Disability in Islam: Challenging Saudi Disabled Teachers’ Perspectives

This study aims to critically explore how do Saudi disabled teachers perceive the nature of disability in relation to Islamic teachings, as this impacts on themselves as disabled teachers and how they interact, treat and teach their disabled students. The two primary sources of Islamic teachings – the Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (i.e. Hadiths)- were used to conceptualise this inquiry and ground it in the literature. These sources examined to understand how they approach disability in relation to disabled participant teachers’ understandings and to understand how Islam interprets disability. Disability-first language was used in this study because it puts the problems of disability on society rather than disabled people (Aldakhil, 2020). Data were generated through conducting indepth semi-structured telephone interviews with ten disabled teachers. Findings show critical contradictions between teachers' understanding of disability and Islamic teachings, as Miles (2007) puts it, it is true that the views of people of a particular faith often do not reach the standards taught by that faith. The study also show that the right interpretation of Islamic teachings has the potential to promote an affirmative model of disability that could challenge the unquestioned assumptions of disability presented by participant teachers.Deanship of Scientific Research at Majmaah University R-2 022-32

Exploring Inclusion, Disability and the Label of Intellectual Disability: Saudi Teachers’ Experiences and Perspectives

This study aims to critically explore how Saudi teachers understand the phenomena of inclusion, disability and the label of intellectual disability. It also seeks to research the extent to which the two implemented models of inclusion/special education in Saudi mainstream schools respond to the academic and social requirements of disabled learners, to uncover the disabling barriers and to offer suggestions for ending or, at least minimising, inequalities and exclusion of children labelled disabled from and within Saudi mainstream schools. Drawing on theories from a range of disciplines, including educational psychology, critical disability studies and education theory, I explored these issues through conducting in-depth semi- structured interviews with 31 participant teachers on an individualised basis. My thematic analysis has generated four key findings. First, the vast majority of participant teachers have misconceptions around inclusion, disability and the label of intellectual disability. They conflate integration and inclusion, locate ‘the problem’ of disability within-child and view people labelled with intellectual disabilities as ‘unable’ thus less than human. Second, participant teachers have different views about the two models of inclusion/special education implemented in schools where they teach. They have positive viewpoints about the mainstream classrooms model but negative perspectives about the self-contained classrooms model. Third, the analysis also uncovers that mainstream schools where participant teachers teach are fettered with disabling barriers and practices and that the Saudi education system are bound up with ableism. Fourth, to eliminate or, at least reduce, inequalities and exclusion of people labelled disabled from and within Saudi mainstream schools, participant teachers suggest raising awareness, creating an inclusive space for all, reviewing, enforcing and developing inclusive policies and regulations and promoting the core values of inclusive education. I also offer further recommendations for the Saudi Ministry of Education to take into consideration in Chapter 8 (section 8.5)

The Use of Strategic Public Relations Communication Techniques in Campaigns to Raise Awareness of Breast Cancer: A Case Study of Breast Cancer Campaigns in Saudi Arabian Charities

This study investigates the efforts of cancer charities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to raise awareness of breast cancer through communication campaign techniques in order to reduce its incidence, which has been rising in the Saudi population for several years. Applying the Diffusion of Innovations Theory of Rogers (2003) as a theoretical framework, qualitative primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 individuals working in public relations (PR) and communications practice at six cancer charities to understand their experience of designing and planning health communication strategies to bring about health-related behavioural change among Saudi women. The study also involved qualitative content analysis of the Twitter pages of the six charities during Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) in 2018 to determine communicative functions in accordance with the classification scheme of Lovejoy and Saxton (2012). The interview data revealed that not all of the charities employed dedicated PR practitioners in their communication departments, but all carried out some PR functions, with a significant emphasis on the technical rather than managerial roles of PR. The participants were found to use various communication strategies and methods to reach different target audiences. However, considerable difficulty was experienced in the design of specific campaign planning strategies, with the participants demonstrating little use of breast cancer campaign strategy to overcome the lack of knowledge and awareness among Saudi women. The study confirmed that the charities did not use Twitter strategically, employing the platform largely as a one-way channel of information communication. Additionally, the charities rarely used promotional and mobilising messages as an action function and did not follow the commonly accepted relationship-building strategies such as dialogic and two-way communication

Tourist Responses to Tourism Experiences in Saudi Arabia

A decade ago, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was not perceived to be a popular tourism destination except for religious purposes, the government of KSA has been proactive in recent years building new destinations, changing longstanding policies, focusing on tourism and hospitality education, and renovating its image to attract domestic and international tourists. Tourism contributed to almost 9% of the Kingdom’s GDP in 2018, around 65 billion dollars (WTTC, 2019). The purpose of this paper is to understand the sentiment that tourists have regarding the new tourism campaigns in KSA, to have transparent feedback about the experiences and services mostly adopted by tourists, and to study the feasibility of KSA Vision 2030 regarding the tourism sector. This study will perform an open data analysis by extracting and analyzing data from a well-known online source (Twitter). Results will highlight the utilization of online data tools to measure tourism trends

Interdisciplinary systematic review: does alignment between system and design shape adoption and use of barcode medication administration technology?

