Profiling executive dysfunction in adults with autism and comorbid learning disability

Executive dysfunction is thought to be primary to autism. We examined differences in executive function between 20 adults with autism and learning disability and 23 individuals with learning disabilities outside the autistic spectrum. All participants were matched for chronological age and full-scale IQ, and were given a battery of tasks assessing fluency, planning, set-shifting, inhibition and working memory. Analyses of the individual tasks revealed very few significant differences between the two groups. However, analyses of composite scores derived for each executive domain revealed that the group with autism showed impaired performance on the working memory and planning tests. Together, these two measures were sufficient to classify participants into their diagnostic groups significantly better than would be expected by chance (75% of the autism group; 65% of the control group). Executive impairments were neither universal nor exclusive to the autism group, and we suggest that an alternative cognitive theory may better explain the cognitive profile we found

Ensuring compliance and diversity in MENA higher education

This paper reviews the impact of quality assurance agencies on higher education and the extent to which these agencies can improve the quality of higher education in the MENA region, in particular. The main part of this paper is conceptual and based on higher education literature, reviews and reports. The methodology is qualitative, and the research tool is document analysis. The paper reviews key longitudinal studies on the impact of external monitoring bodies in the MENA region to understand experiences and quality standards compliance. This helps to identify opportunities to develop quality practices in that are more appropriate to the context of the MENA region. It is concluded that a collaborative approach among all parties in the higher education system is critical to develop diversity among higher education institutions while achieving compliance requirements and internal improvement

Vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy: patterns, predictors, and association with miscarriage

First-trimester vaginal bleeding is common in pregnancy; however, few data have described the distribution, characteristics, and predictors of early bleeding episodes. The relationship between bleeding and miscarriage is not well understood. Data from Right From the Start (RFTS), a prospective, community-based pregnancy cohort were used for all analyses. We used descriptive statistics to characterize first-trimester bleeding episodes and logistic regression to identify predictors of bleeding. Bleeding characteristics (such as heaviness, duration, timing, and color) predictive of miscarriage were identified using classification and regression trees. The relationship between bleeding and miscarriage was modeled using discrete-time hazard models. We compared retrospectively collected bleeding reports from the first trimester interview with prospective data from a daily diary to obtain sensitivity, specificity, and kappa statistics. Log-linear models were used to identify predictors of agreement. In all analyses, we removed bleeding episodes that ended within four days of miscarriage. Approximately one-fourth of participants reported bleeding in early pregnancy, mostly spotting or light bleeding episodes. Most episodes lasted fewer than 3 days, and most occurred between gestational weeks 5 and 8. Heavy episodes, reported by about 2% of women, were more likely to be painful, of longer duration, and red in color. Predictors of bleeding were age (particularly between 28 and 34), increasing education, nulliparity, and menstrual cycle length less than 27 days or greater than 33 days. Maternal conditions (diabetes, fibroids), prior pregnancy outcomes (miscarriage, induced abortion), reproductive tract infections, smoking, and alcohol intake were also predictive of bleeding. Women who reported heavy bleeding had nearly three times the risk of miscarriage compared to women without bleeding (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.9, 4.6). Spotting and light bleeding episodes were not related to miscarriage. Bleeding episodes and characteristics were reported with high levels of agreement in the diary and interview. No predictors of agreement were identified in this analysis. To summarize, we found that vaginal bleeding was a common first-trimester symptom. However, the majority of episodes were spotting or light bleeding episodes, which did not confer an increased risk for miscarriage. Although few women reported heavy bleeding, heavy bleeding was more strongly related to pregnancy loss

Benchmarking in higher education: a framework for benchmarking for quality improvement

This paper is intended to develop a contextualised benchmarking framework for quality improvements purposes at a polytechnic in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It describes the benchmarking framework in terms of its definition, purpose and types. Further, the internal and external expectations of benchmarking have been identified through revising and analysing key strategic documents. In addition, the criteria for selecting benchmarking partners that are appropriate to the Polytechnic have been set out. To make the benchmarking activities more effective, they were integrated with existing processes. Moreover, roles and responsibilities for carrying out benchmarking activities were provided. Finally, the benchmarking methodology, communication of findings, and conclusion were provided

Hospital pharmacists’ self-evaluation of their competence and confidence in conducting pharmacy practice research

Objectives: Research is essential to the advancement of pharmacy practice and healthcare. Pharmacists have a pivotal role to play in this strategy. However, there is a paucity of data about hospital pharmacists’ competence and ability in conducting health-related research. This study primarily aims to determine the research demographics of hospital pharmacists in Qatar and to assess the pharmacists’ perceptions of their competence and confidence to conduct research.Methods: A multi-centered survey using a 70-item piloted questionnaire was conducted among a randomly selected sample of pharmacists practicing at seven Hamad Medical Corporation-managed hospitals. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were applied using IBM-SPSS® version 20.Key findings: A total of 120 participants responded to the survey (67% response rate). About 70% of the participants did not have any previous research experience. At least 20% of the respondents self-reported inadequate competence and/or confidence in developing research protocols, critically appraising the literature, undertaking and applying appropriate statistical techniques, and interpreting research findings. The level of education along with the current hospital of practice had significant effects on pharmacists’ self-assessed competence (p<0.05). Overall, 85% of the participants were interested in pursuing postgraduate studies or research-related training.Conclusions: A large proportion of hospital pharmacists in Qatar self-assessed themselves as having deficiencies in several domains of research process or competencies, although they recognized the value of research in advancing pharmacy practice. These findings have important implications for developing informal research training programs and promoting the pursuit of formal postgraduate programs to bridge the knowledge gaps found among hospital-practicing pharmacists.Open Access funded by King Saud Universit

Study of different tubular systems on the lateral load resistance

Worldwide, high rise construction is recent trend in the building development. Steel has many advantages which includes flexible framing system, assembling, less weight to height ratio, high availability and it doesn’t harm environment. That’s the reason steel has been mostly used material in the high rise buildings. Previously gravity load was considered as an important factor in the construction design. With the demand of high rise buildings now seismic force and lateral force is also gaining more attention. In High rise buildings tubular frames are most commonly used structural system. Among this framed and bundled are most famous tubular frame systems. Precise analysis is required for its design. Tubular systems are used in exterior as well as interior, mainly for resisting seismic force and lateral force. In this research Framed tube system and bundled tube system is analysed for lateral load resistance using ETABS software. For analysis purpose 8 stories steel building was considered. Different factors like lateral displacement at top floor, base shear, storey drift and steel weight were analysed for framed and bundled tubular system

أثر برنامج تدريبي باستخدام التلقين لتنمية اللغة الاستقبالية "المفاهيم البيئية" لدى عينة من الأطفال المصابين باضطراب طيف التوحد

أثر برنامج تدريبي باستخدام التلقين لتنمية اللغة الاستقبالية "المفاهيم البيئية" لدى عينة من الأطفال المصابين باضطراب طيف التوح

Review of the state of the art of deep learning for plant diseases: a broad analysis and discussion

Deep learning (DL) represents the golden era in the machine learning (ML) domain, and it has gradually become the leading approach in many fields. It is currently playing a vital role in the early detection and classification of plant diseases. The use of ML techniques in this field is viewed as having brought considerable improvement in cultivation productivity sectors, particularly with the recent emergence of DL, which seems to have increased accuracy levels. Recently, many DL architectures have been implemented accompanying visualisation techniques that are essential for determining symptoms and classifying plant diseases. This review investigates and analyses the most recent methods, developed over three years leading up to 2020, for training, augmentation, feature fusion and extraction, recognising and counting crops, and detecting plant diseases, including how these methods can be harnessed to feed deep classifiers and their effects on classifier accuracy

Underlying Mechanisms of Transit-Oriented Development: A Conceptual System Dynamics Model in Qatar

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is an urban planning approach that facilitates the achievement of sustainable development goals from an urban planning and transportation perspective. Developed countries are moving rapidly to integrate TOD principles into the urban fabric. On the other hand, developing countries face challenges in attempting to implement TOD and introduce new transportation modes. The present research study analyzes the concept of TOD from a systematic perspective, providing an in-depth analysis of the interrelation of the three subsystems of TOD: sustainable transportation, built environment, and socio-economic development. The authors posit that the appropriate application of TOD requires not only that one evaluate the existing conditions of the urban fabric, but also that one assess the typical causality characteristics of the TOD index, as well as investigate the dynamicity of these interacting factors as they change over time. This approach should allow policymakers to better understand the interrelations among the built environment, transportation, and socio-economic aspects of TOD, ultimately enabling them to provide appropriate and focused policies. In this research study, a conceptual system dynamics model for TOD is developed, taking into consideration the needs of a sustainable built environment, a sustainable transportation system, and a sustainable economy. The main findings therefore relate causality effects among multiple variables, including transportation, urban and socio-economic subsystems. The model developed in this study was developed in the State of Qatar, a small country in the Arabian Gulf, but has broader implications as it could be implemented in other countries with conditions similar to those prevailing in Qatar.This research study was developed under the grant schemes awarded by Qatar University: Grant ID: QUCP-CENG-2021-2 (National Capacity Building Program-NCB-S1), titled: ‘Re-thinking a Framework for the Urban Regeneration and Preservation of the Transit Villages of Old Salata, QNM, Msheireb and Souq Waqif,’ along the Cultural-Heritage Doha-Metro Corridor; and Grant ID: QUST-1-CENG-2021-16, titled: ‘A Holistic Strategy for the Urban Regeneration of the Souq Waqif Neighbourhood.’ English editing, proof-reading, and article processing charge (APC) were supported by Qatar University, Grant ID: QUST-1-CENG-2021-16. This paper was subject to a Double-Blind Peer Review process. The open access (OA) funding were provided by the Qatar National Library [QNL]. The authors thank QNL for its continuous support. Finally, the authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments, which contributed to an improvement of this paper