Fully automated computer system for diagnosis of corneal diseases. Development of image processing technologies for the diagnosis of Acanthamoeba and Fusarium diseases in confocal microscopy images

Confocal microscopy demonstrated its value in the diagnosis of Acanthamoeba and fungal keratitis which considered sight-threatening corneal diseases. However, it can be difficult to find and train confocal microscopy graders to accurately detect Acanthamoeba cysts and fungal filaments in the images. Use of an automated system could overcome this problem and help to start the correct treatment more quickly. Also, response to treatment can be difficult to assess in infectious keratitis using clinical examination alone, but there is evidence that the morphology of filaments and cysts may change over time with the use of correct treatment. An automated system to analyse confocal microscopy images for such changes would also assist clinicians in determining whether the ulcer is improving, or whether a change of treatment is needed. This research proposes a fully automated novel system with GUI to detect cysts and hyphae (filaments) and measure useful quantitative parameters for them through many stages; Image enhancement, image segmentation, quantitative analysis for detected cysts and hyphae, and registration and tracking of ordered sequence of images. The performance of the proposed segmentation procedure is evaluated by comparing between the manual and the automated traced images of the dataset that was provided by the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital. The positive predictive values rate of cysts for Acanthamoeba images was 76%. For detected hyphae in Fusarium images, many standard measurements were computed. The accuracy of their values was quantified by calculating the percent error rate for each measurement and which ranged from 23% to 49%

The Effectiveness of Fermi Problem solving with Flipped Learning Techniques in Teaching physics on Improving Critical Thinking Skills among Emirati Secondary Students

The urgent need of developing novel teaching methods in education to improve the critical thinking skills has been widely discussed by educational experts. The present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Fermi problem solving with flipped learning techniques in teaching physics on the improvement of critical thinking skills among Emirati tenth graders. The sample of the study consists of 40 male and female secondary students from two secondary schools belonging to Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge in United Arab Emirates divided into two groups; the control group consists of 20 students (10 male and 10 female) taught the physics unit by traditional methods, the experimental group consists of 20 students (10 males and 10 females) taught the physics unit by Fermi problem solving with flipped learning techniques. The quasi-experimental design was used, where the modified critical thinking skills test was prepared and administered on the two groups as a pre-test before the students start the treatment and as a post-test once they are finished. The MANCOVA and Two-Way ANCOVA tests were employed to analyze the data. The findings showed that there were statistically significant differences at (α = 0.05) in student’s critical thinking skills test (in favor of experimental group), indicating that the performance of students in treatment group was better than the control group in the post-test. This means that the Fermi problem solving with flipped learning techniques has significant effectiveness on improvement of critical thinking skills among the United Arab Emirates secondary students. Also there were no statistically significant differences between male and female students

An efficient system for preprocessing confocal corneal images for subsequent analysis

A confocal microscope provides a sequence of images of the various corneal layers and structures at different depths from which medical clinicians can extract clinical information on the state of health of the patient's cornea. Preprocessing the confocal corneal images to make them suitable for analysis is very challenging due the nature of these images and the amount of the noise present in them. This paper presents an efficient preprocessing approach for confocal corneal images consisting of three main steps including enhancement, binarisation and refinement. Improved visualisation, cell counts and measurements of cell properties have been achieved through this system and an interactive graphical user interface has been developed

Digital transformation and the challenges associated with applying digital technologies in achieving strategic flexibility in public administration: a case study in Jordan

The study aimed to identify the impact of digital transformation and analyze the obstacles and complexities facing the integration of digital technologies into Jordanian Customs and their subsequent impact on achieving strategic flexibility. The study aims to uncover challenges, evaluate their effects, and suggest recommendations to enhance adaptive strategies within Jordanian Customs considering digital transformations. The study included employees in Jordanian General Customs, including customs officials, IT staff, and administrative staff working on digital initiatives. A population of 670 individuals was identified, from whom a purposive sample of (465) directly involved in digital transformation efforts was selected to participate in the study. The study used the descriptive analytical approach to comprehensively investigate the challenges of digital transformation within Jordanian Customs. Surveys, interviews, analysis of regulatory documents formed data collection methods. Quantitative data were subjected to descriptive analysis and regression modeling, while qualitative insights were thematically analyzed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced. The analysis revealed the results, the most important of which is that digital transformation has a positive, statistically significant impact in its four dimensions (strategy, organizational culture, transformational leadership, and human resources) in achieving strategic agility in Jordanian Customs, and reveals multi-faceted challenges prevailing within Jordanian Customs, including structural constraints. Infrastructure, resistance to change, cyber security vulnerabilities, and skills gaps among the workforces. The regression analysis highlighted the significant impact of these challenges in hindering the achievement of strategic flexibility within the Customs Department. Based on the results of the study, Jordanian Customs is recommended to take proactive measures to confront the challenges identified. This includes investing in a robust technology infrastructure, implementing targeted training programs to improve employee skills, promoting a culture of innovation, and establishing cross-departmental collaboration to enhance adaptability and strategic flexibility. The study recommended increasing attention to training workers and raising their capabilities to deal with digital transformation positively and improve services

Exploring the influence of management information systems on strategic planning: The mediating role of business intelligence

This quantitative study investigates the relationships between Management Information Systems (MIS), Business Intelligence (BI), and Strategic Planning (SP) within Jordanian Public Listed Companies, with a focus on the mediating role of BI. The target population comprises employees from the 108 public shareholding companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange, totaling an estimated 1,080 senior managers involved in strategic planning. A random sample of 285 employees was surveyed to achieve a 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with multi-item scales adapted from prior studies. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the conceptual framework and hypothesized relationships, utilizing the two-step SEM approach with AMOS software. The results reveal significant positive relationships among MIS, BI, and SP. Specifically, MIS exhibits a statistically significant positive effect on SP, supporting previous research indicating MIS provides comprehensive data for informed planning. Furthermore, MIS significantly influences BI capabilities, underscoring the importance of robust MIS infrastructure for advanced BI analytics. BI, in turn, positively impacts SP, aligning with literature suggesting BI tools enhance planning agility and effectiveness through data-driven insights. Bootstrapping analysis demonstrates that BI partially mediates the relationship between MIS and SP. While BI acted as a significant mediating variable, MIS had a significant direct impact on SP, implying that though MIS has a direct impact on SP, it has an indirect impact, through BI, as well. Further analysis revealed that the constructs are interconnected, and that the mediation of BI is a necessary part of the process in Jordanian Public Listed Companies. As such, acknowledging the relevance of MIS, BI, and SP and the mediating role of BI, organizations can adapt their decision-making to achieve sustained competitive advantage within the dynamic business environment in Jordan

In Vivo Confocal Microscopic Corneal Images in health and disease with an emphasis on extracting features and visual signatures for corneal diseases: A review study

There is an evolution in the demands of modern ophthalmology from descriptive findings to assessment of cellular level changes by using in vivo confocal microscopy. Confocal microscopy, by producing grey-scale images, enables a microstructural insight into the in vivo cornea in both health and disease, including epithelial changes, stromal degenerative or dystrophic diseases, endothelial pathologies, and corneal deposits and infections. Ophthalmologists use acquired confocal corneal images to identify health and disease states and then to diagnose which type of disease is affecting the cornea. This paper presents the main features of the healthy confocal corneal layers, and reviews the most common corneal diseases. It identifies the visual signature of each disease in the affected layer and extracts the main features of this disease in terms of intensity, certain regular shapes with both their size and diffusion, and some specific region of interest. These features will lead towards the development of a complete automatic corneal diagnostic system which predicts abnormalities in the confocal corneal data sets