Model checking web applications

The modelling of web-based applications can assist in capturing and understanding their behaviour. The development of such applications requires the use of sound methodologies to ensure that the intended and actual behaviour are the same. As a verification technique, model checking can assist in finding design flaws and simplifying the design of a web application, and as a result the design and the security of the web application can be improved. Model checking has the advantage of using an exhaustive search of the state space of a system to determine if the specifications are true or not in a given model. In this thesis we present novel approaches in modelling and verifying web applications' properties to ensure their design correctness and security. Since the actions in web applications rely on both the user input and the server status; we propose an approach for modelling and verifying dynamic navigation properties. The Spin model checker has been used successfully in verifying communication protocols. However, the current version of Spin does not support modelling time. We integrate discrete time in the Spin model to allow the modelling of realistic properties that rely on time constraints and to analyse the sequence of actions and time. Examining the sequence of actions in web applications assists in understanding their behaviour in different scenarios such as navigation errors and in the presence of an intruder. The model checker Uppaal is presented in the literature as an alternative to Spin when modelling real-time systems. We develop models with real time constraints in Uppaal in order to validate the results from the Spin models and to compare the differences between modelling with real time and with discrete time as in Spin. We also compare the complexity and expressiveness of each model checker in verifying web applications' properties. The web application models in our research are developed gradually to ensure their correctness and to manage the complexities of specifying the security and navigation properties. We analyse the compromised model to compare the differences in the sequence of actions and time with the secure model to assist in improving early detections of malicious behaviour in web applications

Effectiveness of Using the Advance Organizers Strategy on teaching Mathematical Concepts on the Achievement of Mathematics Students- Teachers at Umm Al Qura University in Saudi Arabia

Abstract: This study aimed to identify the effectiveness of using advance organizers strategy in teaching mathematical concepts in the course of mathematics teaching methods (2) at Umm al-Qura University in Saudi Arabia. Two hundred student-teachers were divided into an experimental group of 100 students and control group of 100 students. The research tool consisted of an achievement test in some mathematical concepts in the mathematics teaching methods course (2). The study results indicated that there were statistically significant differences between the median scores of the experimental and control groups in the post-application of the experimental test for the benefit of the experimental group. The results of the study also revealed that there were statistically significant differences between the median scores of the experimental group in the pre-test and post-test applications for the benefit of the post application. The researcher recommended using the strategy of advanced organizations in teaching mathematical concepts at the university. Keywords: Advance Organizers Strategy, Mathematics Students teachers, Mathematical Concepts, Achievement in mathematics

The Effectiveness of Future Problem-Solving Program (FPSP) in Developing Creative Thinking Skills Among Gifted Students: Experimental Study

The study aimed at developing an enrichment program based on Future Problem Solving Program (FPSP), and revealing its impact on the development of creative thinking skills among 1st secondary grade gifted students in Al-Baha region. The experimental approach was used and a sample consisted of (24) students was selected. They were divided randomly into two groups: the experimental sample (14 students) and the control sample (10 students). The researchers developed the current study program based on the future problem-solving program (FPSP) and a creative thinking skills scale. The tool validity and reliability were extracted and checked. Results showed significant differences in the performance between the two groups (experimental and control) on the post-test in favor of the experimental group. There were also significant differences between the performance of the experimental group in the pre- posttest, in favor of the post-test on the scale and its different dimensions. This indicates the effectiveness of the enrichment program presented in the current study and its advantage in developing the creative thinking skills for gifted students in regular classroom. In addition, there was a significant difference between the performance of the experimental group in the post- follow-up test, in favor of the follow-up performance on the scale as a whole and its different dimensions. Keywords: effective studies, future Problem-Solving Program (FPSP), special gifted class, creative thinking. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-9-16 Publication date:March 31st 202

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN LOCUS OF CONTROL OF HEALTH, RELIGIOUS ATTITUDE, AND SPIRITUALITY IN OLDER ADULTS IN PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS OF JEDDAH

