Remodeling Teachers' and Students' Roles in Self-directed Learning Environments: The Case of Saudi Context

Traditional classrooms are markedly teacher-centered. EFL learners are largely urged to commit themselves to communicative learning environments which help them enhance their language performance. Self-directed learning is one of the approaches which proved to be highly effective in Foreign Language Learning (FLL). EFL teachers are usually encouraged to adopt self-directed learning practices in order to improve students’ linguistic competence and performance. Recently, many Saudi universities integrated self-directed learning mode into EFL instruction. However, students' language performance, which is crucial to finding a job opportunity in labor market, is below the desired level. The study aims at remodeling teachers' and students' roles in light of students’ perceptions of English self-directed learning. To achieve this ultimate goal, a questionnaire survey is administered and follow-up semi-structured interviews are held. Results showed that both male and female students have generally positive attitudes towards self-directed learning. However, many of them have real problems with understanding the nature of self-directed learning and how they should use it effectively. Therefore, both institutions and teachers are recommended to improve students’ understanding and awareness of self-directed learning modes, and to rethink their roles

Effectiveness of an Educational Program on University Collegians’ Perceptions of Healthy Exercise pattern

To find out the effectiveness of an educational program on university students' perceptions of a healthy exercise pattern. A quasi-experimental study to find out the exercise pattern of Mosul University students for the period from 9th November 2022 to 2nd January 2023, the sample of (60) students. The questionnaire consists of two parts: a part that measures social and demographic information and includes (6) items, and a part that measures healthy lifestyle data with regard to exercise pattern and includes (10) items. Determine the validity of the content of the questionnaire by presenting it to experts and using the half-division technique and calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient to determine the validity. The results of the data showed that all (60) students in the study sample did not have an adequate level of perception of the healthy physical activity pattern in the pre-test, while the results of the post-test after implementing the program were high, which shows that there is an improvement in their perceptions of the healthy physical activity pattern.The study showed that there was an improvement in perceptions of a healthy lifestyle related to exercise pattern in the study group compared to those in the control group.The study recommended the need to develop educational programs, lectures, courses and seminars on the benefits of a healthy exercise pattern that university students must follow to increase their perceptions that lead to changing their lifestyle and getting rid of wrong behaviors and habits

The Counselor Brent Scowcroft and his Role in Achieving the Requirements of the American National Security

      Despite the multiplicity of institutions contributing to the decision-making process in the United States of America, they interact to crystallize positions regarding international and strategic situations. The formulation of the national security policy depends on a number of institutions that complement each other in order to achieve an advanced security situation. Thus, the decision reflects the process of interaction of the existing regulatory institutions. This is because the essence of the national security and achieving its requirements also stems from the existence of a coherent system of shared beliefs and principles in the American society. Besides, these elements are the bases for achieving security. Researching about Brent Scowcroft’s role in meeting the requirements of the united States’ national security, it has been found necessary to include two pivots to the study. The first pivot discusses the requirements of achieving the national security of the United States of America, whereas the second pivot tackles Brent Scowcroft’s role, through the mechanisms of the national security council, in achieving the national security requirements in particular within the decision-making process in the history of the contemporary American political system. As for the type of the study, it is a historical study within the axis of contemporary American politics, while the methodology of the study came within the scientific analysis and according to the narrative and descriptive historical approach. This is because the research problem emphasizes the identification of the security and military requirements in order to achieve the integration of the national security of the United States. Finally, the conclusions have verified the National Security Adviser’s prominent role of during the Scowcroft era, in conducting partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the decision-making process. The latter has said to affect the overall foreign policy and achieve the national security requirements of the United States of America at the end of the last century

Investigating the effects of cement and cement kiln dust as a filler on the mechanical properties of cold bituminous emulsion mixtures

