The Role of Najran University in Achieving Economic Development in the Region from the Point of View of Faculty Members

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the role of Najran University in achieving economic development in the region.   Theoretical framework: Universities are specialized scientific institutions to prepare manpower qualified to work in the various developmental economic sectors by providing learners and workers with specialized economic knowledge, competencies, and the necessary practical technical skills. This enables them to interact positively with the requirements of development in the digital world. However, the failure of universities to keep pace with the growing intellectual, scientific, and economic development, and linking this to development issues and the renewable needs of society is a shortcoming in the aspired roles that the university should play.   Design/Methodology/Approach:  To achieve the aim of the study, the study used the descriptive analytical approach. A questionnaire was used as a tool for the study and included (20) items. After verifying the tool's validity and reliability, it was distributed to the study sample, (441) faculty members at Najran University.   Findings:  The study concluded that Najran University has a high role in achieving economic development in the region. Also, there were no statistically significant differences at the significance level of (0.05) between the responses of the study sample according to the variables of gender and academic rank. In addition, there were statistically significant differences at the significance level of (0.05) according to the specialization variable in favor of scientific disciplines.   Research, Practical & Social Implications: The study implicates the role of economic development that university should play in the community.   Originality/Value:  The study identifies the role of Najran University in achieving economic development, so that colleges, scientific departments, and academic programs realize the reality of their role in this field and work to improve the less effective roles. This serves as an introduction to a comprehensive perception of what other universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should do

Current-source Single-phase Module Integrated Inverters for PV Grid-connected Applications

This paper presents a modular grid-connected single-phase system based on series-connected current-source module integrated converters (MICs). The modular configuration improves the reliability, redundancy and scalability of photovoltaic (PV) distributed generators. In this system, each PV panel is connected to a dc/ac inverter to permit individual Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) operation for each panel. Thus, the harvested power from the PV system will increase significantly. There are four different inverter topologies suitable to be used as MICs with different performances in terms of filtering elements size, power losses, efficiency, output voltage range, and high frequency transformers’ size. For the MPPT control, the oscillating even order harmonic components should be eliminated from the inverter’s input side otherwise the maximum power cannot be extracted. The proposed modulation scheme in this paper will ease the control of inverter’s input and output sides. Therefore, the 2nd order harmonic in the input current can be eliminated without adding new active semiconductor switches. A repetitive controller coupled with proportional-resonant controllers are employed to achieve accurate tracking for grid side as well as input side currents. Comparisons and performance evaluations for the proposed MICs are presented and validated with 1 kVA prototype controlled by TMS320F29335 DSP

The Efficacy of Using Augmented Reality Technology to Develop Multiple Intelligences for Children in Early Childhood

The current study aims to measures the effectiveness of using augmented reality technology to develop multiple intelligences in children in early childhood. The semi-experimental method was used with one group (pre and post). The research was applied to (30 children) from kindergarten children. Their ages ranged between (5-6) years. The study used the following materials and tools: a program based on the use of augmented reality technology to develop multiple intelligences in children in early childhood, a measure of multiple intelligences (linguistic - social - logical-mathematical - personal - natural intelligence) among children in early childhood (prepared by the researchers), and the study reached the following results: the effectiveness of using augmented reality in the development of multiple intelligences in children in early childhood, where the experimental group in the pre-application obtained an average of (13.97), while in the post-application it got an average of (25.80). The pre-application had a general average of (2.87), while it got an average of (5.13) in the post-application. The post-test has an average of (5.27), the effectiveness of using augmented reality technology in developing social intelligence Where the experimental group in the pre-application obtained a general average of (2.73), while in the post-application it got an average of (5.20). The post application has an average of (5.07) the effectiveness of using augmented reality technology in developing natural intelligence, where the experimental group in the pre application got an average of (2.73), while in the post application it got an average of (5.13), in the light of the results of the study, the researchers presented several Recommendations for the development of multiple intelligences in children in early childhood, which are: directing those in charge of preparing kindergarten curricula to include augmented reality technology in kindergarten curricula, directing the interest of kindergarten teachers, using augmented reality technology in developing multiple intelligences in children in early childhood, directing kindergarten teachers the diversity of methods and strategies used to develop multiple intelligences in children in early childhood

A Force Sensing Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization Device

Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) is a form of massage using rigid manufactured or cast devices. The delivered force, which is a critical parameter in massage during IASTM, has not been measured or standardized for most clinical practices. There is a strong need to characterize the delivered force to a patient. This paper proposes a novel mechatronic design for a specific instrument to apply localized pressure which is a frequently used tool to clinically deliver localize pressure to treat soft tissue. The design is based on 1-D compression load cells, where 4-load cells are used to measure the force components in three-dimensional space. Here the proposed design of the mechatronic IASTM tool is modeled, analyzed, and simulated as a mechanical structure with simplifying assumptions on the elastic behavior of the skin under a certain amount of force conditions. A finite element model of a human arm is simulated to show the relationship between the applied forces, stress and strain on the skin, and force measurements to improve the design. The relation between device’s tip and the modeled arm was assumed to be frictional contact similar to the real IASTM practice

Saudi Women Constraints for Participation in Sports and Physical Activities

Saudi women have recently witnessed unprecedented sociocultural changes in lifestyle and prosperity, as a result of recent female empowerment policies. Among these changes is the public acceptance of female participation in sport and physical activities. However, due to lack of good opportunities for sport and physical activity participation in previous years, Saudi women might still encounter tremendous factors that prevent or limit their participation. The study purpose was to investigate constraints that limit or prohibit Saudi women from participation in light of the recent empowerment policies. A specially designed questionnaire for this study was developed based on the context of leisure constraint theory and was randomly distributed in all regions of the country, yielding a sample of 866 female participants. The results indicated that the majority used their homes as the place for participation, with significant differences among geographical location in intrapersonal and interpersonal constraints, and an overall high score in structural constraints. It was concluded that Saudi females’ ability to participate in sports and physical activities is severely constrained by too many factors that need to be alleviated by policy-makers and investors

Organizational cultural factors influencing continuous improvement in Saudi universities

Continuous Improvement (CI) is described as a culture of sustainable improvements aimed at making organizational processes and systems increasingly efficient. The importance of CI, especially in higher education institutions (HEIs), relies heavily on those institutions’ importance in the success of individuals, organizations and countries as a whole. Despite its importance, there is a lack of sufficient studies on the role of CI in the success of universities in Saudi Arabia. This paper aims to identify the organizational cultural factors (OC) that influence CI efforts within the Saudi HEIs, in order to provide an understanding of the enabling and inhibiting factors of such efforts. This study has adopted a qualitative grounded theory approach, which aims to identify the OC aspects that have an impact on the CI of Saudi HEIs. It identifies eight themes that influence CI implementation in Saudi HEIs, which are: External Engagement, Institutional management, Skills Enhancement, Institutional Strategies, Development & Growth, Obstacles To Success, Ethical Issues and University Infrastructure

Accuracy of emergency medical services (EMS) telephone triage in identifying acute coronary syndrome (ACS) for patients with chest pain: a systematic literature review.

From Europe PMC via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: ppub 2021-08-01, epub 2021-08-25Publication status: PublishedFunder: University of Manchester; Grant(s): No grant or award numberObjectiveTo systematically appraise the available evidence to determine the accuracy of decision aids for emergency medical services (EMS) telephone triage of patients with chest pain suspected to be caused by acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or life-threatening conditions.DesignSystematic review.Data sourcesElectronic searches were performed in Embase 1974, Medline 1946 and CINAHL 1937 databases from 3 March 2020 to 4 March 2020.Eligibility criteriaThe review included all types of original studies that included adult patients (>18 years) who called EMS with a primary complaint of chest pain and evaluated dispatch triage priority by telephone. Outcomes of interest were a final diagnosis of ACS, acute myocardial infarction or other life-threatening conditions.Data extraction and synthesisTwo authors independently extracted data on study design, population, study period, outcome and all data for assessment of accuracy, including cross-tabulation of triage priority against the outcomes of interest. Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 assessment tool.ResultsSearches identified 553 papers, of which 3 were eligible for inclusion. Those reports described the evaluation of three different prediction models with variation in the variables used to detect ACS. The overall results showed that dispatch triage tools have good sensitivity to detect ACS and life-threatening conditions, even though they are used to triage signs and symptoms rather than diagnosing the patients. On the other hand, prediction models were built to detect ACS and life-threatening conditions, and therefore, prediction models showed better sensitivity and negative predictive value than dispatch triage tools.ConclusionWe have identified three prediction models for telephone triage of patients with chest pain. While they have been found to have greater accuracy than standard EMS dispatch systems, prospective external validation is essential before clinical use is considered.Prospero registration numberThis systematic review was pre-registered on the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) database (reference CRD42020171184)

A Fuzzy Logic Based Piezoresistive/Piezoelectric Fusion Algorithm for Carbon Nanocomposite Wide Band Strain Sensor

Polymer nanocomposites (PNC) have a great potential for in-situ strain sensing applications in both static and dynamic loading scenarios. These PNCs, having a polymer matrix of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with a conductive filler of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), have both piezoelectric and piezoresistive characteristics. Generally, this composite would accurately measure either low frequency dynamic strain using piezoresistive characteristic or high frequency dynamic strains using piezoelectric characteristics of the MWCNT/PVDF film sensor. This limits the frequency bands of the strain sensor to either piezoresistive or piezoelectric ranges. In this study, a novel weighted fusion technique, called piezoresistive/piezoelectric fusion (PPF), is proposed to combine both piezoresistive and piezoelectric characteristics to capture wide frequency bands of strain measurements in real time. This fuzzy logic (FL) based method combines the salient features (i.e. piezoresistive and piezoelectric) of the nanocomposite sensor via reasonably accurate models to extend the frequency range over a wider band. The FL determines the weight of each signal based on the error between the estimate and actual measurements. These weights indicate the contribution of each signal to the final fused measurement. The fuzzy inference system (FIS) was developed using both optimization and data clustering techniques. In addition, type-2 FIS was utilized to overcome the model's uncertainty limitations. The developed PPF methods were verified with experimental data at different dynamic frequencies that were obtained from existing literature. The fused measurements of the MWCNT/PVDF were found to correlate very well with the actual strain and a high degree of accuracy was achieved by the subtractive clustering PPF's FISs algorithm

Fundamentals of electro- and thermochemistry in the anode of solid-oxide fuel cells with hydrocarbon and syngas fuels

Abstract High fuel flexibility of solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) affords the possibility to use relatively cheap, safe, and readily available hydrocarbon (e.g., CH₄) or coal syngas (i.e., CO-H₂ mixtures) fuels. Utilization of such fuels would greatly lower fuel cost and increase the feasibility of SOFC commercialization, especially for near-term adoption in anticipation of the long-awaited so-called “hydrogen economy”. Current SOFC technology has shown good performance with a wide range of hydrocarbon and syngas fuels, but there are still significant challenges for practical application. In this paper, the basic operating principles, state-of-the-art performance benchmarks, and SOFC-relevant materials are summarized. More in-depth reviews on those topics can be found in Kee and co-workers [Combust Sci and Tech 2008; 180:1207–44 and Proc Combust Inst 2005; 30:2379–404] and McIntosh and Gorte [Chem Rev 2004; 104:4845–65]. The focus of this review is on the fundamentals and development of detailed electro- and thermal (or simply, electrothermal) chemistry within the SOFC anode, including electrochemical oxidation mechanisms for H₂, CO, CH₄, and carbon, as well as the effects of carbon deposition and sulfur poisoning. The interdependence of heterogeneous chemistry, charge-transfer processes, and transport are discussed in the context of SOFC membrane-electrode assembly modeling