A mixed-methods study of exploring and explaining the impact of the use of educational blogging on Saudi EFL students' writing development

The dominance of technology in many learners’ lives is inescapable and is an opportunity upon which educators could capitalize. Using educational blogging in language teaching, this study aimed to explore and explain the nature impact of the use of educational blogs on EFL students’ writing development. The study used a mixed-methodsdesign to analyse the impact of the educational blogging. The first phase was a quasi-experimental study with an intervention and comparison group, with 90 participants in total (45 in each group). Participants were undertaking an English Language writing course during the Preparatory Year Programme at a higher education institution in Saudi Arabia. The comparison group was taught using traditional teaching methods and the intervention group was taught by using educational blogs both individual and class blogs. Both groups had the same course materials and teaching hours. The sentence variety, syntactic complexity, vocabulary, paragraph organisation and the coherence and cohesion of student pre and post writing tests were measured in order to compare the groups. Mann-Whitney tests were used to investigate whether there was a significant difference. In the second phase, a sequential mixed-methods case study focused on the intervention group was developed to explore and explain the participants’ attitudes towards the use of educational blogs. Attitudes were measured using a closed questionnaire, and then this data was supplemented by open-ended questions, focus group discussion and semi-strucured interviews designed to explain the nature of the impact of the intervention in more detail. This phase also investigated the first blog and last blog entries on the class blog using the same procedure used in investigating the pre and post tests. Statistical findings reveal that the intervention group outperformed the students in the comparison group who were given similar lessons but using traditional methods (pen and 4 paper). Qualitative findings suggest that the use of educational blogging seems to have increased these students’ motivation to practise writing, and that this resulted in more sophisticated and syntactically complex texts after the intervention. The study supports the theory of using educational technology as a pedagogical teaching method in English classes, based on the socio-cultural and cognitive theory of social interactional learning. In so doing, it extends the relation of educational blogging affordances and writing development context, particularly in the context of HE students taking a non-English major, who might be expected to be possibly less motivated or invested in developing their English writing skills than those students who have typically formed the sample for similar previous studies. This study is significant in investigating the pedagogical use of blogging a new context, revealing how educational blogs can be used in a context which traditionally hinders pedagogical approaches which are collaborative or student-centered: one with large class sizes, a tradition of transmission-style teaching and limited opportunities for peer interaction. The findings suggest how and why blogging can be an effective pedagogical approach for supporting writing development in similar context

Experiences and perspectives of adults on using opioids for pain management in the postoperative period : A scoping review protocol.

Funding The main reviewer (DA) is funded by Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau in London, UK. This review will be part of DA’s PhD study at the University of Aberdeen.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Numerical simulation of two-phase fluid flow

We simulate two-phase fluid flow using a stress–strain relation based on Biot’s theory of poroelasticity for partial saturation combined with the mass conservation equations. To uncouple flow and elastic strain, we use a correction to the stiffness of the medium under conditions of uniaxial strain. The pressure and saturation differential equations are then solved with an explicit time stepping scheme and the Fourier pseudospectral method to compute the spatial derivatives. We assume an initial pressure state and at each time step compute the wetting- and non wetting-fluid pressures at a given saturation. Then, we solve Richards’s equation for the non wetting-fluid saturation and proceed to the next time step with the updated saturations values. The pressure and saturation equations are first solved separately and the results compared to known analytical solutions showing the accuracy of the algorithm. Then, the coupled system is solved. In all the cases, the non-wetting fluid is injected at a given point in space as a boundary condition and capillarity effects are taken into account. The examples consider oil injection in a water-saturated porous medium.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Numerical simulation of two-phase fluid flow

We simulate two-phase fluid flow using a stress–strain relation based on Biot’s theory of poroelasticity for partial saturation combined with the mass conservation equations. To uncouple flow and elastic strain, we use a correction to the stiffness of the medium under conditions of uniaxial strain. The pressure and saturation differential equations are then solved with an explicit time stepping scheme and the Fourier pseudospectral method to compute the spatial derivatives. We assume an initial pressure state and at each time step compute the wetting- and non wetting-fluid pressures at a given saturation. Then, we solve Richards’s equation for the non wetting-fluid saturation and proceed to the next time step with the updated saturations values. The pressure and saturation equations are first solved separately and the results compared to known analytical solutions showing the accuracy of the algorithm. Then, the coupled system is solved. In all the cases, the non-wetting fluid is injected at a given point in space as a boundary condition and capillarity effects are taken into account. The examples consider oil injection in a water-saturated porous medium.Fil: Carcione, Jose M.. Instituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale; ItaliaFil: Picotti, Stefano. Instituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale; ItaliaFil: Santos, Juan Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto del Gas y del Petróleo; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentina. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: Qadrouh, Ayman. King Abdulaziz City For Science And Technology; Arabia SauditaFil: Almalki, Hashim S.. King Abdulaziz City For Science And Technology; Arabia Saudit

