Strategic Communication and Public Engagement: The UAE E-Brainstorming Session

In the context of the conference’s topic of ‘Strategic Communication and Public Engagement’ comes this case study, which illustrates the creative use of social media in crowdsourcing ideas from the public with the goal of formulating government policy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Unlike the usual model of top-down policy formulation in many developing countries, the UAE government adopted an experiment entitled ‘The UAE Brainstorming Session’, which is the country’s first technology-based citizen engagement event that leveraged the highly popular social media platforms to elicit ideas and suggestions about public services. Specifically, two under-performing national sectors were targeted; public health and education. Citizens and residents were invited to identify the main issues in these two sectors and offer their suggestions to address them. The UAE Prime Minister personally tweeted inviting everyone to participate. The public response to this initiative was substantial, with 82,000 new ideas delivered by several social media channels. A ministerial committee then shortlisted the best ideas, suggestions, and these were subsequently discussed in a strategic cabinet retreat. The next step was government approval of several initiatives, which were subsequently implemented. Lessons learned from this case study can be beneficial to many countries that are considering similar technology-based initiatives that utilize popular and accessible social media as public policy tools and instruments of citizen engagement. Keywords: Strategic Communication; Citizen Engagement; Social Media; United Arab Emirates Government

Bipolar- Radon Transform

This paper presents the bipolar- Radon transform (BRT)that map a function into its integrals over two types of circles. By using the bipolar coordinates, this transform reduces to the normal Radon transform Radon transform(RT). (BRT)can be applied for tomography .A direct example and the inversion are presented

Z-Scan Measurement For The Thermo-Optic Coefficient and Transmitted Beam Profile Of 1.8-Dihydroxy-Naphthalin-3, 6 Disulfonic Acid-[2-(4-azo)]-N-(5-Methyl-3-Isoxazolyl)-Benzene Sulfonamide

The nonlinear optical properties of an azo dye (1.8-Dihydroxy-naphthalin-3, 6 disulfonic acid- [2- (4-azo)]-N-(5-methyl-3-isoxazolyl)-benzene sulfonamide) are studied by using z-scan and diffraction ring technique with continuous wave (cw) laser at a wavelength of 532 nm. The obtained results for the nonlinear refractive index , , and the thermo-optic coefficients , , are found to be of the order of Wcm-2 and  K-1 respectively. The transmitted beam profiles, the distribution of intensity corresponding to the sample positions and D- distribution of rings number of each pattern variation for the azo dye samples have been studied. These results indicate that the azo dye is a promising candidate for applications in nonlinear optical devices. Keywords: Nonlinear refractive index, Thermo-optic coefficients, Diffraction ring.

Changes in left atrial deformation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: Evaluation by vector velocity imaging.

OBJECTIVES: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) represents a generalized myopathic process affecting both ventricular and atrial myocardium. We assessed the global and regional left atrial (LA) function and its relation to left ventricular (LV) mechanics and clinical status in patients with HCM using Vector Velocity Imaging (VVI). METHODS: VVI of the LA and LV was acquired from apical four- and two-chamber views of 108 HCM patients (age 40 ± 19years, 56.5% men) and 33 healthy subjects, all had normal LV systolic function. The LA subendocardium was traced to obtain atrial volumes, ejection fraction, velocities, and strain (ϵ)/strain rate (SR) measurements. RESULTS: Left atrial reservoir (ϵsys,SRsys) and conduit (early diastolic SRe) function were significantly reduced in HCM compared to controls (P  - 1.8s(- 1) was 81% sensitive and 30% specific, SRa> - 1.5s(- 1) was 73% sensitive and 40% specific. By multivariate analysis global LVϵsys and LV septal thickness are independent predictors for LAϵsys, while end systolic diameter is the only independent predictor for SRsys, P < .001. CONCLUSION: Left atrial reservoir and conduit function as measured by VVI were significantly impaired while contractile function was preserved among HCM patients. Left atrial deformation was greatly influenced by LV mechanics and correlated to severity of phenotype

