Assessing the efficiency of the training process within the ministry of social affairs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Training is the main goal of any organization that has to apply itself to achieve objectives, and it can be helpful to change the whole work environment by developing the human resources of the organization. Training presents the harmony between the progress of the organization and the development of the employees, which means that whenever there is a training programmes implemented within the organization, there is a progress and increased high performance for both organization and employees. This study examines the training process of the Ministry of Social Affairs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and demonstrates the training procedures used in this Ministry. Its purpose is to present recommendations and suggestions of the way to improve the efficiency of training programmes within the Ministry based on the results of the evaluation process of this study. It shows that the sample of this study is the employees of the Ministry only, non managers or supervisors. The questionnaire method used in this study, and the questionnaires were distributed on the employees by using self-administrated technique which will enable the researcher to get much responses. This indicates that the descriptive statistical analysis was employed in this study in the form of frequencies and percentages. The statistical analysis SPSS was used in this study to analyze the results of the questionnaires, which demonstrates that the training process of the Ministry is not affective and not performing sufficiently, and presents that there are some obstacles that stand against the development of the training in the Ministry

The use of Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) for less plastic in Dubai

Plastic pollution is affecting negatively on the environment, it affects trees, animals, marine life, and even humans. One of the most common plastic types is plastic bags, it is widely spread due its special characteristics such as light weigh, and cheap price. In Dubai City, plastic bags are widely used especially in the supermarkets, with the increase in the population of Dubai, the number of plastic bags will increase and the impacts will be more appearance. Dubai City is a leading city in the region for its ability to change and adapt with new strategies that serves the citizen and the environment as a whole. In this project, plastic bags issue in Dubai will be studied and analyzed, beside suggesting a possible solution for this problem. The research will focus on the size of the problem and how it is affecting the environment from different aspects. Moreover, the study will use a descriptive analysis to provide a deep look at the problem. Furthermore, a secondary study will be used to help with supporting the solution. The suggested solution in this study is using reverse vending machines (RVM) in one of the biggest supermarkets in Dubai, which is Union-Coop supermarket. The research focuses on a solution that matches the vision of Dubai, towards utilizing and harnessing the technology to make citizens life easier, and save the environment from misuse of resources

The Impact Of Using Multi-Sensory Approach For Teaching Students With Learning Disabilities

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of using the Multi-Sensory Approach for teaching students with learning disabilities on the sixth grade students' achievement in mathematics at Jordanian public schools. To achieve the purpose of the study, a pre/post-test was constructed to measure students' achievement in mathematics. The test consisted of twenty items on mathematics. The sample of the study comprised (117) sixth grade students in Ruqaya bent Al Rasoul School for girls and Fatima bent el Yaman school for girls in Irbid the first directorate of Education and was distributed into four sections, which were selected purposefully. The sample of the study was divided into four groups (two experimental and two control groups). The experimental group was taught using multi-sensory approach while the control group was taught using the current approach. The sample of the study was (62) students in the experimental group and (55) students in the control group. Those groups were distributed into four purposefully selected sections in Ruqaya bent Al Rasoul School for girls and Fatima bent el Yaman school for girls in Irbid the first directorate of Education. Descriptive statistical analyses were used (Means and Standard Deviation) for the pre and post- tests of students' mathematics test to experimental and control groups. The findings of the study indicated that there were statistically significant differences in the post- test between the control and the experimental groups in favor of the experimental group. The researcher proposed some recommendations to enhance the importance of parental involvement on students' achievement in English language such as conducting further studies on other populations and for a longer time

