Secondary School Students' Perceptions and Challenges Toward Online Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia

The main objective of this research is to examine secondary school students' perceptions and challenges toward online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Through the analysis of suggestions by students, the study sought to extract solutions for improving the learning and teaching experience in the event that the pandemic continues. This process allows for the researcher to identify weaknesses of online learning and thus forge credible solutions. SPSS will be used to examine the data and analyze the findings. Given that the quantitative research method was favored as part of the design, the data was collected using a questionnaire which provided all the information needed to carry out descriptive statistical analysis. The aforementioned tool was distributed to a study sample of (763) male and female secondary school students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The findings highlight students’ perceptions amid the pandemic, and these include a myriad of privileges which are unique to online learning such as flexibility and convenience, the acquirement and mastery of technological skills, as well as greater participation from all types of students, including those who shy away from face-to-face interactions. By contrast, the results also exposed some prominent challenges including feelings of isolation, stress, and ubiquitous forms of distractions. The study recommends that future studies explore the topic of gender and how it affects the outcomes of online learnin

A Comprehensive Analysis of Aromatic-Proton Mediated Hydrogen Bonds

Hydrogen bonds play critical role in folding, structure and recognition of biological macromolecules (e.g., proteins, RNA, DNA). In addition to classical hydrogen bonds (e.g., ─OH---O=, ─OH---O─, ─NH---O─ etc.), structural analysis of protein and nucleic acids, almost a decade ago, showed that hydrogen bonds (e.g., CH---O) with hydrogen atoms on aliphatic carbon atoms (hereafter, aliphatic-protons) also play very important role in the structure and function of biomolecules. Even though, protons of aromatic ring systems (hereafter, aromatic-protons) are more polar than the aliphatic-protons, systematic analysis of hydrogen bonds of aromatic-protons have not been carried out. Therefore, I carried out a systematic analysis of hydrogen bonds that are made with aromatic-protons of tryptophan, tyrosine and phenylalanine amino acids in high-resolution structures of proteins and their complexes using a computer program that I created in R- and Perl languages. The analysis showed that aromatic CH---O are very common in proteins and tryptophan-CD1 is the most frequent participant in aromatic CH---O hydrogen bonds. The normalized frequency of occurrences of aromatic CH---O hydrogen bonds are greater than that of the aliphatic CH---O hydrogen bonds. Therefore, like aliphatic CH---O hydrogen bonds we anticipate that aromatic CH---O hydrogen bonds are likely to play equally, if not more, important role in macromolecular folding, stability and recognition. The numerous examples of aromatic CH---O hydrogen bonds observed here provides a good source of information that can be probed further by experiments to validate their important contribution

The experience of transition from high school to university : a qualitative exploration of perceptions of first year female students at King Saud University

Student retention has been one of the critical areas affecting university staff and students. Efforts to understand and remedy this problem have drawn research attention to the issue of transition. This study explored the problems faced by first year female students during transition to King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. Qualitative research was conducted, using an interpretive case study framework, over a longitudinal time-scale. The viewpoints of 21 participants from three faculties were captured through three phases of semi-structured interviews: one within the third week of the first semester, one at the end of the first semester, and one in the middle of the second semester. The purpose of doing so was to obtain insight into how students’ perceptions of the academic, social, and institutional (for example, support) aspects of the university changed over time as they acquired new experiences in the university setting.The findings indicate that first-year students often did not sufficiently understand the differences between high school and university in term of their responsibilities as independent learners. They were therefore unprepared for the academic and social changes they faced. Students often struggled to cope with the university’s academic demands, as they lacked a prior realistic comprehension of the learning and teaching mode in university. Socially, students were somewhat isolated at university, as a result of not participating in extra-curriculum activities and having limited relationships with lecturers. Their university participation was mainly confined to academic work. Over time, many of the students recognized the limitations of the academic skills and strategies they brought to university. First semester examinations prompted a crisis, which encouraged students in the second semester, to devote more time to their studies, to enhance their skills and competence, and to seek help from inside and outside sources. The findings challenge some aspects of existing theory. For example, students did not show a clear linear progression through the transition stages, with a marked separation from their former life. They also adopted support strategies that potentially expand the notion of communities of practice

Phytochemical Analysis and Antioxidant Activity of Salvadora persica extracts

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are founded in many health diseases and often generated from biological reactions or external factors. Natural antioxidant based on the prevention or treatment of complicated diseases has attracted an important deal of research interest. Phytochemical screening, total phenolic and flavonoid contents and hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging assays for evaluation of Salvadora persica (SP) in vitro antioxidant analysis of aqueous, methanolic and ethanolic extracts of roots were determined. It was found that the aqueous water gave the highest total extract yield followed by ethanol and methanol. Qualitative phytochemical screening showed the presence of different phytochemicals in water, methanol and ethanol extracts. Aqueous extract dispalayed the largest total phenolic contents followed by ethanolic and methanolic extracts while methanolic extract showed the higher flavonoids content than the ethanolic and aqueous extracts. Hydrogen peroxide scavenging method revealed that the aqueous and ethanolic extracts have good scavenging ability compared to gallic acid which used as positive control. there were strong negative significant correlations between hydrogen scavenging and phenolic contents (-0.369), but not with the contents of flavonoids. Also, the results revealed that there was a strong negative correlation between flavonoids and total phenolics. The results clearly indicate that root aqueous extract of Salvadora persica is having effective antioxidant activity. &nbsp

Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Prevalence of dental caries in school children (Age12 to 16 years) in Najran, Saudi Arabia

Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and oral health care practices and to study the prevalence of dental caries among male school students in Najran city, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Method: This study is a questionnaire based cross sectional study involving 300 school going children aged between 12 to 16 years. The children were selected using stratified random sampling method. Dental caries was recorded using Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index. Data on oral health knowledge, attitude, and behavioral practices were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Results: The rate of caries prevalence is 76.3% and the incidence of dental caries was found to be highest in the age group of 16 years. A majority of the students (62%) said they used toothbrush while 50% of the students reported the use of a chewing stick. Conclusion: Lack of knowledge regarding oral health predisposes to dental caries. Children who had not been exposed to a dental visit for a long time tend to fear dental visits. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, dental caries, school children, Najra

Evaluation of School Buildings Using Sustainability Measures and Life-Cycle Costing Technique

Greenhouse gases and energy extraction, production and consumption contribute to polluting the environment, and have led to climate change and global warming, now ranked as one of the top priorities on the United Nations' environment agenda (Montreal & Kyoto protocols). In the United States and Canada, the building sector represents the third-largest domain of total energy consumption, after the industrial and transportation sectors. In Canada and the United States alone, close to 80 million students, teachers and staff spend at least eight hours a day in schools. There is a growing demand to construct sustainable schools designed to provide more healthy, comfortable and productive learning environments as well as to reduce energy consumption and building costs. The research presented here details the development of a Selection Framework that enables school boards to select sustainable and cost-effective structure and envelope types for new school buildings. The selection is performed based on an evaluation of the LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) rating system and life-cycle costing techniques for typical structure and envelope-type alternatives. Fourteen different structure and envelope types are investigated, covering steel, concrete, and wood structures, in various combinations covering both conventional and sustainable options. A Sustainability Assessment Model is developed to measure the sustainability performance of conventional or "Non-green" alternatives, based on the evaluation of certain LEED categories such as energy consumption, recyclability and reuse of material, along with incorporating the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) technique. Furthermore, Life Cycle Costs Forecasting Models are developed by applying Monte Carlo simulation to determine the cost effectiveness or the economic viability for fourteen green and non-green school structure alternatives. Comparisons between these alternatives are performed using various deterministic and stochastic approaches in accordance with confidence levels, and risk assessment using the Efficient Frontier technique. The selection criteria was evaluated and weighted by experts' opinions. Their evaluation indicates that running costs represent the most significant criterion, followed by initial costs and then sustainability. The selection of alternatives based on a deterministic approach was subjected to high risk, and the selection is also enhanced by applying the Efficient Frontier technique (risk assessment). It is found that, if the selection is based on only one life cycle stage, it would lead to a decision that would not be the best for the long term. Hence, whole life cycle stages should be considered in the selection. It is seen that this research provides a method that can assist governments and decision makers in minimizing their overall expenditures on public buildings and to provide the best possible structural/envelope system, while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions and minimizing the environmental impact associated with public sector buildings

Determination of bone age and bone mass in modern United Kingdom and Saudi Arabian populations.