BACKGROUND: In order to reduce safety risks associated with medication administrations, technologies such as barcode medication administration (BCMA) are increasingly used. Examining how human factors influence adoption and usability of this technology can potentially highlight areas for improvement in design and implementation. OBJECTIVE: To describe how human factors related determinants for BCMA have been researched and reported by healthcare and human-computer interaction disciplines. DATA SOURCES: The Cumulative Index of Nursing, and Allied Health Literature, PubMed, OVID MEDLINE and Google Scholar. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Primary research published from April 2000 to April 2020, search terms developed to identity different disciplinary research perspectives that examined BCMA use, used a human factors lens and were published in English. SYNTHESIS METHODS: Computerised systematic searches were conducted in four databases. Eligible papers were systematically analysed for themes. Themes were discussed with a second reviewer and supervisors to ensure they were representative of content. RESULTS: Of 3707 papers screened, 11 were included. Studies did not fit neatly into a clinical or human-computer interaction perspective but instead uncovered a range of overlapping narratives, demonstrating consensus on the key themes despite differing research approaches. Prevalent themes were misaligned design and workflow, adaptation and workarounds, mediating factors, safety, users' perceptions and design and usability. Inadequate design frequently led to workarounds, which jeopardised safety. Reported mediating factors included clarity of user needs, pre/post implementation evaluations, analysis of existing workarounds and appropriate technology, infrastructure and staffing. LIMITATIONS: Most studies were relatively small and qualitative, making it difficult to generalise findings. CONCLUSION: Evaluating interdisciplinary perspectives including human factors approaches identified similar and complementary enablers and barriers to successful technology use. Often, mediating factors were developed to compensate for unsuitable design; a collaborative approach between system designer and end users is necessary for BCMA to achieve its true safety potential

Drugs prevention according to modern trends in the Arabic language course (Loughati Al Jamilah) of the Higher-level elementary in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This study aimed at identifying the modern trends of drug prevention, and determining the availability of drug prevention items according to the modern trends in the Arabic language course (Loughati Al Jamilah) of the Elementary level in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Determining how to distribute drug prevention items into the units of Loughati Al Jamilah course (student book and workbook). A descriptive and analytical method (content analysis) were used to achieve the study objectives. Results showed a number of findings, the most important that the modern trends of drug prevention are no longer limited to awareness and education, but they go beyond that to address the factors that cause drug abuse that include communication skills , thinking skills, problem solving , effective use of technology, time management, and acquiring good health habits. It was also found that critical thinking skills and problem solving, communication skills are the most frequent drug prevention items in Loughati Al Jamilah`) course, Concepts and facts related to the drug problem didn’t appear in (Loughati Al Jamilah) course in the student book and work book. It was also found that the distribution of drug prevention items is not regular and does not achieve continuity in the units of the student book and workbook

Cytotoxic Activity of Non-specific Lipid Transfer Protein (nsLTP1) from Ajwain \u3cem\u3e(Trachyspermum ammi)\u3c/em\u3e Seeds

Background Trachyspermum ammi, commonly known as Ajwain, is a member of the Apiaceae family. It is a therapeutic herbal spice with diverse pharmacological properties, used in traditional medicine for various ailments. However, all previous studies were conducted using small molecule extracts, leaving the protein’s bioactivity undiscovered. Aim The current study aimed to demonstrate the cytotoxic activity of Ajwain non-specific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP1) in normal breast (MCF10A), breast cancer (MCF-7), and pancreatic cancer (AsPC-1) cell lines. Also, to evaluate its structural stability in human serum as well as at high temperature conditions. Methods The cytotoxic activity of Ajwain nsLTP1 was evaluated in MCF-7 and AsPC-1 cell lines using MTT assay. Annexin V-FITC and PI staining were used to detect the early apoptotic and late apoptotic cells. The role of nsLTP1 in inducing apoptosis was further studied by quantifying Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3, Survivin, EGFR, and VEGF genes expression using RT-PCR. CD spectroscopy analyzed the nsLTP1 conformational changes after thermal treatment for structure stability determination. The RP-HPLC was used to analyze the nsLTP1 degradation rate in human serum at different time intervals incubated at 37 °C. Results Ajwain nsLTP1 showed a potent cytotoxic effect in MCF-7 and AsPC-1. The IC50 value obtained in MCF-7 was 8.21 μM, while for AsPC-1 4.17 μM. The effect of nsLTP1 on stimulating apoptosis revealed that the proportions of apoptotic cells in both cell lines were relatively increased depending on the concentration. The apoptotic cells percentage at 20 μM was in MCF-7 71% (***P \u3c 0.001) and AsPC-1 88% (***P \u3c 0.001). These results indicate that nsLTP1 might efficaciously induce apoptosis in multiple types of cancerous cells. Genes expression in MCF-7 and AsPC-1 showed significant upregulation in Bax and Caspase-3 and downregulation in Bcl-2, Survivin, EGFR, and VEGF protein. The CD analysis of nsLTP1 showed a significant thermostable property. In serum, nsLTP1 showed a slow degradation rate, indicating high stability with a half-life of ~ 8.4 h. Conclusion Our results revealed the potential anticancer activity of Ajwain nsLTP1 and its mechanism in inducing apoptosis. It further exhibited thermostable properties at high temperatures and in human serum, which suggested this protein as a promising anticancer agent

