An examination of assessment practices in colleges of business at various Middle East countries compared to the USA

This study reports the results of a survey conducted during 2007 which was mailed to deans of schools of business at institutions of higher education located within the USA and the Middle East. Schools of business are now more engaged in assessment activities than a few years ago. Assessment activities are more costly and more emphasis seems to be placed on assessing communication skills, critical thinking, and professional knowledge. Colleges of business are relaying heavily on course-embedded measures, followed by indirect measures of assessment. Curriculum and instructional changes were the top-ranked uses of assessment results. Although almost the same percentage of colleges of business in 2007 has specific curriculum/programme objectives as they did in 1999 (92% in 2007 and 88% in 1999), significantly more US colleges actually assess their objectives. While 65% of the US institutions reported assessment activities annually, only 25% of Middle Eastern universities assessed their curriculum annually

An Adaptive Approach for Real-Time Road Traffic Congestion Detection Using Adaptive Background Extraction

Abstract: Traffic congestion is a situation on road networks that occurs as road use increases. When traffic demand increas

Abstract 194: Impact of Pre‐treatment Cerebral Microbleeds on the Outcomes of Endovascular Thrombectomy

Introduction Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is the gold standard treatment for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by large vessel occlusion (LVO), and there are several factors that can influence the outcomes of EVT in AIS‐LVO patients. We conducted this meta‐analysis to investigate the effect of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) on the functional and safety outcomes of EVT in patients with AIS caused by LVO. Methods We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We included observational studies that recruited AIS‐LVO patients, used susceptibility‐sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect CMBs, and examined the association between them and predefined outcome events. The outcomes of interest included functional independence, revascularization success, and hemorrhagic adverse events. We conducted a meta‐analysis using the Mantel‐Haenszel method and calculated the risk ratios. Results Four studies involving 1,514 patients were included. A significant reduction in the likelihood of achieving a favorable functional outcome, as measured by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), was observed in patients with CMBs (Risk Ratio (RR) 0.70, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.53 ‐ 0.91, P=0.01). No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of successful revascularization (RR 0.93, 95% CI [0.74 to 1.17], P=0.51), mortality (RR 0.93, 95% CI [0.74 to 1.17], P=0.51), hemorrhagic transformation (RR 0.93, 95% CI [0.59 to 1.45], P=0.74), and parenchymal hematoma (RR 1.23, 95% CI [0.79 to 1.91], P=0.35). Conclusion The presence of CMBs significantly reduced the likelihood of achieving a favorable functional outcome after EVT in AIS‐LVO patients. However, CMBs did not impact the rates of successful revascularization, mortality, or the occurrence of various hemorrhagic complications. Future research should explore the mechanisms of this association and strategies to mitigate its impact

Design and Ray-Tracing of the BEATS Beamline of SESAME

International audienceThe BEAmline for Tomography at SESAME (BEATS) will operate an X-rayμtomography station providing service to scientists from archaeology, cultural heritage, medicine, biology, material science and engineering, geology and environmental sciences*. BEATS will have a length of 45 m with a 3-pole-wiggler source (3 T peak magnetic field at 11 mm gap). Filtered white and monochromatic beam (8 keV to 50 keV, dE/E: 2% to 3% using a double-multilayer-monochromator) modalities will be available. In this work we present the beamline optical design, verified with simulation tools included in OASYS**. The calculated flux through 1 mm² at the sample position will be as high as 8.5×10⁹ Ph/s/mm² in 0.1% of the source bandwidth, for a maximum usable beam size of 70×15 mm². Beam transverse coherence will be limited to below 1 µm by the horizontal size of the X-ray source (~2 mm FWHM). For phase contrast applications requiring enhanced coherence, front end slits can be closed to 0.5 mm horizontally, with a reduction of the available beam size and photon flux. The BEATS beamline will fulfill the needs of the tomography community of SESAME