The Greulich & Pyle (G&P) and Tanner & Whitehouse (TW) methods are frequently used to determine bone age. The applicability of these methods for populations who are of different ethnicity or socioeconomic status to the reference standard has been subjected to questions. Therefore, a systematic review was undertaken to evaluate the applicability of the G&P atlas for four major ethnicities. The G&P standard appeared imprecise when applied to Asian male and African female populations. The applicability of the G&P and TW3 to modern population from the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia was assessed. The automatic software called (BoneXpert) which calculates bone age beside on the G&P and TW3, was used. The software can eliminate observer variability and provide timesaving solution. In total 821 hand radiographs (426 males) were included on the analysis. In the UK, the G&P atlas appeared to be applicable while The TW3 consistently underestimates the age of females by an average of 5 months. Furthermore, significant differences between BA and CA were apparent in Saudi Arabian males when using the G&P atlas and TW3 method. The added advantage of BoneXpert is that bone mass can be assessed from left hand radiographs. However, results from 291 patients, in which their dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and hand radiographs have been acquired on the same day, showed weak correlation between DXA and bone mass calculated by the software. The BoneXpert performance with regard to images taken using modalities other than conventional radiography was evaluated. Nevertheless, another advantage is that children are more likely to expose to much lower radiation dose from hand-wrist DXA compare to left hand radiographs. The low quality of DXA prohibits the use of BoneXpert software for the automatic determination of bone age while the TW3 cannot be determined manually from the hand-wrist DXA

Trust as an influencer of the intention to use mobile banking smartphone application in Saudi Arabia

The aim of this thesis is to propose and test a trust-based model in the context of mobile banking smartphone application in Saudi Arabia. This research contributes to the limited body of knowledge on trust judgements in mobile banking in the smartphone application era, by highlighting the role of ongoing trust in the customer’s intention to use mobile banking application. Banking has long been an area in which trust between banks and their customers has been regarded as pivotal. Despite this, research on trust in mobile banking smartphone applications has received little attention. Furthermore, distinct from other studies that have measured ongoing trust as a single variable, this study takes as its point of departure a theoretical framework, developed by Gefen et al. (2003) and McKnight et al. (2002), which proposes four dimensions of trust: familiarity with vendor, situational normality, structural assurance, and calculative based trust. In addition, the proposed model also includes technology adoption factors, usefulness, ease of use and information quality. The relationships between the trust dimensions and adoption variables were included in the research model to explain their effect on the customer’s ongoing trust and how the ongoing trust articulated the customer’s intention to use as outcome variable. Mixed method research, including survey and interview, were used to achieve the aim of this study. A survey amongst the customers of two Saudi Arabian banks generated a dataset of 640 questionnaires, which was subjected to structural equation modelling (SEM). In order to gain further insight into the relationships in the research model, interview data was also gathered from Saudi students in the UK who used Saudi mobile banking applications. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data. The findings from the survey show that trust factors such as familiarity with vendor, situational normality, structural assurance, and calculative trust were the statistically significant factors in cultivating participants’ trust, which in turn influenced their intention to use the mobile banking application. In contrast, adoption factors such as usefulness, ease of use and information quality were not statistically significant for customers’ trust, although the ease of use and usefulness had considerable impact on users’ intention to use the mobile banking application. The interview findings confirm that trust dimensions are crucial to the participant’s decision to use the bank application, and offer some insights into how and why this is the case. In addition, the interview findings confirm that usefulness and ease of use are fundamental for the participants’ intention to use the bank application but not for their trust. In contrast with findings from the survey, the interview findings show and explain that information quality is one of the most important factors for the participants’ trust and use of banking application. This study contributes to knowledge by formulating and testing a trust-based model in a new type of mobile banking, the bank app. This study demonstrates the importance of trust types in the smartphone banking environment, and it is one of just two studies that combine the adoption variables and types of trust variables in a study on mobile banking. This study also contributes to the knowledge by exploring the decision-making processes associated with mobile banking through the use of a qualitative approach and examines trust in banking in Saudi Arabia. On the basis of the findings in this study, it is recommended that Saudi banks should consider customer trust as a multidimensional construct and seek to enhance the underlying factors and processes that contribute to the cultivation trust in mobile banking apps. Findings from the interviews are particularly useful in assisting banks to critically examine their clients’ perception of trust dimensions and adoption variable factors when they undertake further developments of their banking app.Banks should pay attention to the customers experience through all the bank’s online channels, as customer experience in one channel can affect the expectations and trust levels for another