The Cricothyroid Space: a Guide for Successful Thyroidectomy

ObjectiveThe frequent complications of thyroid surgery are mostly related to the anatomy of the region. This stimulated us to look for a starting point that makes exploration of the region easier and consequently reduces complications. We aimed to explore and define the anatomy of the cricothyroid (CT) region from cadaveric dissection and to present the outcome of 73 consecutive thyroidectomies starting from a space in the CT region.MethodsDissection in the thyroid gland region and creating a space in the CT region was performed on five cadavers (10 spaces), followed by 73 consecutive thyroidectomies through a standard approach beginning from the CT space.ResultsIn all cadavers, a space was easily created in the CT region. Vessels, nerves and the parathyroid glands were identified. Standard thyroidectomy starting from the CT space was performed on 73 patients. The external laryngeal nerve was seen in 40% of the cases. The recurrent laryngeal nerve was identified and preserved in all patients. Six patients had temporary hypocalcaemia and eight had a temporary voice change. None of the patients had permanent hypoparathyroidism or recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy.ConclusionThe CT space is an avascular space medial to the thyroid lobe and is a good starting point for thyroidectomy that allows easy and safe exploration of the region. (Asian J Surg 2002;25(3): 226-31

A simple method to assess walkability around metro stations

The ability to walk or ride a bike safely to and from metro stations is essential to the success of any metro service, especially for car users switching to the service. The main purpose of this study is to develop and apply a simple method to assess, compare, and rank walkability around different metro stations, with a priority order and specific recommendations for improvements. The proposed method depends on extracting different walkability variables in the catchment areas around metro stations. Three catchment areas around three proposed metro stations in the emerging city of Doha, Qatar were investigated using the proposed method to demonstrate its usefulness. The method was successful in comparing and ranking the different catchment areas, in addition to identifying priority areas for walkability enhancements in each area. This method is simple and can benefit professionals, practitioners, and policy makers to make swift decisions for future corrective measures, and can also be used to evaluate changes over time. 2018 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.Scopu

Microbiology, diseases, and epidemiology of Kingella kingae in young children: A short review

Kingella kingae is a Gram-negative coccobacilli and&nbsp;it is a member of the HACEK (Haemophilus&nbsp;species,&nbsp;Aggregatibacte actinomycetemcomitans,&nbsp;Cardiobacterium hominis,&nbsp;Eikenella corrodens, and&nbsp; K. kingae). HACEK organisms are typically oropharyngeal commensals and have long been recognized as a cause of infective endocarditis in children and adults. K. kingae in difficult to be recovered from cultured pharyngeal samples due to its slow growth and the high presence of resident bacterial flora, however, the organism can be better detected using PCR tests. Based on our search in PubMed and other sources, we couldn't discover any study about K. kingae originated from any Arab country. Therefore, we wrote this review to draw the attention of our physicians and clinical microbiologists on the importance of this neglected group of organisms in clinical medicine.&nbsp; &nbsp;However, this review article aims to cover the most important diseases of K. kingae in the pediatric population

Sharing the transformation: Public relations and the uae come of age

© 2009 Taylor and Francis. Much like the country itself, the practice of public relations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has undergone a profound evolution during its short history of 30 years. As the country has grown, so too has the practice of public relations. Once no agencies existed, but today global multinational public relations firms have established a presence in the UAE, some with an equity relationship with their local partners, some as fully owned branches of global firms based in the United States or Europe, and others through affiliates. Companies like Team: Young and Rubicam, Gulf Hill and Knowlton, and Burston-Marsteller operate alongside local, smaller companies, competing for the same dollars and dirhams

Frequency-dependent magnetotransport and particle dynamics in magnetic modulation systems

We analyze the dynamics of a charged particle moving in the presence of spatially-modulated magnetic fields. From Poincare surfaces of section and Liapunov exponents for characteristic trajectories we find that the fraction of pinned and runaway quasiperiodic orbits {\em vs}. chaotic orbits depends strongly on the ratio of cyclotron radius to the structure parameters, as well as on the amplitude of the modulated field. We present a complete characterization of the dynamical behavior of such structures, and investigate the contribution to the magnetoconductivity from all different orbits using a classical Kubo formula. Although the DC conductivity of the system depends strongly on the pinned and runaway trajectories, the frequency response reflects the topology of all different orbits, and even their unusual temporal behavior.Comment: Submitted to PRB - 14 figure files - REVTEX tex