United Arab Emirates University
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PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF HIKIKOMORI IN YOUNG ADULTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
No full textHikikomori, a form of severe social withdrawal that can occur without the presence of any other psychological disorder, was once thought to be a Japanese culture-bound phenomena. However, studies have emerged from several parts of the world showing that this may be a global issue. Extant literature suggests associations between hikikomori and behavioral addictions such as gaming addiction and Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU). Since there is a relative paucity of research examining this phenomenon in the Middle Eastern context, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of hikikomori in young adults of the Middle East. It also had the objective of studying loneliness as a potential mediator between hikikomori and two types of problematic behaviors (gaming and social media use). The study employed a cross-sectional correlational design, collecting a sample of 220 participants residing in Middle Eastern countries (Mage = 21.49 years, SD = 3.31) using a mixture of convenience and snowball sampling. SPSS was used to investigate demographic details, run a hierarchical regression, and Process Macro was used to perform a mediation analysis with loneliness as a single mediator. Results showed that 57.27% of the sample was at high risk of hikikomori. Notably, passive social media users demonstrated significantly greater hikikomori-like traits compared to active users. Furthermore, hikikomori-like traits exhibited significant positive associations with problematic gaming, PSMU, and loneliness. Mediation analysis unveiled loneliness as a significant mediator between problematic gaming and hikikomori-like traits (β = .55, SE = .11, 95% CI .33, .77), as well as between PSMU and hikikomori-like traits (β = .33, SE = .14, 95% CI .04, .62). These findings suggest that interventions targeting behavioral addictions such as problematic gaming and PSMU, or interventions addressing loneliness, hold promise in alleviating symptoms of social withdrawal
PRODUCED WATER MANAGEMENT FROM PRODUCTION SITES IN THE STATE OF KUWAIT
Get PDFExtraction of crude oil also produces large volumes of water, termed produced water (PW). PW is by far the most significant by-product in the process of extracting hydrocarbons from the subsurface. Consequently, managing PW has become a great concern to oil and gas producers. The increasing amounts of PW and more stringent environmental and safety regulations in regard to PW make more efficient treatment methods necessary, where sustainable long-term solutions for PW management need to be provided. The focus of this study is on PW from onshore operations as the majority of the oil and gas extraction operations (upstream processes) are conducted onshore, and it is here that greater quantities of produced water are generated. The additional expense of PW treatment facilities and their relatively low economic returns on investment have always been the major issues for implementation of innovative water treatment technologies. Therefore, simple disposal of excess PW by means of subsurface reinjection wells remains very common. The thesis is directed towards the concept of merging different methods of treatment, namely ceramic membrane filtration technology, adsorption of hydrocarbon content from produced water for the residual oil in PW and precipitation to remove unwanted salts from PW to achieve adequate purification at a reasonable cost and to reclaim other natural waste material found in PW. This study will illustrate the economic, environmental, and technical benefits of implementing the experimented treatment methods to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) oil producing states by fully utilizing the natural resources at the oil production sites and how it can benefit the overall economy by reducing the waste streams generated at the oilfields in the State of Kuwait. The study found that ceramic membrane filtration technology and adsorption with the use of spent coffee grounds were very effective in removal of residual oil in PW. Precipitation of unwanted salts in PW was also successful, also in giving by-products that are saleable, as the results showed high quality sodium chloride and calcium carbonate an end products. The performed feasibility calculations proved that a more sustainable system can be implemented to fully utilize waste material in PW water as commercial commodities in a profitable manner for the south Kuwait oilfield
The Role of Educational Coupons in Financing Public Education Institutions in Saudi Arabia
Get PDFThe study aimed to diagnose the role of the use of educational coupons in supporting the financing of public education institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to diagnose its role in developing the educational environment in these institutions. The researchers used the descriptive survey method, based on a questionnaire they prepared for this purpose, its validity and reliability were measured. Distributed to a sample of (85) principals in secondary schools in Hafr Al-Batin Governorate, the study reached a number of results, the most important of which are: the total axes of the study obtained a “high” degree of approval with an arithmetic average (4.08). The study also showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the average scores of the sample members about the role of using educational coupons in supporting the financing of public education institutions in Saudi Arabia, as well as the role of using them in developing the educational environment due to the variable of gender or the variable years of service. Based on these results, the researchers recommended for the Ministry of Education to implement educational coupons, as it is one of the forms of financing public education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and an important financing public education in it.
