Students' Attitudes at King Abdul-Aziz University towards Interdisciplinary Programs

The world has abandoned the era of specialized closure. The universities of the developed world have taken the lead in developing and modernizing the fields of study and creating links between the academic fields and their diversity in response to the needs of the community. King Abdul-Aziz University has followed this trend by developing future development plans in all fields and specialized trends that enable it to compete with other universities, whether at the local, regional or international level, and to increase community participation and to emphasize the quality of education outcomes. The study aimed to monitor the students' views on the interdisciplinary programs at King Abdul Aziz University as it enhances the skills of students in new fields of knowledge due to the overlap of several academic fields imposed by the nature of the requirements of community development. By reviewing the opinions of a sample of 564 respondents representing students from the fifth level and above in a number of faculties of King Abdul-Aziz University it was found that (55.4%) of male and female students felt the urgent need for interdisciplinary programs. it was also found that (57.7%) of them believe that interdisciplinary programs provide job opportunities for graduates. 52.5% of students wish to enroll in interdisciplinary programs if they have the opportunity. The most important faculties have felt the urgent need for interdisciplinary programs and the belief that the interdisciplinary programs provide job opportunities for graduates. The most important of them who have the desire to join interdisciplinary programs are the two faculties of medicine and home economics. We also show that the student's belief in his ability to compete in the labor market is linked to his vision of the interdisciplinary programs as it upgrades his scientific level and his knowledge background. And interdisciplinary programs should therefore include the practical side to increase the professional skills of graduates with the need to consider the actual needs of the labor market and the skills required by the students of these programs. Therefore, we believe that the development of interdisciplinary programs will enhance the scientific level and new knowledge skills imposed by the requirements of development. The gap between the existing academic programs and the needs of the labor market will be reduced and the role of higher education institutions in the sustainable development of the country will be strengthened. Keywords: Interdisciplinary programs, Labor market, Students, Sustainable development, Community participatio

Client-contractor bargaining on net present value in project scheduling with limited resources

The client-contractor bargaining problem addressed here is in the context of a multi-mode resource constrained project scheduling problem with discounted cash flows, which is formulated as a progress payments model. In this model, the contractor receives payments from the client at predetermined regular time intervals. The last payment is paid at the first predetermined payment point right after project completion. The second payment model considered in this paper is the one with payments at activity completions. The project is represented on an Activity-on-Node (AON) project network. Activity durations are assumed to be deterministic. The project duration is bounded from above by a deadline imposed by the client, which constitutes a hard constraint. The bargaining objective is to maximize the bargaining objective function comprised of the objectives of both the client and the contractor. The bargaining objective function is expected to reflect the two-party nature of the problem environment and seeks a compromise between the client and the contractor. The bargaining power concept is introduced into the problem by the bargaining power weights used in the bargaining objective function. Simulated annealing algorithm and genetic algorithm approaches are proposed as solution procedures. The proposed solution methods are tested with respect to solution quality and solution times. Sensitivity analyses are conducted among different parameters used in the model, namely the profit margin, the discount rate, and the bargaining power weights

Multislice CT of the head and body routine scans: Are scanning protocols adjusted for paediatric patients?

Purpose: To investigate whether the multislice CT scanning protocols of head, chest and abdomen are adjusted according to patient’s age in paediatric patients. Materials and Methods: Multislice CT examination records of paediatric patients undergoing head, chest and abdomen scans from three public hospitals during a one-year period were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were categorised into the following age groups: under 4 years, 5–8 years, 9–12 years and 13–16 years, while the tube current was classified into the following ranges: 200 mA and unknown. Results: A total of 4998 patient records, comprising a combination of head, chest and abdomen CT scans, were assessed, with head CT scans representing nearly half of the total scans. Age-based adjusted CT protocols were observed in most of the scans with higher tube current setting being used with increasing age. However, a high tube current (150–199 mA) was still used in younger patients (0–8 years) undergoing head CT scans. In one hospital, CT protocols remained constant across all age groups, indicating potential overexposure to the patients. Conclusion: This analysis shows that paediatric CT scans are adjusted according to the patient’s age in most of the routine CT examinations. This indicates increased awareness regarding radiation risks associated with CT. However, high tube current settings are still used in younger patient groups, thus, optimisation of paediatric CT protocols and implementation of current guidelines, such as age-and weight-based scanning, should be recommended in daily practice

Spine surgery training and competence of European Neurosurgical Trainees

Little is known about the nature of spine surgery training received by European neurosurgical trainees during their residency and the level of competence they acquire in dealing with spinal disorders. A three-part questionnaire entailing 32 questions was devised and distributed to the neurosurgical trainees attending the EANS (European Association of Neurosurgical Societies) training courses of 2004. Of 126 questionnaires, 32% were returned. The majority of trainees responding to the questionnaire were in their final (6(th)) year of training or had completed their training (60.3% of total). Spinal surgery training in European residency programs has clear strengths in the traditional areas of microsurgical decompression for spinal stenosis and disc herniation (77-90% competence in senior trainees). Deficits are revealed in the management of spinal trauma (34-48% competence in senior trainees) and spinal conditions requiring the use of implants and anterior approaches, with the exception of anterior cervical stabilisation. European neurosurgical trainees possess incomplete competence in dealing with spinal disorders. EANS trainees advocate the development of a postresidency spine subspecialty training program

Comments on a paper by Christofides et al. for solving the multiple-resource constrained, single projects scheduling problem

status: publishe

On a Paper by Christofides Et Al. For Solving the Multiple-Resource Constrained, Single Project Scheduling Problem

European Journal of Operational Research761218-228EJOR

Client-contractor bargaining on net present value in project scheduling with limited resources

The client-contractor bargaining problem addressed here is in the context of a multi-mode resource constrained project scheduling problem with discounted cash flows, which is formulated as a progress payments model. In this model, the contractor receives payments from the client at predetermined regular time intervals. The last payment is paid at the first predetermined payment point right after project completion. The second payment model considered in this paper is the one with payments at activity completions. The project is represented on an Activity-on-Node (AON) project network. Activity durations are assumed to be deterministic. The project duration is bounded from above by a deadline imposed by the client, which constitutes a hard constraint. The bargaining objective is to maximize the bargaining objective function comprised of the objectives of both the client and the contractor. The bargaining objective function is expected to reflect the two-party nature of the problem environment and seeks a compromise between the client and the contractor. The bargaining power concept is introduced into the problem by the bargaining power weights used in the bargaining objective function. Simulated annealing algorithm and genetic algorithm approaches are proposed as solution procedures. The proposed solution methods are tested with respect to solution quality and solution times. Sensitivity analyses are conducted among different parameters used in the model, namely the profit margin, the discount rate, and the bargaining power weights