The application of cold mixes is lagging behind in the research field, which is quite obvious in a developing country. Furthermore, cold mixes have more economic and environmental advantages than hot mixes. This is the principal motivation for the present research, which aims to improve the mechanical properties of cold mix asphalt. Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and cement kiln dust (CKD) were used as filler in cold bituminous emulsion mixtures (CBEMs) to compare the obtained results with those for CBEMs with conventional limestone. Indirect Tensile Stiffness Modulus (ITSM), fatigue, and resistance to rutting tests were used in the comparison. The experimental results showed that CBEMs with CKD and OPC had comparative mechanical properties to CBEMs with limestone and hot mix asphalt of the same grading and materials. Thus, this research introduces a new cold mix with CKD or OPC, which is able to meet more than the mechanical characteristics' requirements, reduce costs, and provide environmental benefits. © IAEME Publication

One-pot multi-component synthesis of tetrahydroquinazolinones via Biginelli condensation using molecular iodine as a catalyst

Tetrahydroquinazolinone derivatives were synthesized in moderate to high yields via one‐pot three component Biginelli reaction of dimedone, urea or thiourea and corresponding aromatic aldehydes in the presence of molecular iodine as an efficient catalyst, in ethanol under reflux conditions. This protocol offers several advantages including good yields of products and easy experimental work‐up procedure

A pilot study on automated quantitative grading of facial functions

Quantitative grading of facial paralysis (FP) and the associated loss of facial function are essential to evaluate the severity and to track deterioration or improvement of the condition following treatment. To date, several computer-assisted grading systems have been proposed but none have gained widespread clinical acceptance. There is still a need for an accurate quantitative assessment tool that is automatic, inexpensive, easy to use, and has low inter-observer variability. The aim of the authors is to develop such a comprehensive Automated Facial Grading (AFG) system. One of this system’s modules: the resting symmetry module has already been presented. The present study describes the implementation of the second module for grading voluntary movements. The system utilizes the Kinect v2 sensor to detect and capture facial landmarks in real time. The functions of three regions, the eyebrows, eyes and mouth, are evaluated by quantitatively grading four voluntary movements. Preliminary results on normal subjects and patients are promising. The AFG system is a novel system that is suitable for clinical use because it is fast, objective, easy to use, and inexpensive. With further enhancement, it can be extended to become a virtual facial rehabilitation tool

Effects of urea supplementation on nutrient digestibility, nitrogen utilisation and rumen fermentation in sheep fed diets containing dates

Summary: The aim of the study was to determine the influence of increasing levels of urea (i.e., 0 (U0); 10 (U10); and 15 (U15) g kg–1 of concentrate) in sheep fed diets containing dates (local name: Azzawi), on nutrient intake and digestibility, N utilisation and ruminal fermentation. To maintain iso-nitrogenous and iso-metabolisable energy diets, the dates were added with increasing levels of urea. Sheep were fed a 400:600 (dry matter (DM) basis) concentrate:berseem hay (Trifolium alexandrinum) diet. Twelve Barki sheep (53.871.95 kg body weight) with three/diet were used in a randomised block design to determine digestibility and N balance, while four ruminally cannulated Barki sheep (56.672.15 kg body weight) were used in a 3 3 Latin square design to determine rumen function. Experimental periods were 22 days with the first 15 days for adaptation. The calculated metabolisable energy (MJ kg–1 DM) and actual crude protein (CP; g kg–1 DM) contents were 12.17 and 156.1, 12.69 and 158.2 and 12.60 and 154.8, for the U0, U10 and U15 diets, respectively. Increased urea feeding increased (Po0.05) digestibility of DM, organic matter (OM) and CP. Rumen ammonia N concentrations, allantoin in urine and the resultant microbial N supply increased linearly (Po0.05), as did the total ruminal volatile fatty acid concentrations. Results suggest that urea supplementation to sheep diets containing dates improved DM, OM and CP digestibility and substantially increased rumen microbial growth as well as ruminal fermentation function

Visual Memory Characteristics in Self-marketing Advertisements and their Impact on the Recipient: Announcements of the Iraqi Parliament Candidates as a Model