Keywords: Coupons, education financing, education spending, public education institutions, Saudi Arabia
Effectiveness of Community-Based Vocational Instruction on Teaching Job Skills for Female Students with Intellectual Disability
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Community-Based Vocational Instruction (CBVI) to teach three young females with intellectual disability job skills (Writing Formal Letters Skill, and Formal Letters Coordination Skill). The methodology of this study was (Single-Subject Design) multiple baseline design, with three young females with mild intellectual disability, who graduated from high school and joined a vocational rehabilitation program in a daily care center. The results showed that CBVI were effective and efficient at teaching job skills to three young females with intellectual disability and showed that three young females maintained improvement in their performance due to the intervention. The study showed high social validity to CBVI with female students with intellectual disability.
KeyWords: vocational Rehabilitation, transition services, Job Skills, Intellectual disability, Community Training
واجب التسبيب كعنصر من عناصر الحق في الإدارة الجيدة دراسة تحليلية في القانون الأمريكي والمقارن
Get PDFThis study deals with the subject of the duty to reason as an element of good administration, and it analyzes the American experience in the field of duty to reason as the only model that was able to move the concept of reasoning administrative decisions from the proceduralist perspectives to the Rationalism perspectives. The Rationalism perspectives, in turn, is the focus and goal of good administration, which it is mainly focuses on controlling the exercise of the discretionary authority of administration and giving rationality to administrative action.
The study concluded that the American concept of the duty to reason is characterized by its wide scope compared to other countries, as it covers both individual and organizational administrative decisions. The duty of reason also has goals that go beyond informing the public and facilitating judicial oversight.
It is considered a tool to achieve the concept of good Administration, through the role it plays in controlling the discretionary authority of the administration and giving rationality to its action, a role that the American judiciary worked on brilliantly crystallizing by creating what is known today as the Hard Look review by reasoning.
يتناول هذا البحث موضوع واجب التسبيب كعنصر من عناصر الإدارة الجيدة، وهو يدرس ويحلل التجربة الأمريكية في مجال واجب التسبيب، كونها التجربة الوحيدة التي استطاعت أن تنتقل بمفهوم تسبيب القرارات الإدارية من المنظور الإجرائي إلى المنظور العقلاني، إذ يشكل هذا الأخير محور الإدارة الجيدة وهدفها الذي يقوم في الأساس على ضبط ممارسة السلطة التقديرية للإدارة وإضفاء العقلانية على العمل الإداري.
وقد خلص البحث إلى أن المفهوم الأمريكي لواجب التسبيب يمتاز باتساع نطاقه مقارنة بالدول الأخرى؛ إذ يغطي كلاً من القرارات الإدارية الفردية والتنظيمية. كما أن أهداف واجب التسبيب في القانون الأمريكي تتجاوز إعلام الجمهور وتسهيل الرقابة القضائية، فهو يعد أداة لتحقيق مفهوم الإدارة الجيدة، وذلك من خلال الدور الذي يمارسه في ضبط سلطة الإدارة التقديرية وإضفاء العقلانية على عملها، وهو الدور الذي عمل القضاء الأمريكي على بلورته ببراعة باستحداثه لما يعرف اليوم باسم منهج الرقابة القضائية المتعمقة على العمل الإداري باستخدام التسبيب
FRACTIONAL DERIVATIVE-BASED ANALYSIS OF THE HEAT TRANSFER PROPERTIES OF FLUID FLOW OVER A CONTRACTING PERMEABLE INFINITE-LENGTH CYLINDER
Get PDFUnderstanding the complex interplay between the contracting behavior of the cylinder and the fluid flow dynamics has implications for the design of porous structures for heat exchange and filtration systems. In this study, we investigate the dynamics and thermal behavior of fluid flow past a contracting permeable infinite cylinder. First, we developed a mathematical model based on the Navier-Stokes equations to describe the fluid dynamics around the contracting permeable infinite cylinder. A new simple well-behaved definition of fractional derivative called conformable fractional derivative introduced by authors Khalil et al. is employed to generalize the PDE’s of momentum and energy. The similarity transformation technique is utilized to transform the proposed mathematical problem into a non-linear ODE’s. Then, we utilized Iterative Power Series (IPS) technique to numerically solve the governing equations and obtain detailed insights into the flow patterns and thermal characteristics. We observed significant changes in the flow velocity and temperature distribution as the cylinder contracted, highlighting the intricate thermal behavior of the system. Additionally, the changes in the fraction order was found to have a notable impact on the overall flow patterns and heat transfer processes
CONSUMER\u27S RIGHT TO WITHDRAW FROM THE ELECTRONIC CONTRACT
