Social Capital and Community Security: A Qualitative Analysis

The study aimed to find out if the network of social relations works to achieve community security in the UAE community through a sample of citizens in the neighborhoods of the Emirate of Sharjah, by relying on the qualitative approach; Using the in-depth interview with 25 citizens. The strength of the presence of social capital in the neighborhood is evident, which achieves identity security for individuals represented Firstly-in the security of homogeneous reference through the following indicators: “preserving the identity of children, customs and traditions, identity, of alienation away from the neighborhood.” Secondly: indicators of spatial mobility security “comfort and tranquility, knowledge of the surroundings, presence of formal and informal protection” despite the existence of some kind of anxiety as a result of the presence of expatriate workers in these areas. Third: indicators of ideological security “lack of fear for ideas and beliefs, in addition to the presence of mosques in all neighborhoods, which Intellectual and doctrinal security is born on children.” Fourthly: Indicators of rotational control security “existential security in the neighborhood due to rotational control, movement with complete freedom to know those around the area, their knowledge of danger points and collectively addressing them, ensuring that the elderly in the region confront any stranger.” Fifth: emotional security, given the specificity of this aspect in Emirati society It is drawn from the narrow web of relationships . The study also revealed a number of threats to community security from the point of view of citizens, represented in the presence of workers and their homes in residential neighborhoods, itinerant workers Citizens see it to get rid of the threats represented in: awareness programs from the suburban councils, activating the role of the elderly”

The Evolving Role of the University Professor Navigating the Past and the Present

Wondering about the profession of university professor, as a profession entrusted with task of producing knowledge and forming future minds that will improve the life in its complexity and aspects, requires knowing the principles on which this profession is based since its inception and tracing it in its historical development with the development of thought, universities, societies, and educational curricula. In this article, we trace the principles of this profession in the Arab-Islamic civilization, or rather its equivalent profession in the ancient era, which Al-Jahiz refers to in his treatise on teachers as “teaching or disciplining adults” through what famous scholars wrote about, such as Ibn Al- Muqaffa, Miskawayh the philosopher, and Al-Jahiz himself. We also trace this profession through the recently developed ideas by a Canadian researcher based on her field experience in the Canadian province of Quebec and in France. The goal is not only to stand on the common principles related to the educational process in which the Arab civilization meets the Western civilization, but also to stand on the constants of this profession that are not affected by time

Macro-and Micro-Expressions Facial Datasets: A Survey

Automatic facial expression recognition is essential for many potential applications. Thus, having a clear overview on existing datasets that have been investigated within the framework of face expression recognition is of paramount importance in designing and evaluating effective solutions, notably for neural networks-based training. In this survey, we provide a review of more than eighty facial expression datasets, while taking into account both macro-and micro-expressions. The proposed study is mostly focused on spontaneous and in-the-wild datasets, given the common trend in the research is that of considering contexts where expressions are shown in a spontaneous way and in a real context. We have also provided instances of potential applications of the investigated datasets, while putting into evidence their pros and cons. The proposed survey can help researchers to have a better understanding of the characteristics of the existing datasets, thus facilitating the choice of the data that best suits the particular context of their application

Faculty Members Perspectives on the Impact of Educational Technology on the Teaching and Learning Process at the University of Sharjah

Educational technology is increasingly being employed in universities to boost students learning and performance. It became a key component of communication, information storage and transmission, audio-visual media usage and creation, and knowledge sharing. The purpose of the study is to determine the impact of modern educational technologies on education quality and development at the College of Arts and Humanities at Sharjah University from the perspective of faculty members by developing a questionnaire with (20) items and distributing it to a random sample of (91) faculty members. According to the studys findings, the usage of educational technology has a significant impact on education, not just in terms of boosting instructors communication skills, instructional techniques, and advising students on how to utilize this technology. We actively support the employment of as much information technology as possible in the classroom in order to increase instructors abilities and students knowledge

Changes of Sand Fly Populations and Leishmania infantum Infection Rates in an Irrigated Village Located in Arid Central Tunisia

