KACST Arabic Text Classification Project: Overview and Preliminary Results

Electronically formatted Arabic free-texts can be found in abundance these days on the World Wide Web, often linked to commercial enterprises and/or government organizations. Vast tracts of knowledge and relations lie hidden within these texts, knowledge that can be exploited once the correct intelligent tools have been identified and applied. For example, text mining may help with text classification and categorization. Text classification aims to automatically assign text to a predefined category based on identifiable linguistic features. Such a process has different useful applications including, but not restricted to, E-Mail spam detection, web pages content filtering, and automatic message routing. In this paper an overview of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) Arabic Text Classification Project will be illustrated along with some preliminary results. This project will contribute to the better understanding and elaboration of Arabic text classification techniques

Transcriptome profile of early responsive genes in susceptible barley during Rhynchosporium secalis infection

Scald caused by Rhynchosporium secalis, is an economically important disease found worldwide. In order to profile genes and pathways responding to R. seclais infection, leaf transcriptomes before and after fungus inoculation in susceptible barley were compared using cDNA-AFLP technique. Transcriptional changes of 144 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were observed, of which 18 have no previously described function. Functional annotation of the transcripts revealed a wide range of pathways including cell wall fortification, cytoskeleton construction and metabolic processes at different time points. Furthermore, the results of RT-PCR analysis on candidate genes, ABC transporters and lycine-specific demethylase were consistent with the cDNA-AFLP data in their expression patterns. Taken together, our data suggest that susceptible barley reprograms metabolic and biological processes to initiate a suitable response R. secalis infection

Domiciliary monitoring to predict exacerbations of COPD

Introduction: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common, longterm condition that is usually caused by cigarette smoking. In addition to daily symptoms and limitation in activities, patients are prone to chest infections ('exacerbations'). These are a significant problem: unpleasant for patients, and sometimes severe enough to cause hospital admission and death. Reducing the impact of exacerbations is very important. Previous studies have shown that earlier treatment of exacerbations results in faster recovery, and reduced risk of hospital admission. Helping patients to better detect exacerbations early is therefore important. This PhD focuses on measuring overnight heart rate and oxygen saturation, which we hypothesised would provide the best chance of detecting COPD exacerbations earlier than changes in symptoms. // Aim: To evaluate the potential of monitoring physiological variables to provide earlier detection of exacerbations of COPD. // Methods: Firstly, a systematic review was conducted to assess the existing literature on predicting exacerbations of COPD by monitoring physiological variables. Next, two clinical tele-health datasets were accessed, from two different NHS services in London, to report the impact of false alarms on tele-health service, and to examine the feasibility of using downloadable data from home non-invasive ventilation to detect exacerbations resulting in hospitalisation. National and international surveys were conducted to explore the techniques that have been used by healthcare providers on how to customise tele-health alarm limits for each individual, and to explore healthcare providers’ perceptions of tele-health for COPD. These preliminary projects enabled me to formulate my research question and main PhD hypothesis, tested using a prospective randomised controlled trial. Patients were randomised into two groups (one measured physiology only in the morning versus overnight continuous measurement) and patients were monitored for up to six months or the first exacerbation, whichever was sooner. Patients’ acceptance of continuous overnight monitoring was assessed at the end of the study. // Results: Existing studies that used physiological variables were small and heterogeneous using different variables and different protocols. The majority of medical alarms received by tele-health teams are false. Most patients reported a positive acceptance of being monitored overnight. Continuous overnight monitoring identified changes at exacerbation earlier than once-daily monitoring, and earlier than symptoms. Changes in physiological variables were correlated with changes in symptoms during non-stable phases. There is widespread UK national and international use of tele-health monitoring physiological variables in COPD without sufficient evidence base. // Conclusion: Monitoring physiological parameters may be useful in assisting earlier detection of COPD exacerbations but further, robust studies are required to confirm this. A particular challenge is how to set alarm limits for individual patients given the heterogeneity inherent in COPD and COPD exacerbations

Moderating role of government support on relationship between cultural dimensions and Saudi women’s leadership effectiveness

The underrepresentation of women in academic and administrative leadership roles is a global phenomenon. This study aimed to investigate the important factors that influence the effectiveness of women leadership in the context of Saudi universities. There are still many obstacles faced by academic women leaders in universities. Women leadership effectiveness is still a significant problem that affects higher education institutions and the community of KSA. Thus, this research investigated the impact of gender egalitarianism, assertiveness, and future orientation on women leadership effectiveness in the public universities by taking government support as a moderating variable. The population of this study, consisting of 2800 female leaders, were divided into five groups based on the geographic regions (East, West, Middle, North and South). This study used the geographical clusters sampling to select the universities, and random sampling to select women leaders from each geographical cluster. 500 questionnaires were distributed among the employees working in the higher education sector of KSA. 271 questionnaires were returned and were usable for analysis with a response rate of 54%. This study employed the Structural Equations Modeling Approach by using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) to analyse the data. The results revealed that gender egalitarianism, assertiveness and future orientation have significant positive impacts on leadership effectiveness. The value of this study lies in finding government support as a significant moderating variable for assertiveness and future orientation to enhance women leadership effectiveness in Saudi universities. Future studies may adopt and examine different variables like motivation, organizational, cultural and other variables to understand leadership effectiveness at the organization level. The higher education sector of any country is considered as an important sector which needs female leaders besides the male to concentrate on achieving their goals successfully

