Red meat demand in Saudi Arabia: Applied Study, 1988-2007

This study aimed at identifying the determinants of demand for red meat in [he Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during 1988-2007. The rnethodology consisted of examining the data for stationarity and to-integration to avoid spurious regression. Ordinary-least squares methods were then adopted together with the partial adjustment hypothesis to estimate the demand function for red meat in the short and long run. The results indicated that the price of red meat relative to the price of fish and demand for red meat with one period lag are significant determinants of demand for red meat, Indeed, demand for meat in the previous period turned out to be the most important determinant of current demand for red meat. Income and price of red meat relative to the price of chicken were not statistically significant: Finally the long-run elasticity of demand for red meat with respect to all variables turned out to be far higher than their counterpart in the short run. These results arc in line with economic theory and dynamic models. Keywords: Red meat, KSA, dynamic models DOI: 10.7176/JESD/10-20-10 Publication date:October 31st201

Responsible Design Patterns for Machine Learning Pipelines

Integrating ethical practices into the AI development process for artificial intelligence (AI) is essential to ensure safe, fair, and responsible operation. AI ethics involves applying ethical principles to the entire life cycle of AI systems. This is essential to mitigate potential risks and harms associated with AI, such as algorithm biases. To achieve this goal, responsible design patterns (RDPs) are critical for Machine Learning (ML) pipelines to guarantee ethical and fair outcomes. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive framework incorporating RDPs into ML pipelines to mitigate risks and ensure the ethical development of AI systems. Our framework comprises new responsible AI design patterns for ML pipelines identified through a survey of AI ethics and data management experts and validated through real-world scenarios with expert feedback. The framework guides AI developers, data scientists, and policy-makers to implement ethical practices in AI development and deploy responsible AI systems in production.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, 5 table

Effect of soil properties on sorption and mobility of cadmium in selected aridisols and andisols

Concern over environmental quality has generated interest in the chemistry of Cd in soils. When Cd sorption and the influence of soil characteristics on the process are better understood, Cd contamination of ground water and plant availability may be assessed more accurately. Therefore, a series of experiments, including laboratory batch studies, soil thin layer chromatography studies and selective ion electrode procedures were conducted to evaluate the effect of soil properties on Cd sorption and mobility by fourteen different Aridisols and Andisols having a range of chemical properties. In addition, surface complexation models were used to model the amount of Cd adsorbed onto each of the humic acid and hydrous ferric oxide surfaces. Sorption isotherms were obtained using batch experiments by in which 25 ml of solution containing a total of 0.8, 1.6, 3.2, 6.4, and 12.8 ppm of Cd²⁺ to 0.5 g were added to soil samples. The results of the batch experiments indicate that in all the soils used the Cd sorption is best described by the Freundlich sorption isotherm. The maxima soil sorption capacities were significantly correlated with the free iron oxides. The Cd activities in the soils varied from 10⁻⁷·⁴⁴ to 10⁻⁴·⁸² M. It increased with increasing total Cd added and were inversely related to the soil pH The Cd mobility retardation factor (Rf) obtained from soil thin layer chromatography ranged from 0.25 to 0.95. It showed that Cd was slightly mobile in 64%, moderately mobile in 29% and very mobile in 7% of the soils. The Cd Rf indicates that Cd mobility would decrease with increasing amounts of iron oxide fractions; silt % and exchangeable Mg²⁺ in the soils. The non electrostatic and diffuse layer models results indicate that humic materials are an important factor in Cd sorption at pH values greater than 3 and hydrous ferric oxide surfaces are important at pH values greater than 7. The ion activity products of Cd(OH)₂ ranged from 2.3 x 10⁻²⁵ M to 5.6 x 10⁻¹⁶ M, while the solid activity coefficients of adsorbed Cd (SACCd2+) ranged from 3.9 x 10⁻⁶ to 4.6. The SAC(Cd₂₊) values were significantly correlated yet negative with silt %, CEC, Ald, Alo, O.C and iron fractions

Knowledge and attitude towards organ donation among adult population in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia

Organ transplantation is a lifesaving treatment for patients with end-stage organ failure. Despite the advanced medical science and technology, shortage of organs had led to a growing gap between the demand for organs and the number of donors. With a limited number of studies on the subject and based on those findings, the public knowledge and attitudes must be assessed to understand more clearly that why many people are opposing donating their organs in Saudi Arabia. The objective of our study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of the adult population toward organ donation in Saudi Arabia. This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study where the information was collected using a self-administered questionnaire in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was distributed in both King Khalid Hospital and Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, and data gathered analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20.0). There were a total of 403 respondents. Nearly 35.6% did not have the knowledge that organ donation is legal in the KSA. Almost 97% did not know where to go if they want to become donors. All of who were willing to donate, the most common reason was to save someone′s life (92.7%). Body distortion (39%) and fear of health complications (35%) were the most common causes people opposed donation. It was suggested that, in order to increase the awareness for organ donation, the important role of health workers and hospital displays should be immediately addressed and public lectures should be held on regular basis. Information regarding organ donation should be incorporated with clear messages in various mass media

Obstacles of the Application of Computerized Information Systems in Different Institutions: A Survey Study

Computerized information systems are considered one of the most important informational systems in decision-making based on standard information and statistical results, without which it is difficult to make and take decisions, in addition to that the information system depends on analyzing problems and identifying appropriate alternatives to solve them. It also provides a database for the activities of the organization and the surrounding environment to support Decision-makers, but computerized information systems may face obstacles that prevent their application or impede their activation, which affects the advantages of this technology in various fields, and this results in many damages, problems and delays in work, which constitutes harm to individuals and institutions alike, and from this point of view. Researchers have prepared this scientific paper entitled "Obstacles to the Application of Computerized Information Systems in Various Institutions" based on the needs of institutions and companies for scientific information and statistics applied to a selected sample of the public and to clarify the most prominent obstacles that may face computerized systems and work to summarize them as much as possible, and we hope that they will be A reference for sectors that aspire to use computerized information systems. The paper aimed to identify the obstacles to the application of information systems. The researchers used the critical evaluation method, and among the most prominent results of the paper: The obstacles to applying the computerized information system were classified into five main obstacles, represented by the human, technological, material, organizational and environmental obstacles, in order to reach the most basic obstacles that the studies have met as they represent The first challenge in implementing the information system is the human obstacles. The paper recommended the following: The necessity of identifying the challenges facing the application of information systems and knowing the methods of addressing the obstacles to the application of information systems, developing the techniques of information systems and conducting future studies aimed at avoiding facing obstacles to the application of information systems.. &nbsp

The Characterization of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Using a Modified Bunsen Burner

The equivalence ratio ranges were found between 22.77 and 42.93 for the Saudi LPG/air mixture using a traditional Bunsen burner. An operation problem was found with a traditional Bunsen burner for the Saudi LPG/air mixture, especially in a lean mixture. Therefore, a Bunsen burner was successfully modified to overcome the limits of operation with different mixtures of Saudi LPG/air and a stable flame was obtained. The equivalence ratio ranges were found between 0.68 and 1.30 using the modified Bunsen burner. A premixed flame was used for the modified Bunsen burner. A MATLAB algorithm was successfully applied to flame image processing and measurement of laminar burning velocity. The laminar burning velocity was determined to be approximately 35 ± 0.91 cm/s under stoichiometric conditions using the modified Bunsen burner for the Saudi LPG/air mixture. The half-cone angle of the flame was found to be 16.20 ± 0.76°. The minimum flame height was observed to be 21.50 ± 0.22 mm above the Bunsen burner exit

Optical absorption of Zn(V,Al)O thin films studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry from 1 to 6 eV

Aerogel nanoparticles prepared with various Al concentrations were used as a target for the deposition of (V,Al) co-doped ZnO films by rf-magnetron sputtering on glass substrates. The influence of Al content on the structural and the optical properties of the Zn(V,Al)O films was investigated by X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). It is found that all films exhibit one high intensity (0 0 2) peak, indicating that they have c-axis preferred orientation due to self-texturing mechanism. SE measurements, used to determine the complex pseudo dielectric functions, were carried out at room temperature in the 1–6 eV photon energy region. The excitonic edge of the fundamental band gap (E0) transition in the imaginary part of the dielectric function of the Zn(V,Al)O films is observed around 3.5 eV and shows a dependence on the Al content. The E0 absorption edge of the Zn0.9−x V0.1AlxO alloys shows a blueshift from that of pure ZnO, reaching 389 meV for x = 0.02. This blueshift is interpreted by the Burstein-Moss effect. By analyzing the dielectric function, reduced effective mass m* of the Zn0.9−x V0.1AlxO alloy is extracted and shows good agreement with literature values

Ovarian lesions among pediatric patients: A tertiary center experience (1997–2016)

Introduction: Ovarian lesions are not commonly seen in pediatric females; however, there are some reported cases among different pediatric age groups. Ovarian lesions can show, clinically, in many diverse presentations, and the treatment chosen may be conservative or surgical, accordingly. In this study, we aim to find ovarian lesions commonly operated on and their histopathological and clinical characteristics among pediatric patients at tertiary center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Material and methods: A retrospective review of medical records of all pediatric patients (aged 14 or younger) who underwent surgical removal of ovarian lesions from January 1997 to August 2016 at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was conducted. Results: Records for a total of 14 girls with a mean age of 5.7 ± 5.1 years were reviewed. The most common clinical presentation was acute abdominal pain (n = 5, 35.7%). There were four patients without any complaints who were diagnosed incidentally (28.6%). More than half of the patients underwent laparoscopy (n = 8, 57.1%) and cystectomy procedures were performed on 50% of the patients (n = 7). Simple ovarian cysts (n = 5) were the most common ovarian lesions followed by mature cystic teratomas (n = 3) with 35.7% and 21.4%, respectively. Furthermore, simple ovarian cysts were more common among infants. There was only one death reported and she had been diagnosed with a mixed germ cell tumor. Conclusion: The majority of ovarian lesions in the studied pediatric patients were benign. The most common lesions were simple ovarian cysts. Abdominal pain was the most common presenting symptom