Pharmacokinetic studies of drug absorption into human skin

PhDOptimum therapeutic outcomes require not only proper drug selection but also effective drug delivery and monitoring. The aim of this thesis was to A) study drug delivery through the skin with a liquid formulated to promote absorption, B) develop and validate methods to analyze the drug in the samples obtained, C) assess appropriate methods to measure the transdermal delivery of drug, and D) apply to pharmacodynamics. The stability of a rectal formulation of diazepam, Diastat®, and a quality control of a topical form, TDS® diazepam, were studied using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet absorption detection (UV). It was found that diazepam at 10 mg/mL was stable in solution at various temperatures for at least 4 weeks. A pharmacokinetic study of diazepam delivery from the TDS® delivery system was compared with delivery of the drug following rectal administration of Diastat® in 12 healthy volunteers. The TDS® diazepam was evaluated for safety and no adverse effects or events were observed. The preparation was found to be able to deliver diazepam systemically in humans, the confidence interval (CI) of the ratios for Cmax and AUC of diazepam from the two formulations A (TDS®): B (rectal) were not contained within the bioequivalence limit 80–125%, Cmax (0–72h): 7.3–14% and AUC0-72h: 20–38%. In addition, the 90% CI of desmethyldiazepam (A:B) ratio were not contained within the bioequivalence limit, Cmax (0–72h): 38–54% and AUC0-72h: 33–58%. Although not bioequivalent to Diastat® these finding suggest that skin may be an alternative method of diazepam delivery but further developments and studies would be required. The development and validation of fast, high throughput methods to evaluate tetracaine from skin tape samples was another challenge. Sensitive and reliable capillary electrophoresis with UV and HPLC-UV methods were developed and validated to measure tetracaine in skin using tape samples from volunteers given 1 mL Ametop gel (4% w/w of tetracaine) to support a pharmacokinetic drug delivery study of Ametop. The results from these validation studies demonstrated an equal ability of the two methods to measure tetracaine concentrations reproducibly and accurately. The Bland Altman test was in a range of ± 1.96 SD from the mean (SD = ± 8.02, Mean = 2.23), and percentage error (± 20%.), which show an acceptable difference. The assays were found to possess both the sensitivity and specificity necessary to measure the analyte in the skin tape stripping at the concentrations range in these tapes. Finally, observation of appropriate methods to measure the transdermal drug in vivo techniques, such as microdialysis (MD) and tape stripping (TS) have been employed by plotting a concentration time profile to investigate the capability of measuring tetracaine (pharmacokinetics) in local tissue, instead of measuring tetracaine by conventional systemic measurements. The results showed that the tetracaine Cmax concentration was higher in the stratum corneum compared with the major metabolites of tetracaine, 4- butylaminobenzoic acid (BABA) by 3 and 10 times in MD and plasma, respectively. TS samples reached the maximum concentration quicker than BABA in dialysate and plasma samples (p = 0.002). The median tmax was higher in plasma (IQR -53minutes, 95% CI: - 30– -105) compared with tape samples. The AUC and Cmax for tetracaine were higher in TS compared with BABA in MD and plasma (Mean AUC0-4h: 88582, 55594 and 13208 nM.min: Mean Cmax (0–4h), 850, 459, 110 nM, respectively). In addition, the AUC and Cmax values demonstrated that data from the TS study showed less variability compared with the data from plasma. The most variable data were for MD (CV%; AUC0-4h, 24, 63, and 85%: Cmax (0–4h), 42, 60, 80%, respectively). AUC and Cmax (Bartlett’s test, p = 0.004 for AUC; and Levene’s test, p = 0.042, and 0.028, respectively) This thesis has demonstrated that 1) diazepam was successfully delivered through the skin into the systemic circulation by the TDS® system, 2) novel methods have been developed for the measurement of tetracaine and its metabolite, and 3) the methods have been successfully applied to three different sample types employed in pharmacokinetic studies

The integration of information and communication technology into basic education schools in Oman: a study of teachers' use of ICT and the influence of related factors

This study investigates teachers' use of Information and Communication technology (ICT) in Basic Education schools in Oman. The introduction of ICT was a reform in the education system embarked upon in 1998 which aimed to transfer the schools from the traditional style to more progressive through the integration of technology into teaching and learning. The main focus of the present study is on exploring the influence of different factors on the use of ICT, such as the availability of different types of equipment, teacher training, learning resource centres, administration and attitudes toward the importance of the educational technology to the teaching-learning process.The study is based on both quantitative and qualitative data gathered using a variety of methods: questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations. The questionnaire sample consisted of 743 teachers. Interviews and observations were conducted with 23 teachers in all regions in Oman.Results indicate that teachers' use of ICT was low and most of them (around two thirds of the sample) still rely on traditional media tools; ICT use by Basic Education teachers was still confined primarily to laboratory settings; and teachers' technology experiences were not directly integrated into daily classroom instruction or lesson planning. Access to resources, time, training, home use and support were identified as factors that influence the integration of technology into daily instruction.Among the findings of the study are continuing weaknesses in ICT integration and the need for improved and more flexible in-service training. In addition, the study argues that the main concern of the Basic Education teachers was the lack of support, which could be improved by offering technical, administrative and suitable guides and knowledge to help them the achieve the higher levels of ICT integration

COMPUTER ASSISTED ASSESSMENT IN OMAN: FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENT PERFORMANCE

This thesis investigates the social and psychological factors that might affect Omani higher education students if computerised assessment was to be implemented. A review of the literature and the historical and cultural development in Oman suggested that a number of different variables might affect students‘ performance when taking computerised assessment. These factors which include gender, college of study and geographical region of residence may cause unwanted and selective differences in student performance which are not related to the content of the assessment. In addition, the potential effects of such variables as computer experience and computer self-efficacy on student performance were investigated. The study also explored student and academic staff attitudes towards computerised assessment. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used in this study through a selection of instruments such as a test that was delivered in different modes, questionnaires, focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative approaches are used to provide answers to the main study questions about student performance, and qualitative approaches are used to get deeper insights into the students‘ and staff members‘ perceptions, attitudes and values in relation to the research subject of the study. All these instruments were developed based upon the literature and also validated through a separate initial study. The main study took place after the instruments had been validated and involved over 400 students and 100 staff at three Omani Applied Sciences Colleges. Statistical analysis showed a small but significant difference between the two assessment modes in favour of the paper-and-pencil test. There was a significant difference in performance between both genders, with females out-performing males. However, the most striking finding was a differential effect of assessment mode between males and females. Males performed better in the computerized test than in the paper-based one, in contrast to females whose performance in the paper test was better. This suggests that the introduction of computerised testing may affect males and females in different ways. One 4 possible explanation for this is that Omani males have more opportunities to use computers inside and outside homes. The questionnaire results and the qualitative information from focus groups both showed that females were more nervous and found it more difficult to read from the computer screen than males did. Also, it was obvious in the focus group discussions that females had more negative feelings towards computerised testing compared to males, both before and after experiencing computerised assessment. The study found that students‘ performance in the English language test had showed significant variation across colleges, and among students from different regions. This variation seemed to be associated with variation in computer experience among students at the different colleges and from different regions. This may be due to regional differences or specificities, especially in terms of computer use, among the nine administrative regions in Oman. Staff attitudes and perceptions towards CAA, in general, were positive and not affected by either the gender or nationality/language factor. Most of the academic staff members revealed their willingness to implement CAA but also stressed that CAA should be gradually implemented. Both students and staff members identified a number of important points such as the need for a reliable system, qualified technicians and sufficient computers if Computer Assisted Assessment was to achieve wide acceptability.Ministry of Higher Educatio

Family Member Needs Of Autistic Children

For the families in this study, the problems of parenting a child with autism, and their means of coping with it, have changed over time. The total number of coping strategies reported by parents declined and there was a general shift away from problem-focused towards emotion-focused means of coping. In particular, the reliance on service providers has declined and the relative importance of religion and other coping strategies such as an appreciation of their child’s good qualities have increased. The reasons for these changes may reflect both the changing problems of the children and the services currently available for their treatment. In fact, most of the children have improved over time as they have become less disrupted and more orderly in their habits.

The Impact of Economic Diplomacy of the UAE Foreign Policy on Bilateral Foreign Investment and Trade: An Empirical Approach

Economic diplomacy is a political approach regarding how a country seeks to deal with other countries to maximize their national gains in various areas through obtaining a comparative advantage against others that do not use such political practices. This study examines the potential role of economic diplomacy in the foreign policy of the UAE and its impact on the trade and investment flows for 18 years (1999-2016). The study objective is to assess the effectiveness of diplomatic entities, such as embassies and consulates, and signed legal agreements on delivering the desired trade and investment outcomes. The research method is a quantitative econometric gravity model of the UAE-X countries based on the Generalized Gravity Theory (GGT), which is suitable for assessing trade and investment determinants. Thus, two augmented gravity models for trade and investments were built to determine the impact of the independent variables on trade and investments. Panel data format was used to run a random effect generalized least square regression with robust standard errors and the dependent variable being the total trade and total investments. The generated results provided support information for making the right decisions to sign the bilateral or multilateral agreements by the diplomatic entities and even perform due diligence to assess doing trade or investments in various regions in the world. The UAEs’ global trade potential reveals that the effects of economic diplomacy are seen in East Asia, the GCC, Europe, and African counties, while the investment potential was focused on East Asia. The findings offer indirect support for the emerging literature on new and intangible barriers or enablers to trade and investments. Towards this end, higher-income countries tend to have more flow of trade and investment with the UAE through the positive impact of having embassies and trade offices, along with signed agreements. Moreover, the low impact of economic diplomacy means with the Caribbean and Pacific islands is due to limited infrastructure and trade facilitation and no availability of data. Besides the findings mentioned above, this study opened up several questions for future research. Among these questions, why some economic, diplomatic tools are insignificant, ineffective, and sometimes unfavorable from one region to another

Kindergarten Teacher Perceptions of the Quality and Impact of Mentors in leading Instructional and Professional Development in AI Ain - United Arab Emirates

Mentoring is an important teacher professional development strategy that can produce a pool of quality early childhood educators. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of Kindergarten teachers participating in the mentorship program implemented by Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) on value of mentorship practice, quality of mentor and mentor’s impact on their teaching and professional development. The study was completed at ten Kindergarten schools in Al Ain educational zone. The subjects of 150 teachers participated in a survey to determine if they perceive the mentorship practice and to examine how they perceive the quality of mentors and their impact on improving teaching practices professional development for teachers in Kindergarten schools. The findings of the study indicated that most of Kindergarten teachers in the sample perceive mentorship process as tool to positively impact their teaching. The findings on the mentee’s perception of the personal attributes and quality of their mentor indicated that mentors in Kindergarten schools demonstrate quality and personal attributes that are associated to the effective mentorship. The findings of the study also indicated a significant impact of mentors and mentorship practice on teaching practices and teachers’ professional development in Kindergarten schools as most participants believe that mentorship process has made them better teachers

Assessment of Brine Shrimp (Artemia sp.) Productivity at Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, Abu Dhabi (UAE)

Al Wathba Lake was created in 1982 by accidental discharge of over-capacity treated sewage water from Al Mafraq Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWT). The lake lies on the north side of the Abu Dhabi - Al Ain truck road, approximately 40 km Southeast of Abu Dhabi Island. In 1998, the lake and its surroundings were designated as protected area, the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, and placed under the management of the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA). The reserve covers an area of approximately 5 km2, and the lake system covers an area of 1.5 km2. The continued inputs of water and high evaporation rates have resulted in fluctuating water salinity of the lake from fresh to hyper-saline. The reserve attracts large numbers of migrating waterfowl and waders including the greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) which is the only known currently breeding colony in the Arabian Peninsula. Brine shrimp (Artemia sp.), the only crustaceans inhabiting the lake, are the main food source for the flamingos. Brine shrimp can tolerate a wide range of water quality conditions, particularly water salinity variations. However, little information is available on the effects of water quality on Artemia populations inhabiting Al Wathba Lake. Considering the potential importance of brine shrimp as a food source for the flamingos population, and the government interest to conserve the established population, the present study was carried out to examine the dynamics of brine shrimp population in relation to the surrounding environment. The second goal of the study has also aimed to develop a management plan for the lake environment, in order to guarantee continuous reproduction of Artemia population and consequently the conservation of the established flamingos population. In the framework of the present study, a total of 14 sampling sites were investigated on a monthly basis form April 2002 to January 2003. At each site, water samples were collected from both surface and near-bottom levels and in case of sampling sites that are less than 50cm in depth, only surface sample was collected. Water temperature, salinity and pH were measured in situ using a multi meter hydrolab device. The collected water samples were analysed in the laboratory to determine the surface and near-bottom concentrations of nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, ammonia, magnesium and calcium for each sampling site. Moreover, the density of Artemia organisms and their cysts numbers were counted for each site. In order to evaluate the tolerance of Artemia organisms to the variations in the lake environment, Artemia specimens were collected from Al Wathba Lake and tested for the following variables: a- water temperature (150, 250, 300, 40oC), b- water pH (7.5, 8, 9.5, 10), c- water salinity (75, 100, 150, 200 ppt) and d- food types (Duluniella, Chiarella, Tetraselimus sp., yeast). These tests were run for three weeks until the last individual died, and the optimum survival rates were detected. In addition, Artemia specimens were sent to the Laboratory of Aquaculture and Artemia Reference Centre in Belgium for taxonomic identification. From the preliminary investigation, the centre has identified the given specimens as Artemia franciscana. Results from the collected field data revealed that the Artemia population inhabiting Al Wathba Lake is mostly affected by water temperature and water salinity. Artemia was absent during the summer months due to the high water temperature (maximum= 34.5 °C) and salinity (maximum= 237.5 ppt). In winter, Artemia was abundant in the lake when water temperature was 18.6 °C and water salinity was dropped off to 70.4 ppt. The statistical analysis of the studied parameters showed that the chemical composition of the lake water had no significant effect on the presence or absence of Artemia in the lake. The laboratory experiment showed that Artemia sp. was greatly influenced by water salinity and water pH. It was found that Artemia population inhabiting Al Wathba Lake maintains better performance at salinity of 75 ppt and a pH of 8, and the survival was longer than the other combinations. In addition, it was found that the optimum temperature at which the best performance and longest survival were recorded of all between 25-30 °C. According to the preliminary identification of the Artemia species, and in light of the field and laboratory results, it seems that the existing Artemia species at Al Wathba Lake may match the A. franciscana behavior. However, the response to other environmental parameters did not match that of A. franciscana features. Therefore, further genome analysis is suggested in order to identify the specific taxonomic rank of the Artemia population in Al Wathba Lake