Writing English Sentences More Effectively By Avoiding Arabian Students’ Typical Mistakes

In Arabic speaking countries like Saudi Arabia, English is considered as the most important second language to be taught and used. Unfortunately, a sizeable percentage of students there appear to still have significant difficulty learning English, possibly due to the difficulty in finding sufficiently qualified teachers. This type of problem is self-perpetuating since the taught students might become weak teachers in the future also. This thesis aims to address the problem of helping Arabic students to improve their writing in English and to help them learn so that they will make fewer mistakes in the future and possibly become better teachers themselves. It focuses on creating methods to find the most typical mistakes made by those Arabian students in their writing, mistakes which were determined by the author from both self-observation and a review of related research findings (The author also saw these mistakes in the sentences used by subjects who tried pilot versions of the software). The result of this work is usable software that is able to detect, correct, and provide grammatical rules related to the most common mistakes found in the written sentences of the target Arabian students, when the sentences are in the present tense. These types are errors related to the following rules: (1) letters capitalization rules, (2) adj-noun ordering in the sentence, (3) proper use of the verb to be, (4) punctuation placement rules, (5) the use of the articles “a” and “an” within a sentence, and (6) rules for the possessive case. The software was evaluated using the author’s observation on the use of the software by 22 Arabian students and by letting them afterwards to complete a usability and usefulness survey. The results of the evaluation suggest that Arabs will mostly like how the software treats punctuation placing errors. Students also advised the author that it would be beneficial for the software to address a broader range of typical mistakes. This work is the first to create software specifically for Arabic students of English to help them to find their grammatical errors, provide suggested correction, and teach the student the grammatical rules needed to correct his/her sentence

Evaluation study of IEEE 1609.4 performance for safety and non-safety messages dissemination

The IEEE 1609.4 was developed to support multi-channel operation and channel switching procedure in order to provide both safety and non-safety vehicular applications. However, this protocol has some drawback because it does not make efficient usage of channel bandwidth resources for single radio WAVE devices and suffer from high bounded delay and lost packet especially for large-scale networks in terms of the number of active nodes. This paper evaluates IEEE 1609.4 multi-channel protocol performance for safety and non-safety application and compare it with the IEEE 802.11p single channel protocol. Multi-channel and single channel protocols are analyzed in different environments to investigate their performance. By relying on a realistic dataset and using OMNeT++ simulation tool as network simulator, SUMO as traffic simulator and coupling them by employing Veins framework. Performance evaluation results show that the delay of single channel protocol IEEE 802.11p has been degraded 36% compared with multi-channel protocol

Domestic Window Design and Interior Daylight in Jeddah: Designing for Saudi Women

Architecture in Jeddah city in the western region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has gradually undergone a significant shift in style, a consequence of the implementation of contemporary Western architecture after the oil boom in the country in 1970. Contemporary buildings with letterbox windows have become popular in the area, replacing the traditional appearance of local buildings characterised by the Roshan (a type of window used in vernacular Jeddah architecture), and many of the characteristics of contemporary architecture do not seem to fit the local context. As a consequence, the needs of modern Muslim women have been disregarded in favour of a new aesthetic, in the course of implementing recent changes in technology and architecture. Research on the current trajectory which architecture has recently taken in the country is needed to explore these consequences. In particular, this study focuses on window design, considering openings as pivotal element between daylight control and cultural religious and personal aspects of today’s Saudi women. The aim of this study is to examine daylight and window design to better accommodate women’s needs in flats in Jeddah built from 1970 to 2016. The window is analysed in this study as a pivotal element of the transition between vernacular and contemporary architecture in Jeddah, with implications for the interior quality of space in blocks of flats, including wellbeing and daylight conditions and functional and symbolic values. The first part of my data collection is dedicated to survey photography and floor plan drawings for blocks of flats in Jeddah. Then, primary data are generated through interviews with women to understand their perceptions in relation to window design and daylight in their living room spaces. The third dataset is based on daylight calculation, which involved computer modelling applied to interviewees’ flats in Jeddah. These phases have unearthed a clear discrepancy between the design principles employed by the decision makers, and the wishes of the female population, who actually use the residential spaces for the majority of time. Whilst the former consider the amount of daylight which is sufficient, the latter perceive their homes to be dark and unhealthy. The fourth part of this study comprises interviews with architecture professionals (professors of architecture, municipality officer and architects) to determine where this discrepancy originates, and to what extent a reconsideration of design tenets or guidelines can help to resolve the issue. The study concludes with an examination of the reasons behind the current issues of inadequate daylight and privacy for Saudi women. It revealed daylight was less than 100 lux in most participants’ flats. The levels ranged between 50 lux and 70 lux, which does not meet the target for the Saudi climate. This has a negative effect on women’s wellbeing and satisfaction. It also reveals that women’s needs in home design are not a major consideration for architects. Also, it shows that the absence of detailed building regulations regarding window design and daylight levels is the major reason for this issue. The results show that there is a significant difference between the answers from women and the answers from professionals in terms of the small gap between buildings and daylight levels (P=0.005). Also, the results show that there is a statistical difference between women’s and professionals’ responses about whether daylight levels or measurements are considered when designing living room windows (P=0.019). In conclusion, this study proposes a set of guidelines to policy makers that building regulations should be updated to consider the findings of this study in order to provide better new regulations that consider women’s needs in the design of flat windows