 يتلخص البحث بحالة الاستحضار المعرفي وتحفيز الذاكرة البصرية التي تمثل تقنية من تقنيات تقديم الذات وتسويق الذات، لذا وجدت الباحثة سببا للدراسة لغرض التعرف على أبرز الخصائص والسبل النفسية المنطقية والمدروسة في مجالات البحث العديدة وتوجيهها نحو الهدف التسويقي والتسويق الذاتي على وجه الخصوص. لذا تناول البحث هذا الموضوع مادة للدراسة بهيئة التساؤل الآتي: (خصائص الذاكرة البصرية في إعلانات تسويق الذات) وتضمن البحث ثلاثة فصول، اشتمل الفصل الأول شرحا وافيا لمشكلة البحث ثم عرض أهداف البحث جاء فيها: إبراز دور الذاكرة البصرية وأهم خصائصها للتأثير وتسخير ذلك في التصميم، وتعزيز الجانب الاتصالي عبر الصور الرمزية بوصفها وسيطا اتصاليا للخطاب المشترك والتسويق الذاتي. والأهمية من الدراسة، كذلك تحديد المصطلحات. أما الفصل الثاني فتضمن الإطار النظري واحتوى على ثلاثة مباحث: المبحث الأول (الذاكرة البصرية ولغة الاتصال البصري) والمبحث الثاني (تسويق الذات- الذات والتأثير) وأما المبحث الثالث فتضمن (مهارات الاتصال- وخصائص الرسالة الاتصالية– وعناصر الاتصال- والاتصال الفعال)، ولم تجد الباحثة دراسات سابقة تقترب من موضوعة البحث، ثم استعراض لأبرز المؤشرات المستمدة فقراتها من مجمل الإطار النظري. اما الفصل الثالث فخصص بمجتمع البحث البالغ عدده (31) أنموذجاً إذ اختيرت عينة عشوائية بسيطة لغرض التحليل وفق المنهج الوصفي التحليلي، وحددت فقرات أداة استمارة تحليل مستمدة من أبرز مؤشرات الإطار النظري. ثم التحليل لنماذج عينة البحث وعرض أبرز النتائج، منها: لم تظهر أنساق العرض القصدية والإيحاءات أي اختلافات ملحوظة - كانت النمطية في الطرح متشابهة أو متقاربة في العمليات الإظهارية في جميع النماذج . أما الاستنتاجات فكان منها: 1-إن رجع الصدى مرتبط بحالة التعزيز التواصلي والمساعدة والحث على اتخاذ القرار الآني اللحظي و2- إن أبعاد الصورة عندما تكون نابعة من أجواء مكررة أو مطروحة سابقا فإنها لا تعطي ذات التأثير عندما تكون ذات أبعاد جديدة، والتوصيات والمقترحات. واخيرا عرضت قائمة المصادر التي اعتمدتها الباحثة لغرض الدراسة. The current research summarizes the case of cognitive evoking and stimulating visual memory، which represents a technique of self-presentation and self-marketing techniques، so the researcher found a reason for the study for the purpose of identifying the most prominent logical and studied psychological characteristics and methods in the many fields of research and directing them towards the marketing goal and self-marketing in particular. The current topic is a subject for study in the form of the following question: (Characteristics of visual memory in self-marketing ads) The research included three chapters، the first chapter included a full explanation of the research problem and then presented the objectives of the research، in which it was stated: highlighting the role of visual memory and its most important characteristics for influencing and harnessing that in design، and enhancing the communicative aspect through symbolic images as a communicative mediator for joint discourse and self-marketing. The importance of the study is also defining the terminology. As for the second chapter، it included the theoretical framework and contained three sections: the first topic (visual memory and the language of visual communication)، the second topic (self-marketing - self and influence)، and the third topic (communication skills - characteristics of the communicative message - elements of communication - Effective communication)، and the researcher did not find previous studies that approached the topic of the research، then a review of the most prominent indicators derived from the paragraphs of the entire theoretical framework. As for the third chapter: the research community، which numbered (31) models، as a simple random sample was chosen for the purpose of analysis according to the descriptive analytical approach، and the paragraphs of the analysis form tool were identified، derived from the most prominent indicators of the theoretical framework. Then the analysis of the research sample models and a presentation of the most prominent results were: The intentional presentation formats and suggestions did not show any noticeable differences - the stereotypes in subtraction were similar or close in the demonstrative processes in all models. As for the conclusions، including: The echo return is related to the state of communicative reinforcement، assistance and urging to make instantaneous decision-making، and recommendations from them are recommended by the researcher and suggestions . Finally، a list of the sources adopted by the researcher for the purpose of the study was presented