Teachers’ perceptions on the effectiveness of the Oxford Online Placement Test at King Abdulaziz University

English language placements tests are an essential component of preparatory year programmes (PYPs) as they serve to place students in an English course adequate to their level of proficiency. The aim of the study is to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of the Oxford Online Placement Test (OOPT), as seen by teachers in the English Language Institute (ELI) at King Abdulaziz University (KAU). The investigation explores teachers’ views on the OOPT, on the ELI modules and on factors affecting students’ test performance. It is framed by Messick’s (1989) unified view of validity, which informed both the data analysis and the interpretation of the findings. The study comprised three data collection stages: Stage 1: face-to face interviews, Stage 2: the questionnaire and Stage 3: telephone interviews. The majority of the questionnaire and interview respondents were unfamiliar with the OOPT, however, those who were familiar with the test, agreed that it was an effective tool and generally placed students in the correct level. However, some teachers felt that the content of the OOPT was not relevant to Saudi students. Educational background, computer literacy and socio-economic status emerged as factors influencing achievement in the OOPT and ELI modules, according to teachers. Teachers also agreed that students specialising in the Sciences generally performed better compared to those specialising in the Arts. With regards to the ELI modules, the majority of teachers felt that the courses were too short and that students who were placed in higher levels because of their OOPT scores were generally more proficient than those who had progressed through the ELI modules. Implications for theory and practice are drawn from the findings as well as recommendations for the ELI and for future research.

Preoperative unrestricted clear fluid and association with postoperative nausea and vomiting: Review article

Background: One of the most distressing side effects of general anaesthesia is postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Recovery room and hospital stay and overall health care costs can be increased by PONV. Reduced frequency of PONV is still significant even after the introduction of shorter surgical procedures, shorter acting anesthesias and newer anti-emetic medicines; many anti-emetic treatments are expensive and do not totally eliminate PONV with some adverse effects; yet. As a precaution against regurgitation and aspiration of stomach contents, pre-operative fasting reduces stomach volume and acidity. The current standards in Europe, on the other hand, advocate the consumption of oral clear fluids up to two hours prior to the onset of general anaesthetic induction. In order to limit the danger of regurgitation and aspiration, patients are advised to fast prior to general anaesthesia.Objective: Review of free oral consumption of clear fluids before the anaesthesia and their effects on nausea and vomiting beyond surgery.Methods: The databases were searched for articles published in English in 4 data bases [PubMed – Medline - Google scholar- science direct] and Boolean operators (and, or, not) had been used such as [Preoperative Clear Fluid, Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting] and in peer-reviewed articles between 2001 and 2021.Conclusion: The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting was lowered when patients drank freely clear fluids prior to the scheduled induction of day case anaesthesia

The Efficacy of Viewing Health Warnings on Shisha Smoking among Shisha Smokers

As shisha smoking is increasing globally, the need for a critical action to control shisha smoking consumption becomes crucial. Despite the success of cigarette warning labels in increasing smokers' awareness of the negative health effects of smoking and in motivating smokers to quit, nothing is known about the potential impact health warning labels may have on shisha users. The current study investigated the perception of effectiveness of text-only versus graphic warning among shisha smokers. This study sought to examine the impact of viewing health warning labels on perceived susceptibility and severity of shisha smoking health hazards, on motivating intentions to quit, and on changing the pattern of shisha smoking. Eligible participants first completed an online baseline questionnaire, and were then randomly assigned to one of three conditions:a control condition, in which they viewed nutrition labels (n=100) , or one of two experimental groups in which they viewed Text- only warning labels (n=117), or they viewed Graphic warning labels (n=125). In each of these three conditions, participants viewed six health warning labels and rated them using likert scale questions immediately following each label. Two weeks later, participants were invited to complete an online follow-up questionnaire. The findings indicate that Graphic tobacco warnings grab participants' attention and elicit unfavourable emotional reactions. Although there was a relatively little impact of viewing health warnings on subsequent shisha use, Graphic warnings significantly improved some of the participants' health knowledge .In addition, Graphic warnings significantly increased smokers' beliefs that shisha is harmful to health and dangerous to non-smokers. Patterns of the findings revealed that quit intentions were relatively higher among those who viewed Graphic warning labels. To our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the effect of health warnings on shisha smokers. Overall, findings provide modest support for the efficcacy of shisha warnings on establised users. Findings imply that packaging and labelling policies for shisha and shisha products require additional development. Further examination of specific themes and contents of health warnings directed specifically to shisha smokers in different cultural settings will be critical to ensure the relevance of health warnings in distinct cultural settings

