TENSOR PRODUCT OF INCIDENCE ALGEBRAS

The aim of this work is to study the incidence functions and the tensor product of two incidence algebras. We show that the tensor product of two incidence algebras is an incidence algebra. We believe that our result is true for uncountable locally partial order sets. We present some examples of incidence functions. We study the Jacobson radical of the tensor product of the incidence algebras as well as when a tensor incidence algebra is an algebraic algebra over a field

Remarks on the tensor degree of finite groups

The present paper is a note on the tensor degree of finite groups, introduced recently in literature. This numerical invariant generalizes the commutativity degree through the notion of nonabelian tensor square. We show two inequalities, which correlate the tensor and the commutativity degree of finite groups, and, indirectly, structural properties will be discussed.Comment: 5 pages; to appear with revisions in Filoma

Evolving standards of information disclosure: Reform of Saudi Arabian medical law in the light of the developments of English law

Abstract The major concern of this thesis is about the current professional standard of care under Saudi Arabian medical law, regarding doctors’ duty to disclose information and risks to competent adult patients about a proposed medical treatment. Additionally, the thesis has highlighted other legal deficiencies that occur as a result of applying the professional standard in Saudi Arabia and considered how reforms can be introduced, based on English law experience in a way that is in harmony with Islamic Sharia. The thesis has undertaken a novel approach by critically studying and comparing the current practice in Saudi Arabian medical law to the comparative English law approach. The reason for this is to provide a comprehensive legal literature review based on the extremely well- developed English law experiences in the same matters. Realising the significance of the principle of the respect for autonomy, the thesis has placed a noticeable emphasis on this principle by arguing that considering and respecting autonomy would lead the law to protect the patient’s autonomy and self-determination in a medical context. The thesis has argued that both Western and Islamic Sharia medical ethics have considered the notion of the respect for patients’ autonomy, but that consideration has been approached differently, as the thesis has shown. Further, the thesis has critically discussed how the English law standard of care has been developed in the last three decades, in order to move from the professional standard of care to a new standard that protects patients’ autonomy and self-determination. These developments and years of experience have provided sufficient arguments and supports for the thesis’s motion to recommend and suggest that Saudi Arabian medical law departs from the professional standard and adopts the prudent patient standard to protect patients’ autonomy in compliance with Islamic Sharia. In addition to proposing a legal formula for the prudent patient standard that can be adopted by Saudi Arabian medical law, this thesis has also proposed other formulas as solutions for other legal deficiencies, based on English law experience and in accordance with Islamic Sharia

Training Teachers to Implement Evidence-Based Practices Specifically Designed for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Special education teachers are usually subjected to in-service training on Evidence-Based Practices especially those who work with students Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Increasing teacher’s capability of using EBPs identified by the National Professional Development Center (NPDC) on ASD has become the most prominent need to serve students with autism. The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent teachers’ performance is related to EBPs when they after they start their career. A mixed methods research design used in this study to explore the most prevalent practices, the common type of training on these practices, and teachers' knowledge and perceptions of using these practices. The undergraduate preparation programs and modality of training and time consuming to achieve mastery level of implementation among teachers will be discussed. Ten teachers have participated in this study. Results indicated that most of the training programs left beginner teachers underprepared to implement EPBs for teaching students with autism. Keywords: Evidence-based practice, Implementation, Teachers, Preparation, Training. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-17-02 Publication date:June 30th 202

A Computational Lexicon and Representational Model for Arabic Multiword Expressions

The phenomenon of multiword expressions (MWEs) is increasingly recognised as a serious and challenging issue that has attracted the attention of researchers in various language-related disciplines. Research in these many areas has emphasised the primary role of MWEs in the process of analysing and understanding language, particularly in the computational treatment of natural languages. Ignoring MWE knowledge in any NLP system reduces the possibility of achieving high precision outputs. However, despite the enormous wealth of MWE research and language resources available for English and some other languages, research on Arabic MWEs (AMWEs) still faces multiple challenges, particularly in key computational tasks such as extraction, identification, evaluation, language resource building, and lexical representations. This research aims to remedy this deficiency by extending knowledge of AMWEs and making noteworthy contributions to the existing literature in three related research areas on the way towards building a computational lexicon of AMWEs. First, this study develops a general understanding of AMWEs by establishing a detailed conceptual framework that includes a description of an adopted AMWE concept and its distinctive properties at multiple linguistic levels. Second, in the use of AMWE extraction and discovery tasks, the study employs a hybrid approach that combines knowledge-based and data-driven computational methods for discovering multiple types of AMWEs. Third, this thesis presents a representative system for AMWEs which consists of multilayer encoding of extensive linguistic descriptions. This project also paves the way for further in-depth AMWE-aware studies in NLP and linguistics to gain new insights into this complicated phenomenon in standard Arabic. The implications of this research are related to the vital role of the AMWE lexicon, as a new lexical resource, in the improvement of various ANLP tasks and the potential opportunities this lexicon provides for linguists to analyse and explore AMWE phenomena

