HISTOLOGICAL STUDIES OF BREWERY SPENT GRAINS IN DIETARY PROTEIN FORMULATION IN DONRYU RATS

The increasing production of large tonnage of products in brewing industries continually generates lots of solid waste which includes spent grains, surplus yeast, malt sprout and cullet. The disposal of spent grains is often a problem and poses major health and environmental challenges, thereby making it imminently necessary to explore alternatives for its management. This paper focuses on investigating the effects of Brewery Spent Grain formulated diet on haematological, biochemical, histological and growth performance of Donryu rats. The rats were allocated into six dietary treatment groups and fed on a short-term study with diet containing graded levels of spent grains from 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 100% weight/weight. The outcome demonstrated that formulated diet had a positive effect on the growth performance of the rats up to levels of 6% inclusions, while the haematological and biochemical evaluation revealed that threshold limit should not exceed 9% of the grain. However, the histological study on the liver indicated a limit of 3% inclusion in feed without serious adverse effect. Thus invariably showing that blend between ranges 1-3% is appropriate for the utilization of the waste in human food without adverse effect on the liver organ. The economic advantage accruing from this waste conversion process not only solves problem of waste disposal but also handle issues of malnutrition in feeding ration

The evaluation of academic electronic bulletin boards for communication and training : HCI factors in the UK and Saudi Arabia

Electronic networks services have become essential tools for the academic community. One of the services provided has been academic electronic bulletin boards (EBBs), and the use of EBBs has increased dramatically during the last decade. One question concerns the possible application of EBBs as a means both for communication and for remote training. A series of experiments were conducted during 1991, 1992, and 1993 with the aim of examining the use of EBBs for these purposes. The first experiment was carried out to investigate whether users experience problems in using EBBs. The next extended this to see how students evaluated EBBs for communication and training purposes. The main focus of the work was BUBL. After this second experiment, modifications were made to the BUBL data and a further experiment was carried out. A different group of students looked at the modified material, and also compared it with US data using different software. The fourth experiment compared the usability of a menu-based interface (dBase III +) and a hypertext interface (HyperCard) from a student's viewpoint. It was followed by an investigation of icons to find out how well different icons could be recognised and the possibility of using them for language-independent instructions. Finally, the characteristics and problems of GULFNET users were examined. The evaluation has demonstrated the general acceptability of EBBs and their likely value for training purposes. This leads to a discussion of how an EBB might best be developed for use in communication and training on GULFNET

Integrated Framework of Knowledge Discovery and Knowledge Management for E-health In Saudi Arabia: Supporting Citizens with Diabetes Mellitus

Saudi Arabia experiences insufficient effort in terms of patients’ education in relation to a number of prevalent diseases, including diabetes mellitus, musculoskeletal disorders and upper respiratory tract infections. In addition, the number of studies related to e-health initiatives to support patients in the Kingdom are limited and only benefit patients of a few hospitals. This situation leads to deficient application of self-management and education strategies to empower patients to manage their diseases. Unfortunately, such a deficiency can affect the health status in the Kingdom negatively as diabetes mellitus is reported as the first cause of death in the Kingdom among all other prevalent diseases. Although knowledge management has been proven to be a valuable approach to sharing knowledge and educating users to manage their illnesses, it has not been implemented appropriately to support the increasing number of diabetic citizens in Saudi Arabia. In this research, knowledge management is integrated with knowledge discovery to support specific needs of the diabetic community in the Kingdom. Such an integration constitutes an e-health initiative to support diabetic citizens and healthcare professionals to manage this expanding illness in Saudi Arabia. Knowledge discovery is implemented through data mining to elicit useful knowledge related to specific diabetes complications encountered by diabetic citizens in the Kingdom. The integrated framework applies the SECI model to capture and disseminate useful diabetes self-management and educational expertise to support the management of diabetes complications. This integrated approach to knowledge management and knowledge discovery has provided a valuable tool implemented in terms of a web portal. This has facilitated the exchange and dissemination of tacit and explicit knowledge of the diabetic community in the forms of strategies, guidelines and best practices. It has also overcome the issues faced by the organisational and national cultures affecting knowledge management practice in Saudi Arabia

Executive information systems in large businesses in Saudi Arabia : an exploratory study