Hypoglycaemia in Diabetes and Dementia Population

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and dementia are common long-term conditions that co-exist in a large proportion of the elderly. Diabetic patients with dementia may be less able to self-manage and control their diabetes, placing them at a higher risk of complications such as hypoglycaemia. AIM: This thesis aimed to investigate the risk of hypoglycaemia associated with dementia diagnosis among patients with DM. METHODS: This thesis describes work conducted using The IQVIA Medical Research Data (IMRD)‐UK database. Firstly, a descriptive, population-based study was conducted to estimate the prevalence and incidence of dementia in the diabetes population. Secondly, a descriptive, drug utilisation study was conducted to describe the prescribing pattern of antidiabetic medications and the rate of hypoglycaemia. Thirdly, a cohort study was conducted to investigate the association between dementia diagnosis and hypoglycaemia among patients with DM. Finally, a retrospective, pre-post exposure study was conducted to explore the glycaemic control and the rate of hypoglycaemia in diabetes patients pre- and post-dementia diagnosis. RESULTS: There was a trend of increasing prevalence and incidence of dementia, annual antidiabetic medication prescribing and hypoglycaemia rate in patients diagnosed with both DM and dementia over the period of 2000–2016. Patients diagnosed with dementia were at a twofold increased risk for hypoglycaemic events compared with those not diagnosed with dementia for whom the adjusted hazards ratio (HR) was 2.00 (95% CI,1.63–2.66). Glycaemic control was tighter in patients after dementia diagnosis compared to glycaemic control before dementia diagnosis. The rate of hypoglycaemia six months after dementia diagnosis was significantly higher at 3.05% (95% CI 3.0%–3.1%) compared to the rate of hypoglycaemia before dementia diagnosis at 2.18% (95% CI 2.1%–2.2%). Conclusion: This project highlighted the clinical impact of dementia on patients with DM and confirmed that dementia was associated with an increased risk of hypoglycaemia. Therefore, physicians need to take extra care regarding diabetes management, especially for patients who have been diagnosed with dementia

Guidelines for a short course on Egyptian marine officers\u27 responsibilities for the marine environment

Egypt has a strategic geographical location straddling both the Mediterranean and the Red Seas that constitute two of the major enclosed coastal seas in the world. Egyptian coasts have a total length of about 1630 Ian in the Mediterranean and Red Seas. A large part of the coastal areas in Egypt is contaminated with oil from various sources. Shipping activity contributes significantly to the current situation regarding oil pollution of the country\u27s territorial waters. The reasons for oil pollution in Egyptian waters are many, and Egyptian marine officers play a significant role in contributing to the pollution of the marine environment. This research examined the causes behind the prevailing lack of knowledge among Egyptian marine officers regarding oil pollution matters. The methodology adopted was the development of a questionnaire that was distributed to a sample of marine officers represented the overall situation among Egyptian marine officers. Through an analysis of the completed responses, a better understanding of the causes of oil pollution in Egyptian water was revealed. The analysis revealed that the lack of knowledge relating to international conventions, especially MARPOL 73/78, reflected the area of greatest ignorance. The potential damage resulting from oil spills holds the second position of greatest ignorance. The significance of ship/shore safety check lists and the existence of oil spill contingency plans occupy the third and forth positions respectively. This research has also focused on explaining the importance of each subject area identified for inclusion in the short course. It concludes with a recommended model for a short course curriculum aiming to assist those marine officers to have a greater appreciation for the importance of protecting the marine environment from oil pollution from ships

