Impact of Problem-Based Learning on Students`Critical Thinking Dispositions, Knowledge Acquisition and Retention

Background: The recent campaign seeks to shed light on the move to a new delivery system approach in nursing schools, where student centered learning such as problem-based learning (PBL) was introduced to replace the teacher centered learning in an effort to promote nursing students critical thinking ability, enhance their knowledge acquisition and retention, autonomy, and professional identity. Aim: to examine the impact of problem based learning on students' critical thinking dispositions, knowledge acquisition and retention. Methods: The study was used quasi-experimental design and conducted at the Nursing Administration Department, Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University. The total number of the nursing students enrolled in the 3rd year (2011-2012) (n= 385 nursing students) Only 200 students, were agreed to participate in this study, which divided randomly into two groups. 100 students were experimental group and100 students were control group. Data was collected by using three tools: The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTID) questionnaire. It was developed by Facione & Facione (1992), to measure the student's disposition of critical thinking. Student guide and four ill structure scenario, It was developed by the researchers about actual or potential problems related to four managerial skills namely (motivation, manage change, leadership, and communication), and Knowledge test, which developed by the researchers, used to assess students knowledge acquisition and retention. Conclusion: There were statistical significant improvements in students` critical thinking post PBL than pre intervention. Also, self-confidence item of critical thinking had high percent of change post intervention followed by inquisitiveness and maturity. Increasing of total mean score of knowledge acquisition and retention of the experimental group than total mean score of knowledge acquisition and retention of control group. No statistical significant correlation between students` total knowledge of experimental group and their critical thinking post intervention. Recommendation: The study recommended that: Problem-based learning should be incorporated into the curriculum to encourage engagement and relatedness. Teachers should continue to incorporate strategies that employ higher-order thinking skills into the curriculum (e.g. PBL, case studies, and comprehensive projects). Instruction in the facilitation of PBL should be incorporated into teacher education programs and professional develop seminars. Keywords: PBL- Critical thinking dispositions, Knowledge acquisition,  Knowledge retention

Trends and developments in the poetic language of Bilād al-Shām, 1967 -1987

This study examines the development of poetic language in modem Arabic poetry through discussion of a selection of twelve poems from Bilād al-Shām (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine), applying a method of analysis and evaluation based on a close study of the text itself rather than on critical sources. A practical method of analysis is used to examine elements of poetic language, namely rhythm, theme and structure, the poet's voice, word-association, metaphor and symbol, all of which form the text. The study is introduced by a brief review of the development of modem Arabic poetry, of previous studies of poetic language in modem Arabic poetry, and an analysis of the poetic language in four outstanding poems of the post-second world war period. The four poems were chosen since they are typical of die changes, renewal or departure from classical poetic language. These poems embody new forms in both expression and ideas, and express the Arab identity by discussing Arab social and political problems. The four poems may not be the best poems of their time but each one clearly exhibits a different use of elements of poetic language current at the time. These poems, which are written before and during 1967, are still effective and influential today. Their poetic language is still the criterion by which to examine and compare the twelve selected poems in part two. The poems were chosen from those composed in Bilād al-Shām after the events of 1967. This choice was made to enable die writer to investigate die effect of the war upon poetry, to illustrate pan-Arabism and nationalism, and to examine the poetic language in these poems. In both part one and part two my concern is to present facts rather than arguments. My intention is also to make a brief comparison and conclusion. These conclusions - drawn from the discussion - are found in part three. This study deals with the following: the identification of common factors and differences in the poems discussed; the existence, or lack, of creative trends in the use of language; the degree of influence of the four poems upon the twelve selected poems; and whether die twelve poems imitate ideas, concepts, words and symbols derived from the four poems. It also traces the development of poetic language as it approaches the prose style and as it establishes a different use of metaphors and symbols

Head Nurses ' Job Demands and Resources and its Relationship with Their Work Engagement at Mansoura University Hospitals

Hospitals are challenged to achieve consistently superior patient outcomes while facing mounting financial constraints. Work engagement contributes to a variety of benefits for employees and the organizations for which they work. Engaged heath care professional are energized, dedicated, and motivated to persevere and complete their work. The Job Demands-Resources (JDR) model is a conceptual framework used to explain employee engagement in the workplace. The importance of work engagement has been widely recognized at an individual and an organizational level. It is important to gain a deeper understanding into the aspects of the role that enable head nurses to feel engaged.  The aim of the present study is to determine relationships between head nurses job demands and resources with their work engagement. A descriptive correlation design was used in carrying out this study. All head nurses (n=179) who working in all general units at four Mansoura University Hospitals namely; Main University Hospital, Emergency Hospital, Pediatric Hospital, and Specialized Medical Hospital were included in the study. Three tools were used for data collection, namely; Job Demands Scale, Job Resources Scale, and Work Engagement Scale. A major finding of the present study there was statistically significant correlation between head nurses' job demands-resources components and their work engagement. It was concluded that job resources play a significant role in the work engagement of head nurses and four components of job resources namely; performance feedback, growth opportunities, organizational support and job control were predictors of work engagement. It is recommended that to promote head nurses' work engagement, it is necessary to acknowledge job demands and resources because it is play an important role in their work engagement

