Antecedent and Mediator of Actual Visit Behavior Amongst International Tourists in Jordan

Actual visit behavior has been for many years an area of ongoing interest in fields that span both tourist behavior and international marketing. Despite the growth of the tourism industry, hotel industry is facing fluctuating tourist revisit intention provoked by dissatisfaction, high travel risk, mediocre hotel service, or negative Jordan image. Moreover, considerable fragmentation and inconsistency in empirical findings has limited theory development. This thesis, which is based on the concepts of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), has the following objectives: (1) to identify the direct influence of (perceived risk, revisit intention and perceived behavior control) on actual visit behavior. (2) to identify the direct influence of (tourist satisfaction, tourist attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavior control) on revisit intention. (3) to identify the direct influence of (perceived risk, Jordan image and service climate) on tourist satisfaction. (4) to examine to what extent revisit intention and tourist satisfaction mediate the relationship between perceived risk and actual visit behavior. (5) to determine the mediating effect of revisit intention on linkage of perceived behavior control with actual visit behavior. (6) to determine how the underpinning theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) can be used to explain actual visit behavior in Jordan. The measurement for the latent variables is adopted from past studies as follows: tourist satisfaction (10 items); perceived risk (7 items); Jordan image (11 items); service climate (10); revisit intention (5); tourist attitude (6 items); subjective norm (6 items); perceived behavior control (6 items); actual visit behavior (5 items). From 850 samples, 494 usable responses were returned representing a 59% response rate. Using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), the Generating (MG) achieved model fit as shown in the GOF index: Ratio (CMIN/df) =1.186; GFI=0.973; RMSEA= 0.019; TLI=0.991; P-value=0.096. The SMC = 0.703 which means that the predictors explain 70.3% variance in actual visit behavior. The findings highlight five direct significant antecedents of actual visit behavior: revisit intention ( =.264, CR=2.720 p=0.007), perceived risk ( =-.318, CR= -2.197 p=0. 028), subjective norm ( =.199, CR=2.112 p=.035), Jordan image ( =.504, CR=2.653 p=.008) and service climate ( =.226, CR=3.020 p=.003); three direct significant antecedents of intention: tourist satisfaction ( =.373, CR=5.400 p=***), tourist attitude ( =.182, CR= 2.734 p=.006), subjective norm ( =.262, CR= 4.178 p=***); three direct significant antecedents of satisfaction: Jordan image ( =.356, CR=2.407 p=.016), subjective norms ( =173, CR=2.343 p=.019) and perceived behavior control ( =.159, CR=2.117 p=.034). The study found two insignificant direct antecedents to actual visit behavior PBC and satisfaction; one insignificant direct antecedents of intention i.e. PBC; three insignificant direct antecedents of satisfaction i.e. service climate and attitude. The finding supports eleven hypotheses (H1, H2, H3, H4, H7, H9, H4a, H9a, H10a, H4b, and H5a) and rejects six hypotheses (H5, H6, H8, H10, H2a, and H3a). Satisfaction and intention were found to be non-mediators

Determining rockfall volumes in three sites along Habs mountain road in southwestern Saudi Arabia, using LiDAR technology

The rugged elevated topography is a characteristic feature of the western and southwestern regions of Saudi Arabia. Few arterial roads connect the scattered villages of these regions to major cities, such as Habs Road in Jazan region. Rock fall poses a serious hazard to people, property and animals along the rock cuts of this road. Although no traditional Rockfall studies have previously been applied to this road, accessibility and rock formation shape and structure variability influenced the choice of using Terrestrial Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) technology to calculate the volume of rockfall at selected sites along this road. Software has been developed at the Geological Engineering Program of Missouri University of Science and Technology to calculate the volume of rockfall from a sequence of scans conducted at the selected sites (A1, A2 and A3), at the exact locations, during different time periods, extended for over two months. The pre and post processing of the point cloud data gathered using ScanStation II, measured the real and virtual gain and real and virtual loss of rockfall material due to rainfall, weathering factors, animal and human disturbance, degree of slope-face, and the effect of minor or major earthquakes occur in the region. The results of the study showed that the site (A1) is more hazardous compared to the site (A2) and site (A3) is the most stable compared to the site (A1) and (A2). The compact rock formation of site A3, the disintegrated rocks of site A2 and the relative loose rocks of upper site A1 (possible valley deposits), were suggested by the study of the determining factors of road safety. The study also found that using terrestrial LiDAR technology and new software reduced time, effort and increased accessibility, despite the limited number of scans conducted. --Abstract, page iii

Contributing Factors to Patients Overcrowding in Emergency Department at King Saud Hospital Unaizah, KSA