The Structural Characterization and Bioactivity Assessment of Nonspecific Lipid Transfer Protein 1 (nsLTP1) from Caraway (\u3cem\u3eCarum carvi\u3c/em\u3e) Seeds

Background Carum carvi (caraway) of the Apiaceae family has been used in many cultures as a cooking spice and part of the folk medicine. Previous reports primarily focus on the medicinal properties of caraway seed essential oil and the whole seeds extract. However, no effort has been made to study caraway proteins and their potential pharmacological properties, including nonspecific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP), necessitating further research. The current study aimed to characterize nonspecific lipid transfer protein 1 (nsLTP1) from caraway seed, determine its three-dimensional structure, and analyze protein–ligand complex interactions through docking studies. We also evaluated nsLTP1 in vitro cytotoxic effect and antioxidant capacity. Additionally, nsLTP1 thermal- and pH- stability were investigated. Methods Caraway nsLTP1 was purified using two-dimensional chromatography. The complete amino acid sequence of nsLTP1 was achieved by intact protein sequence for the first 20 residues and the overlapping digested peptides. The three-dimensional structure was predicted using MODELLER. Autodock Vina software was employed for docking fatty acids against caraway nsLTP1. Assessment of nsLTP1 cytotoxic activity was achieved by MTS assay, and the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TAC) was determined. Thermal and pH stability of the nsLTP1 was examined by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Results Caraway nsLTP1 is composed of 91 residues and weighs 9652 Da. The three-dimensional structure of caraway nsLTP1 sequence was constructed based on searching known structures in the PDB. We chose nsLTP of Solanum melongena (PDB ID: 5TVI) as the modeling template with the highest identity among all other homologous proteins. Docking linolenic acid with caraway protein showed a maximum binding score of -3.6 kcal/mol. A preliminary screening of caraway nsLTP1 suppressed the proliferation of human breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 in a dose‑dependent manner with an IC50 value of 52.93 and 44.76 μM, respectively. Also, nsLTP1 (41.4 μM) showed TAC up to 750.4 μM Trolox equivalent. Assessment of nsLTP1 demonstrated high thermal/pH stability. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study carried out on nsLTP1 from caraway seeds. We hereby report the sequence of nsLTP1 from caraway seeds and its possible interaction with respective fatty acids using in silico approach. Our data indicated that the protein had anticancer and antioxidant activities and was thermally stable

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Amphiphilic Cyclic and Linear Peptides Composed of Hydrophobic and Positively-Charged Amino Acids as Antibacterial Agents

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) contain amphipathic structures and are derived from natural resources. AMPs have been found to be effective in treating the infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), and thus, are potential lead compounds against ARB. AMPs’ physicochemical properties, such as cationic nature, amphiphilicity, and their size, will provide the opportunity to interact with membrane bilayers leading to damage and death of microorganisms. Herein, AMP analogs of [R4W4] were designed and synthesized by changing the hydrophobicity and cationic nature of the lead compound with other amino acids to provide insights into a structure-activity relationship against selected model Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens. Clinical resistant strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were used in the studies. Our results provided information about the structural requirements for optimal activity of the [R4W4] template. When tryptophan was replaced with other hydrophobic amino acids, such as phenylalanine, tyrosine, alanine, leucine, and isoleucine, the antibacterial activities were significantly reduced with MIC values of \u3e128 μg/mL. Furthermore, a change in stereochemistry caused by D-arginine, and use of N-methyltryptophan, resulted in a two-fold reduction of antibacterial activity. It was found that the presence of tryptophan is critical for antibacterial activity, and could not be substituted with other hydrophobic residues. The study also confirmed that cyclic peptides generally showed higher antibacterial activities when compared with the corresponding linear counterparts. Furthermore, by changing tryptophan numbers in the compound while maintaining a constant number of arginine, we determined the optimal number of tryptophan residues to be four, as shown when the number of tryptophan residues increased, a decrease in activity was observed