Microbial surfactants : A journey from fundamentals to recent advances

Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Pardhi, Panchal, Raval, Joshi, Poczai, Almalki and Rajput.Microbial surfactants are amphiphilic surface-active substances aid to reduce surface and interfacial tensions by accumulating between two fluid phases. They can be generically classified as low or high molecular weight biosurfactants based on their molecular weight, whilst overall chemical makeup determines whether they are neutral or anionic molecules. They demonstrate a variety of fundamental characteristics, including the lowering of surface tension, emulsification, adsorption, micelle formation, etc. Microbial genera like Bacillus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Candida spp., and Pseudozyma spp. are studied extensively for their production. The type of biosurfactant produced is reliant on the substrate utilized and the pathway pursued by the generating microorganisms. Some advantages of biosurfactants over synthetic surfactants comprise biodegradability, low toxicity, bioavailability, specificity of action, structural diversity, and effectiveness in harsh environments. Biosurfactants are physiologically crucial molecules for producing microorganisms which help the cells to grasp substrates in adverse conditions and also have antimicrobial, anti-adhesive, and antioxidant properties. Biosurfactants are in high demand as a potential product in industries like petroleum, cosmetics, detergents, agriculture, medicine, and food due to their beneficial properties. Biosurfactants are the significant natural biodegradable substances employed to replace the chemical surfactants on a global scale in order to make a cleaner and more sustainable environment.Peer reviewe

Numerical simulation of two-phase fluid flow

We simulate two-phase fluid flow using a stress–strain relation based on Biot’s theory of poroelasticity for partial saturation combined with the mass conservation equations. To uncouple flow and elastic strain, we use a correction to the stiffness of the medium under conditions of uniaxial strain. The pressure and saturation differential equations are then solved with an explicit time stepping scheme and the Fourier pseudospectral method to compute the spatial derivatives. We assume an initial pressure state and at each time step compute the wetting- and non wetting-fluid pressures at a given saturation. Then, we solve Richards’s equation for the non wetting-fluid saturation and proceed to the next time step with the updated saturations values. The pressure and saturation equations are first solved separately and the results compared to known analytical solutions showing the accuracy of the algorithm. Then, the coupled system is solved. In all the cases, the non-wetting fluid is injected at a given point in space as a boundary condition and capillarity effects are taken into account. The examples consider oil injection in a water-saturated porous medium.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Dermatological Lesions of Cholesterol Embolization Syndrome and Kaposi Sarcoma Mimic Primary Systemic Vasculitis: Case Report Study

Primary systemic vasculitis can present with a wide spectrum of manifestations ranging from systemic non-specific features such as fever, malaise, arthralgia, and myalgia to specific organ damage. We describe two cases of cholesterol embolization syndrome and Kaposi sarcoma mimicking primary systemic vasculitis, both of which were characterized by features such as livedo reticularis, blue toe syndrome, a brown, purpuric skin rash, and positive p-ANCA associated with Kaposi sarcoma. Establishing the right diagnosis was challenging, and thus we aim in this study to highlight the possible ways to distinguish them from primary systemic vasculitis. Keywords: Dermatological lesions, Cholesterol embolization syndrome, Kaposi sarcoma, vasculitis mimic

Foot Function Index for Arabic-speaking patients (FFI-Ar) : translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation study

Background: Foot Function Index (FFI) is a valid and reliable outcome measure, which is widely used to measure the foot and ankle functional level and disorders. Until now, no validated Arabic version of the FFI is available. This study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this project was to translate and adapt the FFI into Arabic and to evaluate its psychometric properties of validity and reliability. Methods: The study consisted of two phases. The first phase was the translation and cultural adaptation of the FFI to Arabic. The next phase involved, testing the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the FFI on a sample of 50 consecutive participants which included internal consistency, test–retest reliability, floor and ceiling effects and construct validity. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 38 ± 12.94 years. Both the genders were evenly enrolled with 50% of the participants as male and 50% as female. Majority of them complained of plantar fasciopathy (32%) followed by pes planus (22%) and ankle sprain (18%). The scores of FFI-Ar were normally distributed, confirmed by a significant Shapiro–Wilk test. The mean value of FFI-Ar total score was 47.73 ± 19.85. There were no floor or ceiling effects seen in any of the subscales and total score. The internal consistency was good with the Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.882, 0.936 and 0.850 for the pain, disability and activity limitation subscales, respectively. The reproducibility of the FFI-Ar was analysed by intra-class correlation coefficient which revealed good to excellent test–retest reliability. A significant correlation was found between FFI-Ar and SF-36 and numeric rating scale (NRS) confirming its construct validity. Conclusion: The FFI-Arabic version showed good validity and reliability in patients with foot and ankle problems. This tool can be used in usual practice and research for analysing foot and ankle disorders in Arabic-speaking people