Slums Development in Gaza Strip, Problems Challenges and Comprehensive Solutions

Slums upgrading and development are one of the vital projects at the developing countries. When slums appear, they spread and expand rapidly, this leads to maximize the problem and prevent to find effective solutions. Gaza Strip lays in one of these developing countries in which slums are significantly spread. Gaza Strip is suffering from the spread of slum areas resulted from the random control of some population on government land without any organization or planning of the spaces, services or buildings. This is due to the limited space and land available for urban expansion in Gaza Strip cities, with the rapid increase in population and rising demand for new housing projects. This requires thinking of interim solutions to prevent the creation of new slums areas and durable solutions for the existing ones. The study identifies the slum areas and presents their problems and reasons of formulating. It mentions the main stakeholders who should share to develop slums and prevent new settlements. This research aims also to shed light on slum areas in Gaza Strip to find out comprehensive solutions to upgrade existed slums and prevent new ones. The study depends on analyze the origins of slums, the urban and socioeconomic problems inside. In addition, the research shows two similar case studies. The first from India and the second from neighboring country which is Egypt in order to conclude lessons learned. Based on these experiences, the study analyzes a slum area in Gaza Strip, presents the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MoPWH) plan to upgrade a local slum. The study finds that the slums residents suffer from bad conditions and there should be plans to improve their living conditions The study suggests practical solutions and strategies to solve slum problems in Gaza Strip. This strategy depends on the integration of all efforts : local, national and regional levels. The study concluded that to improve slum areas at Gaza Strip, there should be strategies and action plans. The responsibilities should distributed for each target institution. The main stakeholders are; the Ministry of Public Work and Housing, Land Authority, Municipalities and residents of slums. They work together under the control of a legal framework, organizes all needed polices and implementation plans

Video assisted minimally invasive mitral valve replacement in rheumatic valve disease.

Objective: Assessment early outcome of video assisted minimally invasive mitral valve replacement, in rheumatic valve disease. Also, to evaluate early postoperative quality of life by SF 36 questionnaire. Methods: This is a prospective single center study which was conducted on 20 rheumatic heart patients, in Egypt; during the period from October 2015 to June 2018. The main pathological lesion was sever mitral regurgitation (MR), mitral stenosis (MS) or both. Patients underwent video assisted minimally invasive mitral valve replacement, through a right mini thoracotomy. 13 patients (65%) were via infra-mammary incision, 4 patients (20%) were via periareolar incision and 3 patients (15%) were via limited right anterolateral mini-thoracotomy. Results: Mean length of surgical incision was (6.60 ± 1.35 cm). Mean duration of operation, cardiopulmonary bypass, and cross clamp times were (4.32 ± 1.08 hr.), (2.85 ± 0.75 hr.) and (1.78 ± 0.47 hr.) respectively. ICU stay was 2.35 ± 1.14 days and Hospital stay was 6.45 ± 1.43 days. The mean amount of blood loss was 398.50 ± 245.79 ml with two patients of bleeding requiring re-opening. At discharge, all patients had normal mitral prosthetic valve function with no or trivial regurgitation, as shown by echocardiographic studies. The postoperative quality of life revealed faster recovery of usual activities. Conclusions: Video assisted minimally invasive mitral valve surgery in the surgically challenging rheumatic valve disease has less surgical trauma, blood loss and pain, which translates into short hospital stay, rapid return to normal activities, less use of resources

AN EXPERIMENTAL SOCIOLINGUISTIC STUDY OF LANGUAGE VARIATION IN JORDANIAN ARABIC

The use of instrumental techniques in studies on the correlation of social variables with consonantal variation is a new trend in linguistic research. This trend is part of a new eclectic research area called socio-phonetics. This technique, to our knowledge, has not been so far utilized in investigating the phonological variations in Arabic. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the social impact of gender and educational setting on patterns of variation in the use of /θ/, / dʒ /and /ð/ by means of instrumental as well as auditory techniques. A pictorial interview was used to elicit data from the speech of 40 male and female respondents from two educational backgrounds. The main results of the study indicate that gender and educational setting differences affect the use of linguistic variants. Auditory examination reveals that men and individuals with high school education have a higher tendency to maintain the use of local variants, whereas women and individuals with university education have a higher tendency to adopt non-local prestigious variants. Furthermore, employment of acoustic measurements uncovered that in the use of local variants female respondents tend to consciously lower the degree of salience of these variants. In conclusion, male and female speech behavior depends on social priority. Men are driven by the concept of masculinity and toughness, while women are driven by prestige and softness

Contribution of vaginal infection to preterm premature rupture of membrane and adverse pregnancy outcome