Global Verification and Analysis of Network Access Control Configuration

Network devices such as routers, firewalls, IPSec gateways, and NAT are configured using access control lists. However, recent studies and ISP surveys show that the management of access control configurations is a highly complex and error prone task. Without automated global configuration management tools, unreachablility and insecurity problems due to the misconfiguration of network devices become an ever more likely. In this report, we present a novel approach that models the global end-to-end behavior of access control devices in the network including routers, firewalls, NAT, IPSec gateways for unicast and multicast packets. Our model represents the network as a state machine where the packet header and location determine the state. The transitions in this model are determined by packet header information, packet location, and policy semantics for the devices being modeled. We encode the semantics of access control policies with Boolean functions using binary decision diagrams (BDDs). We extended computation tree logic (CTL) to provide more useful operators and then we use CTL and symbolic model checking to investigate all future and past states of this packet in the network and verify network reachability and security requirements. The model is implemented in a tool called ConfigChecker. We gave special consideration to ensure an efficient and scalable implementation. Our extensive evaluation study with various network and policy sizes shows that ConfigChecker has acceptable computation and space requirements with large number of nodes and configuration rules

The utilization of sodium lignosulphonate extracted from Egyptian rice straw in leather tanning process

Massive quantities of rice straw are burned annually in Egypt and caused environmental hazards. The present study investigated the utilization of rice straw to produce sodium lignosulphonate (SLS) as a water-soluble derivative of lignin in leather tanning and evaluate its usage as a tanning or re-tanning material as well as its effect on leather quality. The results of testing SLS as a leather tanning agent were unsatisfactory due to its slight effect on shrinkage temperature of leathers, unlike its use as a re-tanning material. Four concentrations of SLS (0%, 5%, 10%, and 20%) were used in re-tanning forty of sheep wet-blues. The results showed that using SLS as a re-tanning agent with concentration till 10% from pelts weight enhances some organoleptic properties, such as fullness and general appearance together with slight improvement in physical properties of leathers. Moreover, the addition of SLS with concentration 20% led to an excessive swelling in the collagen fibers as shown from depicted scanning electron micrographs and decreased trends of physical properties

Investigation of optical and electrical properties of Cobalt-doped Ge-Sb-S thin film

Amorphous Germanium Antimony Sulphide (Ge-Sb-S) doped with Cobalt (Co) have been deposited on glass substrates by thermal evaporation technique on a glass substrate. The films deposited onto glass substrates are characterized by Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer, UV–VIS spectrophotometer, Raman spectroscopy, and Capacitance-Voltage Keithley meter. The optical band gap was calculated from the UV–Visible spectrum and found to be 2.05 eV. Raman spectroscopy measurements reveal that a wide band spectrum from 300 to 410 cm−1 centered at 355 cm−1. The Raman shift peaks at 325 cm−1 and 350 cm−1 are as-signed to the bond stretching mode Sb-S and Ge-S, respectively. In addition, from the obtained Raman spectra it is concluded that the presence of Co doped with Ge-Sb-S. The capacitance and conductance versus voltage measurements were performed at different temperatures. The results show a slight increase in the capacitance with temperature and it reaches a maximum value around 150 °C, and eventually it becomes negative. This behavior is interpreted in terms of the nucleation growth process and the thermally activated conduction process with measured activation energy of 0.79 eV.This work is funded by the University Program for Advanced Research - United Arab Emirates University , (project no. 31S313 ).Scopu

ROBUST DISTURBANCE REJECTION FOR A CLASS OF NONLINEAR SYSTEMS USING DISTURBANCE OBSERVERS

ABSTRACT This paper is concerned with disturbance rejection performance in single-input single-output (SISO) nonlinear Introduction This paper is concerned with disturbance rejection for a class of single-input single-output (SISO) nonlinear systems. The system dynamics is comprised of a linear part subject to norm-bounded uncertainty , and a vector-valued bounded nonlinearity which is not known exactly. Given an internally stabilizing controller which renders the nominal linear dynamics exponentially stable, the nonlinearities can be represented as a bounded disturbance d (t) ∈ R at the output of a linear system. A disturbance observer (DOB) is then introduced into the feedback system to eliminate the effect of d (t) in the presence of the linear plant uncertainty. The main objective in this paper is to enhance performance robustness of a given class of SISO nonlinear feedback system

Correlation between Coronary Artery Diseases and Dyslipidemia in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Background: Premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) has a significant association with diabetes mellitus. There are numerous studies showing that decreasing cholesterol is effective in improving cardiovascular outcomes in people with diabetes. Objective: This study aimed to identify the correlation between coronary artery diseases (CADs) and dyslipidemia in diabetic patients.Patients and methods: In the Cardiology Department of Zagazig University Hospitals we conducted this case-control study. 140 patients with type 2 DM were divided into two groups: Group 1 included 70 people with type 2 diabetes who had CADs and group 2 that included 70 patients with type 2 DM who had no signs of CADs (admitted complaining of symptoms of angina or CA showing no significant stenotic lesions). Angiographic examination and fasting and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose levels were performed for all patients. Moreover, comprehensive history was taken, cardiovascular risk profiles and laboratory investigations such as glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were done.Results: CAD group were significantly higher regarding BMI as it was distributed as 28.77 ± 2.3 and 30.04 ± 3.03 between No-CAD and CAD respectively. There was no significant difference or association between smoking or hypertension and CAD. SBP and DBP were significantly higher among CAD. Fasting blood glucose and HbA1c were significantly higher among CAD group than in No-CAD group. CAD group showed significantly higher TG and LDLc distribution than No-CAD group.Conclusion: Increased triglycerides and decreased HDL levels were associated with CVD among diabetic patients