Dual Spectral Attention Model for Iris Presentation Attack Detection

The widespread use of iris recognition systems has led to a growing demand for enhanced security measures to counter potential iris presentation attacks, also known as anti-spoofing. To enhance the security and reliability of iris recognition systems, researchers have developed numerous methods for detecting presentation attacks. Most of these methods lack precision in detecting unknown attacks compared to known attacks. In addition, most literature on iris presentation attack detection (PAD) systems utilizes near-infrared (NIR) samples as inputs. These samples produce superior-quality and robust images with less reflection in the cornea of the eye. Despite this, due to the widespread use of smartphones and the necessity for unsupervised identity verification, visible-light samples play a crucial role in detecting presentation attacks. These samples can be easily captured using smartphone cameras. In this paper, a dual-spectral attention model has been developed to train a unified model for multiple real-world attack scenarios. Two different scenarios were tested. In the first scenario, the model was trained as a one-class anomaly detection (AD) approach, while in the second scenario, it was trained as a normal two-class detection approach. This model achieved the best result for the attack presentation classification error rate (APCER) of 4.87% in a one-class AD scenario when tested on the attack dataset, outperforming most studies on the same test dataset. These experimental results suggest that future research opportunities in areas such as working with visible light images, using an AD approach, and focusing on uncontrolled environment samples and synthetic iris images may improve iris detection accuracy

The Influence of Utilizing Inquiry-Based Learning Strategy on Science Accomplishment of Primary Students’ Stage

This study examines the impact of inquiry-based learning (IBL) on the academic performance of third-grade students in the science unit “Materials” from the third-grade science textbook in schools under the Directorate of Education in Irbid, Jordan. A sample of 71 students was selected and separated into two groups: an experimental group of 36 students and a control group of 35 students. The empirical group used IBL, while the reference group was taught using conventional teaching techniques. An achievement test of multiple-choice questions was prepared for the study, comprising 24 items. The test’s content validity was confirmed through expert judgment, and its reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, which was found to be 0.83. The test’s content validity was confirmed through expert judgment, and its reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, which was found to be 0.83. Data were collected and processed using SPSS software. The findings showed statistically significant differences in the average scores of the study participants on the post-test based on the teaching technique variable, indicating a preference for survey-based learning. Based on these findings, the investigation recommends providing in-service and pre-service training on IBL for science supervisors and teachers at the primary education level

PREVALENCE OF ORAL REACTIVE HYPERPLASTIC LESIONS AND ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS IN A SAMPLE OF YEMENI DENTAL PATIENTS IN SEVERAL UNIVERSITIES AND PUBLIC HOSPITALS

Background and aims: Reactive lesions may result from the oral mucosa's continuous exposure to endogenous and external stimuli. The nature of these lesions is not cancerous. They display a variety of pathologies, from neoplasms to reactive, inflammatory, and developmental abnormalities. Dental plaque and tartar, sharp edges of severely carious teeth, defective dental fillings, chronic biting habits, ill-fitting dental/oral appliances, and food impaction are just a few examples of the various forms of chronic, low-grade irritation of the oral mucosa that can cause reactive lesions. Benign neoplastic proliferations and oral reactive lesions look a lot alike. Investigating the frequency of reactive periodontal lesions and the characteristics that are linked to them in a sample of adult Yemeni dentistry patients in Sana'a City was the goal of this study. Method: An observational cross-sectional study of 1197 Yemeni dental patients attending the Faculty of Dentistry, Sana’a University, Alrazi University, Alyemenia University, Aljomhori and Althawra hospitals were examined for the presence of reactive hyperplastic lesions. Results: A total of 48 (4%) patients were found to have reactive hyperplastic lesions. Focal fibrous hyperplasia is the most common type representing (91.7%). Peripheral giant cell granuloma was the second most common type representing (6.3%). The most risk factors were qat chewing, teeth grinding, cheek biting and poor oral hygiene. Conclusion: In the current study, irritant fibroma and pyogenic granuloma were the most and least common oral reactive hypertrophic lesions, respectively. Compared with males, the prevalence of lesions in female patients was equal, and older age groups were more probable to grow oral reactive hypertrophic lesions. The most frequent location for lesions was the gingiva.                   Peer Review History: Received 5 April 2025;   Reviewed 11 May 2025; Accepted 26 June; Available online 15 July 2025 Academic Editor:  Dr. A.A. Mgbahurike, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, [email protected] Reviewers: Dr. George Zhu, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, [email protected] Dr. Heba M. Abd El-Azim, Damanhour University, Egypt, [email protected]

تصور مقترح لتطوير أداء الطالبات في الاختبارات الوطنية "نافس" من وجهة نظر المدرسة وأولياء الأمور

هدف البحث التعرف إلى مستوى الدور الأسري لتطوير أداء الطالبات في الاختبارات الوطنية "نافس "من وجهة نظر أولياء الأمور، ومستوى دور المدرسة لتطوير أداء الطالبات في الاختبارات الوطنية "نافس "من وجهة نظر المدرسة والمعلمات، لبلوغ الهدف الرئيس؛ بناء تصور المقترح لتطوير أداء الطالبات في الاختبارات الوطنية "نافس"، تم تطبيق أداتي البحث (الاستبانتين) على عينة مكونة من مجموعتين: الأولى (216)  أولياء أمور الطالبات، الثانية  (100) من معلمات المدارس الابتدائية في إدارة تعليم إدارة تعليم بيشة بمكتب تعليم الوسط، وتوصلت أهم النتائج إلى أن مستوى الدور الأسري لتطوير أداء الطالبات في الاختبارات الوطنية (نافس ) من وجهة أولياء الأمور كان بمستوى متوسط، وكذلك مستوى دور المدرسة لتطوير أداء الطالبات في الاختبارات الوطنية "نافس " من وجهة نظر المدرسة والمعلمات كان بمستوى متوسط، ونتج عن ذلك بناء تصور المقترح لتطوير أداء الطالبات في الاختبارات الوطنية "نافس". وتوصل البحث إلى مجموعة من التوصيات والمقترحات