Citation: Barhoumi, W., Fares, W., Cherni, S., Derbali, M., Dachraoui, K., Chelbi, I., . . . Zhioua, E. (2016). Changes of Sand Fly Populations and Leishmania infantum Infection Rates in an Irrigated Village Located in Arid Central Tunisia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(3), 10. doi:10.3390/ijerph13030329The current spread of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL) throughout arid areas of Central Tunisia is a major public health concern. The main objective of this study is to investigate whether the development of irrigation in arid bio-geographical areas in Central Tunisia have led to the establishment of a stable cycle involving sand flies of the subgenus Larroussius and Leishmania infantum, and subsequently to the emergence of ZVL. Sand flies were collected from the village of Saddaguia, a highly irrigated zone located within an arid bio-geographical area of Central Tunisia by using modified Centers for Diseases Control (CDC) light traps. Morphological keys were used to identify sand flies. Collected sand flies were pooled with up to 30 specimens per pool according to date and tested by nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) DNA sequencing from positive pools was used to identify Leishmania spp. A total of 4915 sand flies (2422 females and 2493 males) were collected from Saddaguia in September and in October 2014. Morphological identification confirmed sand flies of the subgenus Larroussius to be predominant. PCR analysis followed by DNA sequencing indicated that 15 pools were infected with L. infantum yielding an overall infection rate of 0.6%. The majority of the infected pools were of sand fly species belonging to subgenus Larroussius. Intense irrigation applied to the arid bio-geographical areas in Central Tunisia is at the origin of the development of an environment capable of sustaining important populations of sand flies of the subgenus Larroussius. This has led to the establishment of stable transmission cycles of L. infantum and subsequently to the emergence of ZVL

Feline immunodeficiency virus decreases cell-cell communication and mitochondrial membrane potential.

The in vitro effects of viral replication on mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) were evaluated as two parameters of potential cellular injury. Two distinct cell types were infected with the Petaluma strain of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Primary astroglia supported acute FIV infection, resulting in syncytia within 3 days of infection, whereas immortalized Crandell feline kidney (CRFK) cells of epithelial origin supported persistent FIV infection in the absence of an obvious cytopathic effect. An examination of cells under conditions that included an infection rate of more than 90% for either population revealed that the astroglia produced about four times more virus than the CRFK cells. The mitochondrial uptake of the cationic fluorescent dye rhodamine 123 in infected astroglia was less than 45% of that of normal control cells, whereas the MMP of the CRFK cells, which produced about one-fourth as much virus, was 80.8% of that of the normal cells. Cell-cell communication between adjacent cells was determined by the recovery of fluorescence following photobleaching of a single cell. In spite of the lower level of innate cell-cell communication among cultured CRFK cells than among astroglia, viral replication resulted in a 30% decrease in the GJIC of both astroglia and CRFK cells. These studies indicate that cell injury, as defined by an inhibition of MMP and GJIC, can occur as a result of persistent and acute infection with the Petaluma strain of FIV

Low energy measurement of the 7Be(p,gamma)8B cross section

We have measured the cross section of the 7Be(p,gamma)8B reaction for E_cm = 185.8 keV, 134.7 keV and 111.7 keV using a radioactive 7Be target (132 mCi). Single and coincidence spectra of beta^+ and alpha particles from 8B and 8Be^* decay, respectively, were measured using a large acceptance spectrometer. The zero energy S factor inferred from these data is 18.5 +/- 2.4 eV b and a weighted mean value of 18.8 +/- 1.7 eV b (theoretical uncertainty included) is deduced when combining this value with our previous results at higher energies.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

A compilation of charged-particle induced thermonuclear reaction rates

Low-energy cross section data for 86 charged-particle induced reactions involving light (1 less than or equal to Z less than or equal to 14), mostly stable, nuclei are compiled. The corresponding Maxwellian-averaged thermonuclear reaction rates of relevance in astrophysical plasmas at temperatures in the range from 10(6) K to 10(10) K are calculated. These evaluations assume either that the target nuclei are in their ground state, or that the target states are thermally populated following a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, except in some cases involving isomeric states. Adopted values complemented with lower and upper limits of the rates are presented in tabular form. Analytical approximations to the adopted rates, as well as to the inverse/direct rate ratios, are provided. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved