The Impact of Using Electronic Brainstorming Strategy in a Blended Learning Environment on Grade-Eleven Female Students’ Achievement in Islamic Education in the Sultanate of Oman

This study aimed at identifying the impact of using Electronic Brainstorming Strategy in a Blended Learning Environment on grade-eleven female students’ achievement in Islamic Education in the Sultanate of Oman. The study used the quasi experimental design, which consists of two experimental groups and a control group. In term of the treatment, the experimental groups were divided into two parts: The first experimental group n=30; which was taught using Electronic Brainstorming Strategy 70% electronic-30% traditional method) while the second experimental group n=30 was taught using the same strategies. The control group n=30 was taught using a traditional method. To achieve the objectives of the study, a 30-question achievement test was prepared. The test was given to a jury panel to judge its validity. As for the reliability factor, it was 0.71 as measured by Cronbach’s alpha. The results of the study showed that there were statistically significant differences between the means of the students in the three groups on the post- achievement, in favor of the first experimental group. In addition, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference in the means of the post achievement due to the method of teaching the Electronic Brainstorming Strategy and achievement levels in the favor of the first experimental group and the higher achievement level. The study recommended using the strategy of electronic brainstorming in teaching Islamic education due to its positive implications on achievement

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/‘proxy’ AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele