An investigation of the attitudes, perceptions, knowledge, and understandings of school counselors in Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education established the 'General Directorate of Guidance and Counseling' in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia) in 1981. In 2003 approximately 4,000 school-based counsellors were working in schools in Saudi Arabia. Student counselling programmes in Saudi schools cover the areas of preventative, educational, vocational, and religious and moral counselling. Although school-based counselling is well established in Saudi Arabia there are very few studies researching school-based counselling in Saudi schools that have been identified in the literature. There is evidence to show that school-based counsellors face numerous problems in practice. RESEARCH QUESTION: The main research question for the research study is 'What are the attitudes, perceptions, knowledge, and understandings of school counsellors in schools in Saudi Arabia?' OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were: (1) to investigate the personal views and opinions of school counsellors working in boys' secondary schools in the research city; (2) to investigate the level of knowledge as well as the understandings of school counselling which school counsellors have; (3) to investigate the attitudes and perceptions that school counsellors bring to/have developed through their work; and (4) to investigate any cultural impacts and influences on school counsellors in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Four qualitative research methods were employed for the research study. These were: (1) a qualitative review of the literature; (2) a qualitative autobiography; (3) keeping a qualitative research journal; and (4) qualitative semi-structured interviews. The semi-structured interviews were undertaken with twenty-four (n=24) male school-based counsellors working in secondary boys' schools located in the research city. The interview transcripts were coded and qualitative Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) was carried out in order to identify themes from the qualitative data. RESULTS: The TCA drew out six themes from the data obtained that related to stakeholders (i.e. students, parents, teachers, head teachers) within the school environment. These were: (1) negative stakeholder behavioural attitudes towards school counsellors; (2) negative stakeholder perceptions towards school counsellors; (3) a general lack of knowledge of modern school counselling practices demonstrated by the school-based counsellors; (4) dissension between school-based counsellors and other stakeholders regarding their role; (5) cultural and religious influences on Western models of school counselling; and (6) a general lack of support within and beyond the school community. CONCLUSION: A broad range of significant problems for school-based counsellors were identified in the study. These problems significantly limit the ability of school-based counsellors to deliver effective and useful school counselling services. There exists a clear and pressing need to address these problems and deficiencies in order for school-based counsellors to be able to carry out their role within the school environment

Organizational Agility among Academic Leaders at Umm Al- Qura University & Ajloun National University: Faculty Members Perspective

The paper pinpoints organizational agility among academic leaders at Umm Al-Qura University and Ajloun National University from the faculty members various perspectives according to gender, university, faculty, academic rank, and the number of years of experience. The descriptive approach is used to achieve the research objectives. The research sample consists of (475) randomly selected faculty members. A 17-item questionnaire is used as a research instrument. The findings indicate that the degree of organizational agility is medium with a mean of (3.25) without statistically significant differences due to the university and faculty variables. The results also show differences due to the variables of gender, academic rank, and number of years of experience in favor of males, the two categories of assistant professor, professor, and the category of 5-10 years, respectively. Given these findings, the research recommends enabling employees to participate in decision-making and use modern techniques and mechanisms that contribute to developing work and evaluating work environments

Epidemiology and patterns of the hand and distal forearm fractures at King Abdul-Aziz Medical City, Riyadh, KSA

AbstractObjectivesThe hand is the most commonly fractured site in the body, as it represents 17–25% of all body fractures. The metacarpal bone of the small finger is the most commonly fractured hand bone. This study aimed to determine the epidemiology and frequency of various fractures of the hand and the distal forearm in adults with a view to identifying patients who required surgical treatment.MethodsThis retrospective review examined the medical records of all hand and distal forearm X-rays performed on adult patients who presented to the emergency room of King Abdul-Aziz Medical City from January 2010 to December 2011.ResultsIn this study, we reviewed 2993 X-rays of the hand and the distal forearm. One-third of these X-rays confirmed fractures (n = 948), and more than two-thirds of these fractures were recorded in male patients (n = 702). There was no major difference in the distribution of fractures between the left and right hand. Half of these fractures (n = 472) were found in the young age group (18–30 years). The study showed that the phalanges had the highest proportion of fractures (n = 362, 40%). Distal forearm fractures represented one-third of all registered fractures (n = 287). Almost half of the metacarpal fractures were found in the 5th metacarpal (n = 104), confirming that the 5th metacarpal bone is the most commonly fractured bone in the hand. One-fifth of all fractures were surgically managed (n = 190, 20%).ConclusionOne-third of the reviewed X-rays identified hand and distal forearm fractures. Both hands were affected equally. Patients in the young age group are more prone to have fractures, and phalanges had the highest proportion of fractures followed by the distal forearm

LSAR: Multi-UAV Collaboration for Search and Rescue Missions

In this paper, we consider the use of a team of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to accomplish a search and rescue (SAR) mission in the minimum time possible while saving the maximum number of people. A novel technique for the SAR problem is proposed and referred to as the layered search and rescue (LSAR) algorithm. The novelty of LSAR involves simulating real disasters to distribute SAR tasks among UAVs. The performance of LSAR is compared, in terms of percentage of rescued survivors and rescue and execution times, with the max-sum, auction-based, and locust-inspired approaches for multi UAV task allocation (LIAM) and opportunistic task allocation (OTA) schemes. The simulation results show that the UAVs running the LSAR algorithm on average rescue approximately 74% of the survivors, which is 8% higher than the next best algorithm (LIAM). Moreover, this percentage increases with the number of UAVs, almost linearly with the least slope, which means more scalability and coverage is obtained in comparison to other algorithms. In addition, the empirical cumulative distribution function of LSAR results shows that the percentages of rescued survivors clustered around the [78% 100%] range under an exponential curve, meaning most results are above 50%. In comparison, all the other algorithms have almost equal distributions of their percentage of rescued survivor results. Furthermore, because the LSAR algorithm focuses on the center of the disaster, it nds more survivors and rescues them faster than the other algorithms, with an average of 55% 77%. Moreover, most registered times to rescue survivors by LSAR are bounded by a time of 04:50:02 with 95% con dence for a one-month mission time.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Degree of Achieving Organizational Rigidity at Umm Al-Qura and Ajloun National Universities: Faculty Members’ Perspective

The paper pinpoints the degree of achieving organizational rigidity at Umm Al-Qura University and Ajloun National University from the faculty members’ viewpoint in line with the faculty, academic rank, and number of years of experience. The nature of the research necessitates using the descriptive survey research approach. A questionnaire adopted as a research instrument is applied to a 410-member sample of (410) randomly designated from the two universities. It is found that the organizational rigidity achievement is of a medium degree with a mean of (3.48). The results also show no statistically significant differences thanks to the variables of the number of years of experience and academic rank. However, it is found that there are differences caused by the faculty variable in favor of scientific faculties. The research recommends activating the methods of evaluating job performance, activating accountability and accounting systems, dividing work at the university according to the competence and experience of workers, and defining the tasks and duties of employees

Awareness and attitude toward using dental magnification among dental students and residents at King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Dentistry

Abstract Background The authors conducted a study aimed to assess the awareness and attitude among dental students and residents at King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Dentistry (KAUFD) toward using dental magnification. Methods An e-questionnaire was formulated then sent to dental students and residents (n = 651). The questionnaire included questions that assessed both the awareness and attitude toward using dental magnification. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 22. The chi-square test was used to establish relationships between categorical variables. Results The response rate was 69.7 % (n = 454). Of those, 78.1 % did not use magnification during dental procedures. However, 81.8 % agreed that dental magnification could enhance the accuracy and quality of their dental work. Thus, 91.6 % thought it would be useful in endodontics and 46.3 % voted for surgery. Of the 21.9 % that used magnification, dental loupes were mostly used, 55.9 %. The majority (59.4 %) of the participants believed that using dental magnification should be introduced by faculty beginning in Year I of dental school. Conclusions Among our respondents, most of the undergraduate students did not use dental magnification nor attended courses in the use of dental magnifications. However, most of the students were aware of its significance in improving the accuracy and quality of their work.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134609/1/12903_2016_Article_254.pd

Prevalence and practice of oestrogen use among the male gym participants

BackgroundOestrogen is the primary female sex hormone and has important functions in both female and male physiology. Recently oestrogen abuse among male gym participants had raised as it is considered to enhance gym performance and breast size. AimsThis study assesses the prevalence of oestrogen use among male gym patrons in Saudi Arabia, their practice related to oestrogen abuse, and the profiles of users. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2017 to May 2017 and included 4,860 male gym patrons. The participants were given a questionnaire with a total of 19 questions regarding socioeconomic information, knowledge and practices related to oestrogen, and lifestyle habits.Results The participants had a mean age of 28.6+6.2 years, 6.1 per cent of them abused oestrogen, and the most common forms used were ethinylestradiol (0.03mg) and drospirenone (3mg). Furthermore, 80.7 per cent of the users used it before exercise only. Breast enlargement was the main reason for oestrogen use, and local drug stores were the main source. Compared to non-users, oestrogen users were older (P=0.322), reported lower incomes (P=0.395), were more likely to be active smokers (P=0.597), and had a longer duration of gym participation (P < 0.001).ConclusionThe results indicate that 6.1 per cent of the surveyed male participants abused a combination of oestrogen and progesterone for breast enlargement, which was significantly more likely among males who had longer durations of gym participation

Green salad intake is associated with improved oral cancer survival and lower soluble CD44 levels

Deficiencies in fruit and vegetable intake have been associated with oral cancer (oral cavity and oropharyngeal). Salivary rinses contain measurable biomarkers including soluble CD44 (solCD44) and total protein, which are known markers of oral cancer risk. This study investigates the effect of nutritional factors on solCD44 and protein levels to evaluate oral cancer risk and survival. We evaluated solCD44 and protein levels from 150 patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and 150 frequency-matched controls. We subsequently characterized the effect of food group consumption and these biomarkers on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Patients reported eating fewer servings of salad (p = 0.015), while controls reported eating fewer servings of potatoes (p \u3c 0.001). Oral cancer patients who consumed at least one serving per week of green salad were found to have significantly lower CD44 levels than those who ate salad less frequently (mean of log2[solCD44]1.73 versus 2.25, p = 0.014). Patients who consumed at least one serving per week of “salad or other vegetables” had significantly longer PFS (median 43.5 versus 9.1 months, p = 0.003, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 0.39 p = 0.014) and OS (median 83.6 versus 10 months, p = 0.008, adjusted HR = 0.04 p = 0.029). These findings suggest that dietary factors, namely greater green salad and vegetable intake, may be associated with lower CD44 levels and better prognosis in oral cancer patients

Synthesis and optical properties of polyvinylidene difluoride nanocomposites comprising MoO3/g-C3N4

The present study describes the optical properties for prepared polymer nanocomposites of PVDF at different content of MoO3/g-C3N4. The structural properties of polymer films were analysed via XRD, FTIR and ESEM techniques. The XRD diffraction patterns of PVDF with different concentrations of MoO3/g-C3N4 have two characteristic peaks at 2 θ = 18.4° and 20.3° where first peak was assigned to α-phase, while last peak was attributed to β-phase. The ESEM micrographs of PVDF-MoO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposites have shown smooth surface topography. According to the UV–visible absorption spectra, the UV absorption of PVDF was increased when adding MoO3/g-C3N4 nanoparticles where distinct peak was appeared in the UV region at 310 nm and its edges become more intense and moved towards higher wavelength after MoO3/g-C3N4 incorporation. The optical values of (Edir) and (Eind) energies have decreased with increasing the nanoparticle composites content. The optical band gap energy (Eopt) was decreasing from 5.66 eV to 4.56 eV as increasing the content of MoO3/g-C3N4. The refractive index (n) was increased with increasing the concentration of MoO3/g-C3N4 in nanocomposites samples, except for the sample with 0.25 wt%. The distinctive optical characteristics of PVDF-MoO3/g-C3N4 qualify such polymer nanocomposites for optoelectronic applications

Exploring Renal Malignancies in Saudi Arabia: Insights from a Tertiary Care Center Study

This retrospective study aims to describe the characteristics of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in Saudi Arabia, in terms of epidemiology, clinical presentation, tumor subtype, Fuhrman grade, tumor size and stage, and overall survival. A total of 431 adult patients with a histopathological diagnosis of RCC between 2015 and 2023 were included in the analysis. Most patients (72.4%) had clear cell tumors, followed by chromophobe (15.1%) and papillary (12.5%) subtypes. In males, papillary RCC (85.2%) was more common compared to clear cell (59.8%) and chromophobe (67.7%) subtypes. Significant differences were observed in median body mass index (BMI) across tumor subtypes, and papillary tumor patients exhibited the highest incidence of hematuria (33.3%) compared to other subtypes. The Fuhrman grade also varied significantly among RCC types. Survival times were found to be lower for patients with papillary tumors. No significant difference was observed based on patients’ nationality. This study can inform clinical decision-making on patient prognosis and management as well as public health efforts aimed at reducing the alarming rise of RCC incidence