Antifungal activity of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) proteins : efficacy, shelf life extension and sensory effects in bread

Natural food preservatives extracted from plants are an emerging market in the food industry. Cowpea Vigna unguiculata L. Walp is a well-established crop around the world, and recent research has revealed that it contains multiple proteins, with potent antifungal and antiviral properties. Exploitation of the antifungal properties of cowpea protein is limited by the lack of characterisation of antifungal proteins, and the lack of knowledge about their efficacy when added to food. Furthermore, the mechanism of antifungal protein activity is not understood fully, and therefore requires further investigation. This study aimed to evaluate the antifungal potency of cowpea seed protein isolate (CPI) against bread yeasts and moulds using microbiological tests, and in a leavened bread application. The research investigated the effects of CPI on shelf life, and the sensory and textural acceptability of bread. Further aims included the characterisation of proteins in CPI with antifungal activity, and establishing an understanding of antifungal activity using computer modelling. The first stage of the study (Chapter 2) involved the preparation of CPI, separation of high and low molecular weight protein fractions by ultrafiltration, and analysis of electrophoretic profiles using SDS PAGE. Analysis of CPI was performed using LCMS/MS, and the proteomics results reported for the first time. Twenty- three proteins with lowest hit number (HN) and highest score were selected from the first ninety-nine hits of matching of LC/MS/MS results to an existing database. The two most abundant proteins (with highest score number and lowest HN) were identified as vicilin (mw 49654), which is a storage protein, and then lipoxygenase (mw 97284) which is a metabolism protein. The second stage of the study (Chapter 3) involved testing CPI activity against fungal growth using a micro spectrophotometric assay (micro plate method) and the spread plate method. Activity was tested against known bread spoilage moulds: Penicillium chrysogenum, Penicillium brevicompactum, Penicillium hirsutum, Aspergillus versicolor and Eurotium rubrum. The results showed CPI exhibited high antifungal activity against P. chrysogenum, P. brevicornpactum, P hirsutum and E. rubrum; no statistically significant effect was seen against A. versicolor. CPI exhibited different ranges of inhibition towards the same species at different concentrations demonstrating that the antifungal effect was concentration dependent. The antifungal activity of CPI was unaffected by heat treatment or protease treatment, indicating the antifungal components are heat stable and protease resistant. The antifungal activity of proteins in the CPI ultrafiltrate (10 kDa molecular weight cut off point) was increased by comparison with CPI and CPI retentate. The third stage of the study (Chapter 4) involved testing the effect of CPI addition on shelf life, and the sensory and textural properties of leavened bread. A concentration of 2.3% of CPI showed the best resistance to fungal growth during the storage period. No growth was observed throughout the 8 day storage period at room temperature, whereas control samples began to show contamination on the fourth day of storage. The CPI filtrate (2.3%) showed better shelf life extension than CPI after 25 days, confirming the antifungal activity of low molecular weight proteins. Inclusion of 2.3% CPI did not significantly affect the sensory or textural acceptability of the bread. Although the hardness of bread containing CPI increased significantly after 3 days compared to the control, sensory acceptability was within acceptable limits. The fourth stage of the study (Chapter 5) involved understanding the mechanism of action of defensins at the fungal cell wall. The hypothesis for defensin as a major antifungal protein in CPI was based on the results of the antifungal activity of the low molecular weight fraction of CPI, the heat stable and protease resistant antifungal properties of CPI, and confirmation of the presence of defensins in the proteomics results. The computer model detailing the simulation of defensin activity showed the adsorption of defensin molecules to the surface of a phospholipid bilayer membrane leading to a disordering of the membrane that would ultimately lead to disruption of cell metabolism