Emergency department (ED) crowding represents an international crisis that may affect the quality and access of health care. The aim of this study was to explore contributing factors to patients overcrowding in the emergency department at King Saud hospital, Saudi Arabia. Research design: descriptive analytical. Tool for data collection: questionnaire to explore contributing factors to patients overcrowding in ED. Setting: King Saud Hospital Unaizah, KSA. Sample: stratified random sample (168) subjects including nurses, physicians, technicians and administrators.  Results: the following factors contribute to overcrowding in emergency department: lack of human resources; population density; lack of beds; health awareness; and emergency department design. The respective means of these factors are: 3.91, 3.72, 3.65, 4.27 and 3.95. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, it was concluded that the domain that has the highest effect on patient overcrowding in ED is health awareness domain. However the domain that has the lowest effect on patient overcrowding in ED is lack of beds Recommendations: the development of standards to work in the emergency department. Create a sort of cases. Increasing the numbers of doctors and nurses in emergency department, review of the shift system currently used and provide additional space for the ED. Keywords: contributing factor, emergency department, patient overcrowdin

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROBING QUESTIONS STRATEGY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THINKING SKILLS IN THE ISLAMIC EDUCATION COURSES USING A SAMPLE OF INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RIYADH

Importance of the study: Current study may be useful for Islamic education teachers to improve their performance in light of using of probing questions strategy for Teaching Islamic education courses and the development of thinking among the students of the middle stage, and not only on the using of strategies such as the lecture for the development of only memorization and recall skills. The present study aimed to: 1. Enhanced knowledge of the reality of teaching practices and exercise enhanced probing questions strategy by teachers of middle stage. 2. Enhanced knowledge of the effectiveness of probing questions strategy in the development of thinking in Islamic Education courses at a sample of the middle stage students in Riyadh. The problem of the study is concentrated on the following question: What is the effectiveness of probing questions strategy in the development of thinking skills in the courses of Islamic Education at a sample of the preparatory grade students in Riyadh? The researcher was able to formulate the following null hypotheses to answer her main question: 1. There is no difference statistically significant at the level of significance (α ≤ 0.05) between the average post-test scores for the experimental group and control group in the skills of thinking. To ensure the correct of hypotheses of the study The researcher was able to use the experimental method on a sample deliberate of students from third grade of preparatory school number of students: (59) student applied them to the experience of the study and the researcher prepared the test for measuring thinking skills, as used retail mid-term to ensure the validity of this test and its reliability by the application of tribal for them at the two study groups, as was applied to the two groups after the completion of the experiment, while the test was used (T-Test) as a way to statistically processing the results and see significant differences between the two groups. The study resulted in: 1. There are significant differences between the average degrees of post-test for two groups in the level of skills of thinking in favor of the group experimental. In light of the results of the study, the researcher recommended a number of recommendations including: 1. The education departments of the Ministry of Education conduct some training courses for teachers in various disciplines about the teaching strategies of using the probing questions strategy; and the development of thinking that is done on a regular basis to include all parameters. 2. Training the teachers of all subjects to develop the levels of thinking of students and to be done on a regular basis to include all teachers

The efficacy of the CABRI 3D program in increasing academic achievement in mathematics of middle students in Arar City

The present research aimed to investigate the efficacy of the CABRI 3D Program in increasing the academic achievement in mathematics of middle school students in Arar city, Northern Border Region. Through its general objective, the study sought to answer the following key question: Are there statistical differences in the academic achievement in mathematics of the members of the study sample as a result of the implementation of the CABRI 3D Program? Methodology and research methods. The study sample consisted of (70) junior high school students in public schools in Arar city. The sample was distributed randomly between a first control group of (36) students and a second test group of (34) students, who learned using the CABRI 3D Program. After conducting the study, all arithmetic means were extracted, along with the standard deviations of the overall scores of the individuals in the sample, Results, and scientific novelty. The results of the study indicated that the students in the test group on whom the CABRI 3D Program was implemented had better direct and deferred academic achievement than the students in the control group who learned in the traditional way

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROBING QUESTIONS STRATEGY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THINKING SKILLS IN THE ISLAMIC EDUCATION COURSES USING A SAMPLE OF INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RIYADH