INVESTIGATING CHANGES IN ER-TO-GOLGI PROTEIN TRANSPORT FOLLOWING A SHORT CALCIUM PULSE: ROLES OF ALG-2 AND PEFLIN

The ER-Golgi interface is a very dynamic environment that involves the movement of protein-loaded vesicles forward and backward. The movement of COPII-coated vesicles from the ER to the Golgi is the initial step in the movement of secreted, organellar, and cell surface proteins toward their final destinations. Many factors can regulate this step, including cytosolic calcium increases. In this study, we examined the effect of a transient calcium pulse on recruitment to ER exit sites of cargo proteins for ER export, the calcium-sensitive regulatory proteins apoptosis-linked gene 2 (ALG-2) and peflin, and the COPII outer coat subunits Sec31A and Sec13. We used immunofluorescence and live cell microscopy in normal rat kidney cells to monitor these events during and after a calcium surge induced by the ER calcium pump inhibitor 2,5-Di-(t-butyl)-1,4-hydroquinone (BHQ). We found that a calcium pulse can enhance the sorting of cargo proteins into ER exit sites for at least one hour following the pulse. This functional enhancement coincided with the recruitment of the outer coat proteins Sec13 and Sec31A to ER exit sites that persisted well beyond the calcium pulse. These functional and targeting changes were most likely directed by the calcium sensors ALG-2 and peflin, whose calcium-dependent kinetic recruitment patterns were also documented. One unexpected finding was that peflin recruitment to ER exit sites was increased by calcium; previous results had suggested that peflin would dissociate in response to calcium. Taken together our work demonstrates for the first time that a brief calcium event can initiate a cascade of functional and structural changes at ER exit sites that persists well beyond the period of elevated calcium. Such calcium-dependent regulation may ensure more efficient protein movement in the early secretory pathway after calcium-induced exocytosis of secretory vesicles or following the induction of cell proliferation or differentiation

An Efficient Approach towards Network Routing using Genetic Algorithm

The network field has been very popular in recent times and has aroused much of the attention of researchers. The network must keep working with the varying infrastructure and must adapt to rapid topology changes. Graphical representation of the networks with a series of edges varying over time can help in analysis and study. This paper presents a novel adaptive and dynamic network routing algorithm based on a Regenerate Genetic Algorithm (RGA) with the analysis of network delays. With the help of RGA at least a very good path, if not the shortest one, can be found starting from the origin and leading to a destination. Many algorithms are devised to solve the shortest path (SP) problem for example Dijkstra algorithm which can solve polynomial SP problems. These are equally effective in wired as well as wireless networks with fixed infrastructure. But the same algorithms offer exponential computational complexity in dealing with the real-time communication for rapidly changing network topologies. The proposed genetic algorithm (GA) provides more efficient and dynamic solutions despite changes in network topology, network change, link or node deletion from the network, and the network volume (with numerous routes)

GA for Popularity Based Cache Management in ICN

One paragraph only. Information Centric Networks (ICNs) is a new architecture for the Future Internet to deliver content at large-scale. It relies on named data and caching features, which consists of storing content across the delivery path to serve forthcoming requests. In this paper, we study the problem of finding the optimal assignment of popular contents in the available caches storage in ICN. We formulate this problem as a combinatorial optimization problem. Metaheuristic methods are considered as effective methods for solving this problem. We will adapt cache management system based on GA for solving the considered problem in order to minimize overall network overhead