia and the global population are thereby suggested.
文摘Background: Respiratory disorders are the most common diseases among Iranian pilgrims in Hajj. Some studies recommended flu and pneumococcal vaccines separately or in combination to reduce respiratory diseases occurrence and its morbidity. These effects are not clear in afflicted Hajj pilgrims. Objective: This is a cohort study that investigates the effects of above-mentioned vaccines each or their combination on respiratory syndromes and their consequences among Iranian pilgrims in Mecca. Method: The participants were 295 Iranian pilgrims from the beginning to the end of the journey. They were systematically observed for getting afflicted with a respiratory syndrome or not. In this study, we have assessed the effects of flu and pneumococcal vaccines on respiratory disease occurrence and on 8 clinical consequences including as: the duration of fever, duration of cough, duration of bed rest, presence of post nasal discharge and dirty sputum, the total disease length, and the number of referrals to the hospital, physician’s visits and complications. The data for this study were gathered through a questionnaire with 14 basic questions and 60 choices. This was processed using the SPSS software of 11.5 version, T- and Chi-square tests. Results: The results showed no significant correlations between the above-mentioned factors and vaccination with one or both flu and pneumovax-23 except for the duration of coughs which was significantly reduced in all cases (p < 0.01) and also decreased complications of the disease (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The study suggests the high-risk groups, should be vaccinated with combination of flu and pneumovax-23 vaccines in Hajj.
文摘自2012年9月首例中东呼吸综合征(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome,简称MERS)病例在沙特阿拉伯报告以后,MERS已随着跨境国际旅行播散至阿拉伯半岛以外的地区。其绝大多数病例发生于沙特阿拉伯境内,因而MERS是否会随着朝觐等国际旅行活动全球范围扩散,是很值得关注的一个问题。本文就MERS与国际旅行相关数据进行综述。
基金This article is financed by the National Social Science Foundation of China(13CZJ017)the Shanghai International Studies University Research Team"Regional Cooperation between East Asia and Middle East in the New Era".The article is also funded by the Center for European Union Studies at Shanghai International Studies University.
文摘Hajj(Islamic pilgrimage)is not only the world’s largest transnational religious movement,but also the only one in the world explicitly listed as one of the religious pillars of the Islamic faith.Viewing hajj within the context of Islam’s continued global territorial expansion of the faith from the perspective of international relations is of great benefit to a better understanding of Islam and its participation in international relations.The total institution of hajj is composed of basic institutions and different countries’management institutions.The two holy cities are the cornerstones in Saudi Arabia’s construction of an Islamic international system.Hajj also has impacts on many specific areas of international relations.In the long run,realizing the interaction of hajj and international relations is very important for China’s national security.
基金This work was funded by the University of Jeddah,Jeddah,Saudi Arabia,under Grant No.(UJ-21-ICL-4)The authors,therefore,acknowledge with thanks the University of Jeddah technical and financial support.
文摘Hajj and Umrah are two main religious duties for Muslims.To help faithfuls to perform their religious duties comfortably in overcrowded areas,a crowd management system is a must to control the entering and exiting for each place.Since the number of people is very high,an intelligent crowd management system can be developed to reduce human effort and accelerate the management process.In this work,we propose a crowd management process based on detecting,tracking,and counting human faces using Artificial Intelligence techniques.Human detection and counting will be performed to calculate the number of existing visitors and face detection and tracking will be used to identify all the humans for security purposes.The proposed crowd management system is composed form three main parts which are:(1)detecting human faces,(2)assigning each detected face with a numerical identifier,(3)storing the identity of each face in a database for further identification and tracking.The main contribution of this work focuses on the detection and tracking model which is based on an improved object detection model.The improved Yolo v4 was used for face detection and tracking.It has been very effective in detecting small objects in highresolution images.The novelty contained in thismethod was the integration of the adaptive attention mechanism to improve the performance of the model for the desired task.Channel wise attention mechanism was applied to the output layers while both channel wise and spatial attention was integrated in the building blocks.The main idea from the adaptive attention mechanisms is to make themodel focus more on the target and ignore false positive proposals.We demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed method through expensive experimentation on a publicly available dataset.The wider faces dataset was used for the train and the evaluation of the proposed detection and tracking model.The proposed model has achieved good results with 91.2%of mAP and a processing speed of 18 FPS on the Nvidia GTX 960 GPU.