Importance of the study: Current study may be useful for Islamic education teachers to improve their performance in light of using of probing questions strategy for Teaching Islamic education courses and the development of thinking among the students of the middle stage, and not only on the using of strategies such as the lecture for the development of only memorization and recall skills. The present study aimed to: 1. Enhanced knowledge of the reality of teaching practices and exercise enhanced probing questions strategy by teachers of middle stage. 2. Enhanced knowledge of the effectiveness of probing questions strategy in the development of thinking in Islamic Education courses at a sample of the middle stage students in Riyadh. The problem of the study is concentrated on the following question: What is the effectiveness of probing questions strategy in the development of thinking skills in the courses of Islamic Education at a sample of the preparatory grade students in Riyadh? The researcher was able to formulate the following null hypotheses to answer her main question: 1. There is no difference statistically significant at the level of significance (α ≤ 0.05) between the average post-test scores for the experimental group and control group in the skills of thinking. To ensure the correct of hypotheses of the study The researcher was able to use the experimental method on a sample deliberate of students from third grade of preparatory school number of students: (59) student applied them to the experience of the study and the researcher prepared the test for measuring thinking skills, as used retail mid-term to ensure the validity of this test and its reliability by the application of tribal for them at the two study groups, as was applied to the two groups after the completion of the experiment, while the test was used (T-Test) as a way to statistically processing the results and see significant differences between the two groups. The study resulted in: 1. There are significant differences between the average degrees of post-test for two groups in the level of skills of thinking in favor of the group experimental. In light of the results of the study, the researcher recommended a number of recommendations including: 1. The education departments of the Ministry of Education conduct some training courses for teachers in various disciplines about the teaching strategies of using the probing questions strategy; and the development of thinking that is done on a regular basis to include all parameters. 2. Training the teachers of all subjects to develop the levels of thinking of students and to be done on a regular basis to include all teachers

Superconducting Properties of Sol-Gel Derived Bi(Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O System

The Bi₂₋ᵪPbᵪSr₂Ca₂Cu₃Oᵧ (2223) superconductor, has been prepared by sol-gel technique, using metal acetate precursors. Room temperature hydrolysis followed by polycondensation and heating yielded a transparent blue gel. The key to successful gel formation was due to a firm control of the pH of the solution. It was required to maintain the pH at 5.5 throughout the sol to gelation process. The decomposition of the polyhydroxyl metal complex to amorphous gel was found to be completed at temperatures in the range of 200 to 250'C producing submicron size particles. The amorphous gel transformed into crystalline powder at 600' C to 700' C. The effect of heat treatment as a function of sintering time and temperature have been also studied on Bi₂₋ᵪPbᵪSr₂Ca₂Cu₃Oᵧ system. The 2223 phase was observed in samples sintered at 8450 C for 48 h. The effect of the Pb doping at the bismuth lattice site have been studied in the Bi₂₋ᵪPbᵪSr₂Ca₂Cu₃Oᵧ ( x= 0.0, 0.4, 0.5 ) samples. Two samples doped with 20 and 25 mole % of Pb in the bismuth site yielded single phase sample with T, (R=O) above 102 K. Undoped sample had mixed phases (2212 and 2223). The study shows that the doped-sample with 25 mole % of Pb is the most suitable ratio that gives rise to the best superconducting properties. New procedure adopted in this work succeeded in getting good quality gel from carbonates, oxides and nitrates as the starting materials. The study shows that high-purity single-phase superconductor with T, (R=O) at 104 K was obtained from carbonate and oxide as starting materials. This value is comparable to that obtained from corresponding metal acetates

IGF axis expression and activity in differentiating dental pulp cells

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis comprises two growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II), two cell surface receptors (IGF1R and IGF2R), six high affinity soluble IGF binding proteins (IGFBP1-6) and various families of IGFBP proteases. The IGF axis acts co-ordinately to control several cellular processes including mitogenesis, apoptosis, cell migration and differentiation. In this latter respect the IGFs are the most abundant growth factors present in bone matrix and the IGF axis is believed to play an important role in the differentiation of osteoblast precursors and also to control bone accretion and resorption which occurs throughout adult life. There is much interest in the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a resource for tissue engineering approaches in the restoration of bone and other hard tissue lesions. As such a thorough knowledge of the effects of the IGF axis on osteogenic differentiation is essential to the success of such tissue engineering approaches. In our laboratories we use dental pulp/stromal cells (DPCs) as a source of precursor cells which can be differentiated to an osteogenic phenotype by culture under appropriate conditions. In order to address some of the issues raised above we have examined the expression and activity of the IGF axis in DPCs which have been induced to differentiate to an osteogenic/matrix mineralising phenotype in vitro. We found that DPCs express all components of the IGF axis (except IGF-I and IGFBP-1) under both basal and osteogenic conditions. With respect to IGFBPs we report that IGFBP protein concentrations in DPC conditioned medium closely follow mRNA levels prepared from DPCs. IGFBP-4 is the most abundant IGFBP in both basal and osteogenic DPCs and levels are not altered between basal and osteogenic cultures. IGFBP-4 and -5 inhibit IG-I and IGF-II stimulated osteogenic differentiation in DPCs. Of some interest although IGFBP-4 expression is not altered by differentiation of DPCs IGFBP-4 proteolysis is enhanced under osteogenic conditions. Subsequently we found that pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) is the sole IGFBP-4 protease in DPC conditioned medium and its concentration is increased under osteogenic conditions. Further IGF-II (an activator of PAPP-A) and stanniocalcin-2 (STC2- an inhibitor of PAPP-A) concentrations are respectively increased and decreased during osteogenic differentiation of DPCs. We suggest that our data may represent a series of coordinated changes in IGF axis expression and activity which represent a novel osteogenic “signature” of differentiating DPCs