Background: A common perception in Muslim society is there that, in old age people see God (Allah) to close as well as they spend most of their time in worshiping and other religious as well spiritual based activities. While role of health and locus of health control is also playing such religious and spiritual practices. Aim of Study: To check the correlation between health locus of control, religious attitude, and spirituality among older Saudi Arabians adults Method: A cross-sectional descriptive research design was used on the 109 older adults, who were selected through online questionnaire by using convenient purposive sampling technique. As we used three questionnaire such as health locus of control, religious attitude scale and spirituality index. Findings & Results: It was found that older adults have a high level of religious attitude as 71.2% and spirituality as 80.1%. The correlation of the sub-domain of health locus of control in its powerful others dimension has a low but statistically significant correlation with religious attitude (r = .278, p < .01) and does not have a correlation with spirituality, thus, a level high religious attitude makes it more likely that older adults have a locus of control over health powerful others at a high level (odds = 3.11, 2.21 – 7.22).  Conclusion: There is higher level of religious attitude in Saudi older Adults. While health locus of control has a significant impact in practicing religious activities as well as showing spirituality

Physiomorphic and molecular-based evaluation of wheat germplasm under drought and heat stress

Drought and heat stress are potential problems that can reduce wheat yield, particularly during the terminal growth stages in arid and semiarid regions of the world. The current study intended to examine the impact of individual and combined drought and heat stress on the biochemical contents (antioxidant enzymes, proline, soluble proteins, and soluble sugars), physiological parameters (chlorophyll content, cell membrane stability, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and transpiration), plant–water relations (relative water content, water potential, osmotic potential, and pressure potential), agronomic traits (flag leaf area, plant height, number of tillers per plant, spike length, grains per spike, and thousand-grain weight), and gene expression (TaHSF1a, TaWRKY-33, TaNAC2L, and TaGASR1) in four different thermostable and drought-tolerant wheat genotypes (i.e., Gold-16, HS-240, Suntop, and Hemai-13) collected from different countries. The tri-replicate experiment was conducted using two factorial arrangements in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). All measured traits, except total soluble sugars, proline, and cell membrane stability index, showed significant reduction under both combined and individual treatments. Furthermore, correlation analysis revealed a significant association between biochemical and physiological characteristics and crop agronomic productivity. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) and heatmap analysis demonstrated significant levels of variation in traits according to the type of stress and nature of wheat genotype. The spectrographs and micrographs generated by scanning electron microscopy for the selected high- and low- tolerance samples revealed clear differences in mineral distribution and starch granulation. All studied genes showed comparatively high levels of relative expression under combined treatments of drought and heat stress in all wheat genotypes, but this expression was the highest in ‘Gold-16’ followed by ‘HS-240’, ‘Suntop’, and ‘Hemai-13’. Overall, this study concluded that plants are proactive entities and they respond to stresses at all levels; however, the tolerant plants tend to retain the integrity of their biochemical, physiological, and molecular equilibrium

The Study of Learning Styles among Medical Students at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia

The main objectives of this research were to detect types of learning styles (LS), time spending in studying, to know the relation with GPA, and to determine which LS is suitable with teaching style used in the College of Medicine at Majmaah University. The study was cross-sectional self-survey conducted among male and female medical students at College of Medicine at Majmaah city over 6 months. Cluster sampling was used and total participants were 194 students from College of Medicine (males & females). The data was collected using a designed questionnaire and analysis of data was performed by SPSS (V26).This study showed that majority of participants preferred the Visual learning (VL) style (27.79%), the second most used type was Kinesthetic (24.79%), and the least used type was Auditory (24.53%). It also showed that students who prefer VL style score more than students who prefer other learning styles. It was observed that the student who prefers kinesthetic style spent more time in the studying the more use of this type. In Conclusion, The study concluded that the majority of participants were preferred the VL style. It is also showed that student who prefers visual learning style score more than students who prefer other learning styles. It is important to increase awareness of students regarding types of their learning styles and teaching strategies in college during admission

Health Benefits and Biological Activity of Ginger Phytochemicals Against Chronic Diseases and Cancers

As cancer prevalence escalates significantly across the globe, fighting this terminal illness using phytochemicals is considered a green anticancer therapeutic approach. Many plants contain useful bioactive compounds that can influence cancer remedies positively. Moreover, these bioactive compounds derived from natural sources exhibited great vital contribution activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial. Since antiquity, ginger was used in folk medicine as a reason for its ability to relieve systemic pain and food flavoring. Along with recent findings and discoveries, ginger and its derived phenolic compounds such as 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, and 10-gingerol, shogaol, parasols, zingerone, and α-curcumene, each independently or collectively is well known to contribute prospectively in an accessible way in many chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Alzheimer disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and chronic kidney disease. On the other hand, drug-based ginger\u27s pharmacological properties show significant suppression of specific cancers such as skin, colorectal, pancreatic, prostate, breast, lung, AML, gastric, and HCC through series of distinctive mechanisms. It is notably now that these ginger characteristics, along with its beneficial flavonoid contents, are a novel therapeutic approach in a variety of ailments. &nbsp