Get PDFAmong the effects of technological development is that it has brought about important changes in the processes of communication between people, especially in the field of concluding contracts, as sales contracts are among the most contracts concluded through modern means of communication and Internet networks, due to their speed, which made the consumer accept to conclude the contract with The supplier (or seller) without thinking in order to acquire the good or service sold, and the consumer may rely - only - on photographs and the description of the good by the supplier, because such contracts are carried out remotely without a physical connection, and therefore the description of the good or The service is accurate, or the consumer may be deceived by the false advertising and advertising promoted by the provider to attract the consumer As the consumer is considered one of the basic pillars of the entire economic process, cases that represent an attack on consumer rights have increased, especially in consumption contracts that are concluded by electronic means and methods, which requires research into the protection of the consumer from all attacks that fall on him. Many have sought Legislation to provide all types of protection necessary for this consumer during his consumer and contractual transactions. In order to provide protection for the consumer, comparative legislation sought to organize a legal mechanism that protects the consumer in the event that he rushes into concluding such contracts or if the subject of the contract does not match the description or his personal requirements, by regulating the right of withdrawal, which is defined as a tool that allows the consumer to return Regardless of his decision to abide by the concluded contract, and restore the situation to what it was before concluding the contract, without referring to the will of the other party, within a specific period
STUDY ON THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF ESSENTIAL OIL EXTRACTED FROM HORWOODIA DICKSONIAE GROWING IN THE UAE
Get PDFPlant-derived substances including essential oils, secondary metabolites and other chemical substances are gaining attention due to their broad spectrum use in different fields. Native medicinal plants can play key role in healthcare field in any country. Horwoodia dicksoniae is a native endangered plant in UAE. Current study is about chemical composition and antioxidant properties of H. dicksoniae’s essential oil as well as evaluating growth of this native endangered plant under different environmental conditions. For this purpose, first step included confirmation of the viability of seeds obtained from a seed bank following germination of seeds in different media. During growth period of two to three months, different growth parameters such as plant height, leaf density and chlorophyll content was measured. Essential oil was extracted using steam distillation method and it’s chemical composition was evaluated using different laboratory techniques. Results of the study showed that red sand (native soil of UAE) is the best medium for growth of H. dicksoniae showing more than 90% growth compared to other media. Total phenolic content and photosynthetic pigments found to be in moderate quantity depicting proper growth of plant. Essential oil antioxidant results showed its remarkable antioxidant properties. The study aimed to contribute a broader comprehension of indigenous plant, H. dicksoniae, in UAE, with exploration of sustainable cultural practices and potential application of essential oil in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. By conducting a meticulous analysis of the essential oil extracted from H. dicksoniae, this research endeavors to shed light on the untapped natural treasures within the botanical landscape of the UAE
DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING OF NORMAL VERSUS METABOLICALLY ALTERED PANCREAS IN RAT: EFFECT OF GESTATIONAL DIABETES
Get PDFDiabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic condition characterised by pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and consistent elevated blood glucose levels (hyperglycaemia), either due to the inability of the body to produce any or adequate amounts of insulin or the inability of the body to effectively utilise the produced insulin (i.e., insulin resistance). DM can be classified into 3 main types: Type 1 DM (T1DM), Type 2 DM (T2DM), and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). GDM is defined as “hyperglycaemia that is first diagnosed during pregnancy with glucose levels below those considered diagnostic of overt diabetes outside of pregnancy”. The mature pancreas is a bifunctional organ composed mostly of exocrine tissue organised in acini, and a ductal scaffold. The endocrine tissue, embedded within the exocrine tissue, constitutes about 5% of the pancreas. It consists of cells that produce and secrete several