In the developed countries, executives who carry the mam responsibility for the achievement of organizational objectives, are introducing Executive Information Systems (EIS), user-friendly software products designed especially to meet executives' internal and external information needs. The use of technology and the need for reliable information on which to base decision-making are issues currently attracting attention in Saudi Arabia, as prerequisites for attaining national development objectives. This is especially true of the private sector, which faces new challenges as a result of the increased role recently given to it by government policy. However, little or nothing is known about the availability and use of EIS in Saudi Arabia. This study, therefore, presents an overview, with international comparisons, of development in EIS, with a detailed investigation of the current situation of EIS in large companies in Saudi Arabia, in particular.A questionnaire survey was carried out among the 100 largest companies (measured by turnover for 1995) in which executives and IS personnel were asked about availability of EIS in their companies, patterns of information use, EIS development approaches and utilization, and users' satisfaction with EIS.The survey revealed that EIS were available in 52% of the 73 responding companies. Companies used and valued internal more than external information, and made little use of the EIS to gain external information. Development of EIS was usually in-house; little use was made of commercial EIS packages. Data tended to be centralized at head office. A major increase in EIS use appears to have occurred between 1991 and 1995 though there are still some "resisters" who do not use the EIS, despite having access to it. Few companies had experienced EIS failure, and respondents were highly satisfied with their systems' usability, cost-effectiveness, development and controllability. The companies' approach to developing EIS and experience with using it were related to company age, turnover, region and type (stock or non-stock). The Saudi experience appears to broadly similar to that reported in Western studies, except in the area of development approach and type of software used.The study concludes by highlighting significant results in terms of the comparison of EIS experience in Saudi Arabia with international experiences, especially in the U.K. and U.S.A.; and factors which may be expected to affect further development of EIS in Saudi Arabia, as well as having implications for education and research in this field

Evaluation of electronic information services in academic libraries in Saudi Arabia

This study aims to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the information technology services in academic libraries in Saudi Arabia and to propose ways in which these services could be developed. The methodology applies theoretical models, questionnaires and structured interviews. Two models were developed to investigate the behaviour of academic staff and students, the first representing users' cognitive attitudes and the degree of user-satisfaction with the services provided. The second model examines interactions between the university administration, computer centres and libraries. Questionnaires and interviews have been used to generate empirical findings. The main findings concentrate on the following issues. Most respondents had used computers either on or off campus. Use of computers at the selected universities was found to vary significantly. Respondents from science faculties were found to use technology more than other users. IT systems, network infrastructure and the availability of qualified staff were, to varying degrees, found to be a constant source of concern and a hindrance to the provision of effective services. There was no consistent pattern of use and there was frequently a failure to provide any service at all. The only means for academic staff and users to gain access to the Internet was through departmental provision as, at the time of this research, this was not available in the libraries. A lack of funding, qualified staff, programmers and connections to the computer networks are regarded as major reasons for not providing efficient electronic services to users. The main recommendations of this study are that coordination and co-operation between libraries, making full use of technology, should be established. Universities should lobby the Finance Ministry to argue for a change in the regulations to allow libraries to generate their own revenue in order to enhance existing services. University administrations, computer centres and academic departments should establish formal procedures to provide effective electronic services to users. The present provision of training facilities for both staff and students needs to be extensively reviewed and enhanced

The Role of Professional Identity into Explaining Saudi Arabian Healthcare Professional Resistance to Electronic Health Records’ Stratigic Change in Public Hospitals

Electronic Health Record (EHR) is an application that captures patients’ information and promises to improve healthcare services. Hence, many countries, including the developing country, such as Saudi Arabia, invested heavily to implement the system and improve healthcare service delivery. Yet, the system's adoption is slow, and failure is high, which could be related to healthcare professionals’ resistance to change to the EHR applications. Further, despite the importance of the topic of EHR resistance, little research has been conducted in Saudi Arabia regarding healthcare professionals’ resistance to change to EHR. Motivated thus, this research suggested that resistance to EHR in Saudi Arabia results from cultural and professional identity factors, which guide healthcare professionals’ behaviour. Therefore, this research investigated how the professional identity of Saudi healthcare professionals can explain their resistance tousing EHR applications. The study used identity theory as our main theoretical lens along with Hofstede cultural dimension theory and in-depth qualitative interviews to understand the EHR resistance to change phenomenon. Our study has revealed similarities between Saudi and Western healthcare professionals’ factors that could contribute to EHR resistance. However, interestingly, cultural, and religious norms were also found to be one of the leading causes of Saudi healthcare professionals’ resistance to the EHR change. Our theoretical contributions helped us understand the role of identity in EHR use in a place where professionals with a strong professional and cultural identity are the system's main users. In addition, our practical contributions aimed to help the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia to understand what healthcare professional needs before adapting an EHR system, or improve the current once. Further, it could help hospital managers address, understand, and solve the challenges facing healthcare professionals as they use the EHR system