Perspectives, practices, and challenges of online teaching during COVID-19 pandemic: A multinational survey

The result of the movement restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic was an impromptu and abrupt switch from in-person to online teaching. Most focus has been on the perception and experience of students during the process. The aim of this international survey is to assess staffs' perspectives and challenges of online teaching during the COVID-19 lockdown. Cross-sectional research using a validated online survey was carried out in seven countries (Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Indonesia, India, the United Kingdom, and Egypt) between the months of December 2021 and August 2022, to explore the status of online teaching among faculty members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Variables and response are presented as percentages while logistic regression was used to assess the factors that predict levels of satisfaction and the challenges associated with online instruction. A total of 721 response were received from mainly male (53%) staffs. Most respondents are from Brazil (59%), hold a Doctorate degree (70%) and have over 10 years of working experience (62%). Although, 67% and 79% have relevant tools and received training for online teaching respectively, 44% report that online teaching required more preparation time than face-to-face. Although 41% of respondents were uncertain about the outcome of online teaching, 49% were satisfied with the process. Also, poor internet bandwidth (51%), inability to track students' engagement (18%) and Lack of technical skills (11.5%) were the three main observed limitations. Having little or no prior experience of online teaching before the COVID-19 pandemic [OR, 1.58 (95% CI, 1.35–1.85)], and not supporting the move to online teaching mode [OR, 0.56 (95% CI,0.48–0.64)] were two main factors independently linked with dissatisfaction with online teaching. While staffs who support the move to online teaching were twice likely to report no barriers [OR, 2.15 (95% CI, 1.61–2.86)]. Although, relevant tools and training were provided to support the move to online teaching during COVID-19 lockdown, barriers such as poor internet bandwidth, inability to track students’ engagement and lack of technical skills were main limitations observed internationally by teaching staffs. Addressing these barriers should be the focus of higher education institution in preparation for future disruptions to traditional teaching modes

Vitamin D serum level predicts stroke clinical severity, functional independence, and disability—A retrospective cohort study

BackgroundStroke is a leading cause of mortality and disability and one of the most common neurological conditions globally. Many studies focused on vitamin D as a stroke risk factor, but only a few focused on its serum level as a predictor of stroke initial clinical severity and recovery with inconsistent results. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and stroke clinical severity at admission and functional independence and disability at discharge in Saudi Arabia.MethodologyA retrospective cohort study of adult ischemic stroke patients who had their vitamin D tested and admitted within 7 days of exhibiting stroke symptoms at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Based on vitamin D level, the patients were categorized into normal [25(OH)D serum level ≥ 75 nmol/L], insufficient [25(OH)D serum level is 50–75 nmol/L], and deficient [25(OH)D serum level ≤ 50 nmol/L]. The primary outcome was to assess the vitamin D serum level of ischemic stroke patients’ clinical severity at admission and functional independence at discharge. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used to assess the clinical severity, whereas the modified Rankin scale (mRS) was used to assess functional independence and disability.ResultsThe study included 294 stroke patients, out of 774, who were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The mean age of the participants was 68.2 ± 13.4 years, and 49.3% were male. The patients’ distribution among the three groups based on their vitamin D levels is: normal (n = 35, 11.9%), insufficient (n = 66, 22.5%), and deficient (n = 196, 65.6%). After adjusting for potential covariates, regression analysis found a significant inverse relationship of NIHSS based on 25(OH)D serum level (beta coefficient: −0.04, SE: 0.01, p = 0.003). Patients with deficient serum vitamin D level also had significantly higher odds of worse functional independence in mRS score [OR: 2.41, 95%CI: (1.13–5.16), p = 0.023] when compared to participants with normal vitamin D level.ConclusionLow vitamin D levels were associated with higher severity of stroke at admission and poor functional independence and disability at discharge in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Further randomized clinical and interventional studies are required to confirm our findings

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London