peptide hormones into the bloodstream that mediate the pancreas\u27s regulation of glucose homeostasis. These cells, which all cluster together in the islets of Langerhans, are: α- cells (produce glucagon, Gcg), β-cells (produce insulin, Ins), δ-cells (produce somatostatin), PP- cells (also known as γ cells, produce pancreatic polypeptide), and ɛ-cells (produce ghrelin). Malfunctions in endocrine cells can lead to diseases, for example, malfunctioning in β-cells can lead to DM. Certain genes, such as Pdx1, Nkx6.1, Nkx2.2, Pax6, and Arx are essential for normal development of the pancreas and glucose metabolism. GDM offspring have higher risk of developing DM and metabolic diseases in later stages of life. We speculate that this increased risk begun as early as embryogenesis. We propose that the hyperglycaemic state during pregnancy alters the expression of genes involved in pancreas development and differentiation. We also speculate that GDM affects the expression of these genes in such a way interfering with the function of those genes in the pathways governing early pancreas organogenesis and development, specially α- and β-cells differentiation and maintenance and foetal pancreatic metabolism, ultimately leading to altered glucose metabolism in the offspring. These changes may be contributing to the increased foetus’s risk of developing metabolic diseases later in life. Thus, we quantified the expression of the pancreatic islet hormones, insulin and glucagon, through different developmental stages (Embryonic day (E) 13.5, E14.5, E16.5, E18.5 and 1-day old), and investigated some of the key transcription factors involved in pancreatic differentiation and maturation (Pax6, Arx, Nkx2.2, Nkx6.1, Pdx1) through two developmental stages (E18.5, and 1-day old) using immunofluorescence in embryos/pups of control and GDM rats. Then we analysed RNA from these embryos/pups through E18.5, and 1-day old to identify Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) and associated pathways. Finally, we verified some of the DEGs using RT-qPCR. E18.5 GDM embryos exhibited reduced β-cell and increased α-cell number percentages compared to control embryos. They also exhibited reduced expression of insulin and glucagon among other genes. 1-day old GDM pups exhibited macrosomia, glucose intolerance in 60 minutes Intraperitoneal Glucose Tolerance Test (IPGTT) although they were not diabetic and reduced β-cell and increased α-cell area percentages compared to control pups. They also exhibited reduction in the percentage of Pdx1+ Ins+ , Nkx6.1+ Ins+ , Nkx2.2+ Ins+/Gcg+ , and Pax6+ Ins+/Gcg+ cells compared to control pups. The DEGs in GDM offspring were associated with insulin secretion (GO:0030073), establishment of protein localisation to extracellular region (GO:0035592), regulation of peptide transport (GO:0090087), response to glucose (GO:0009749), protein maturation (GO:0051604) and protein processing (GO:0016485), and insulin metabolic process (GO:1901142) pathways. All in all, the findings of this research contribute to our understanding of the effect of GDM on foetal pancreas development and offspring predisposition to DM in later stages of life
CYBERSECURITY CONTINUOUS LEARNING TOWARDS FULFILLING NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY STRATEGIC PLAN MANDATES
Get PDFThis dissertation delves into enhancing cybersecurity education by aligning academic curricula with national cybersecurity strategic plan (NCSP) objectives, emphasizing the crucial role of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in developing a skilled cybersecurity workforce. Analyzing ten NCSPs, it identifies strategic themes and gaps between national goals and HEI offerings. The study reviews NCSP guidelines, international cybersecurity indices, and literature, including the NICE-NIST framework, to develop a framework that bridges the educational gap, improving learning outcomes and arming students with vital skills, knowledge, and competencies. Furthermore, it introduces a platform for continuous cybersecurity learning, employing micro-credentials, blockchain technology, and AI-driven systems. Based on Qualification Reference Frameworks and UAE’s governance, this platform addresses the cybersecurity professional shortage by advocating lifelong learning. It contrasts the UAE’s Qualifications Framework with traditional models, incorporating Alternative Digital Credentials (ADCs) and leveraging blockchain and AI for personalized learning paths. Investigating international standards and competency frameworks, such as NICE-NIST and Bloom\u27s taxonomy, the research contributes to cybersecurity capacity building, highlighting the impact of ADCs, blockchain, and AI in transforming education and training. This dissertation stands as a testament to the power of innovative educational strategies and technologies in developing a competent global cybersecurity workforce