Background:Pretermpremature rupture of membranes (PPROM) is the cause of approximately one third of preterm deliveries. Objectives: assess the relation of vaginal infections and their antimicrobial profile with PPROM and pregnancy outcome. Methodology: Case control study of 320 females with PPROM (case) and 320 females with normal pregnancy (control) at 28- 37 weeks of gestation. Vaginal examination, vaginal pH assessment and Whiff test were done. Vaginal swabs were collected and examined microscopically for diagnosis of different vaginal infections. Swabs were cultivated, identification and antimicrobial susceptibility of revealed bacteria were done. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were assessed. Results: Bacterial vaginosis and aerobic vaginitis were identified in 29.1% and 17.3% of all participants respectively. There was statistically significant difference regarding prevalence of different vaginal infections in case and control groups (p < /em><0.001). Aerobic vaginitis and bacterial vaginosis were risk factors for PPROM. Streptococcus agalactiae was the most prevalent organism. Erythromycin and ampicillin were the least effective antibiotics against Gram positive and Gram-negative isolates respectively. There was significant increase of all maternal and fetal adverse outcomes in cases with aerobic vaginitis. Conclusion: Different vaginal infections carry risk of PPROM and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. The variation in prevalence of bacterial isolates in different studies and localities notify the lack of standardized treatment for infected mothers. Accurate diagnosis of vaginal infection, precise medical treatment during pregnancy is essential for maintenance of maternal and neonatal health

THE USE OF PHYSICAL PHENOMENON AS AN INNOVATIVE SOURCE IN ART EDUCATION

It is undoubtable that there is a reciprocity relationship between the different sciences and fields of knowledge. The relation between art and science is one that extends ancient times since both of them use search and experimentation methods in pursuit of reaching the best results and satisfactory solutions which makes them in continuous development. Likewise, Art education draws its references and aesthetic values from all that is found neoteric whether it is in nature, heritage or other sciences. The idea of integration between art and science prompts on finding innovative ways towards creativity, because whenever the sources behind the design were of a scientific nature, the higher the visual connotations are closer to perception and mental receptivity. Hence, researchers are trying to create new experimental approaches through the study and analysis of some physical phenomena, such as energy, frequency and vibration, which produces precise and perfect artistic forms in harmonious rhythms and in accordance with formalized geometric and mathematical relations of scientific origin that can be used by art students to create innovative design works as intellectual starting points, can be consulted and relied on as technical references, with a formal logic, and mental legitimation, which contributes to the enrichment of the aesthetic values ​​of the art work. So, this study aims to take advantage of some physical phenomena such as energy and frequency and vibration and its formal output as an innovative source in teaching arts

Two Chromatographic Methods for the Determination of Some Antimigraine Drugs

Two stability indicating chromatographic methods were proposed for the determination of almotriptan, eletriptan, and rizatriptan, in presence of their acid degradation products. The first method is a quantitative densitometric thin layer chromatography. The developing systems were; acetonitrile: methanol: dichloromethane: ammonia (10:6:3:1 v/v), ethyl acetate: methanol: ammonia (15:4:1 v/v), and methanol: acetonitrile: ammonia (9:4:1 v/v) for almotriptan, eletriptan and rizatriptan respectively. The TLC plates were scanned at 235 nm. Linear relationships were obtained over concentration ranges (5–50 μg/spot) for almotriptan and rizatriptan, and (5–60 μg/spot) for eletriptan. The second method based on the separation and determination of the studied drugs, using RP-HPLC technique. The separation was achieved on C18 Hypersil column, elution was carried out using phosphate buffer pH 3: methanol: acetonitrile (2: 1:1 v/v) at flow rate 2 mL/min and UV detection at 235 nm. Linear relationships were obtained over concentration ranges (10–200 μg/mL) for almotriptan and eletriptan, and (10–180 μg/mL) for rizatriptan. The chromatographic methods were successfully applied for the determination of each of the studied drugs in pure form, tablet form, and in laboratory prepared mixtures with their acid degradation products

COVID-19 PANDEMIC: PSYCHO-SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES DURING THE SOCIAL DISTANCING PERIOD AMONG NAJRAN CITY POPULATION

Background: COVID-19 is a global pandemic that endanger the health and enforced social distancing for the whole world. Social distancing may generate stress, anxiety, and depression. Understanding the psychosocial consequences of COVID19 during social distancing may help decision-makers to take suitable decisions that help in increasing awareness.This study aims to evaluate the psychosocial consequences of COVID-19 pandemic during the social distancing period and explore the relationship between social media use and psychological stress during COVID-19 outbreak among Najran city population. Subjects and methods: Descriptive correlational research design was utilized to carry out this study. A snowball sampling technique, was used to recruit participants live in Najran city during the COVID-19 pandemic (1508 participant). Results: A statistically significant differences (P<0.05) are observed between Saudi and non-Saudi participants in all social aspects assessed except for time spent on social media. In addition, a high mean of depression, stress, and anxiety subscale scores are observed in non-Saudi compared to the Saudi participants with statistically significant differences (p=0.000). As well as high DASS-21 total scores in non Saudi compared to the Saudi participants. Also, there are positive statistically significant correlations (≤0.05) between participants\u27 time spent in social media and their depression, stress, anxiety, and total DASS scores during the COVID-19 outbreak. Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicate that COVID-19 pandemic generates stress, anxiety and depression among Najran population especially, non-Saudi. This poor psychological condition is exaggerated with prolonged social media use. COVID-19 also has negative impact on social wellbeing and use of social media cannot replace direct contact with friends. The current study results may be utilized to formulate interventions that enhance psychosocial health and resilience during the COVID-19 outbreak