Al-Kindi Center for Research and Development (KCRD) (E-Journals)
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The Modern Dilemma: Navigating Work Life Balance
No full textThe idea of work-life balance evolved from an attractive goal to an essential requirement since the development of a modern, fast-paced global society. The defining boundaries between occupation and personal affairs remain in the background of current interpretations, emphasizing adaptable integration between these domains. Technology enables constant connectivity between people through global email and messaging applications and social media platforms, and this merges work boundaries with personal freedom boundaries. Remote work, alongside the demands of the gig economy, creates serious difficulties for professionals when they attempt to disconnect from work responsibilities. Employees face growing mental health challenges because they must manage several professional roles during this changing work environment. Work-related expectations of availability, deadline management, and competition requirements typically lead to mental and physical depletion. The excessive work demands for productivity result in difficulties to recharge, which leads to damage to both personal relationships and general health. The paper evaluates these issues by studying technical progress, changed work arrangements, and the rise of freelance work patterns. It presents concrete methods to maintain balance in personal life. In this technology-driven era, the author supports setting boundaries and practicing self-care combined with new definitions of success, which maintain lasting mental well-being while fueling creativity. The document provides concrete approaches professionals need to navigate toward work-life harmony that supports their professional achievements and personal satisfaction
Navigating Knowledge: Employing Puzzles as Innovative Pedagogical Tools in Geography Teaching
No full textThis research explores using puzzles as an innovative tool in teaching geography, demonstrating their role in simplifying geographic concepts and enhancing understanding by stimulating critical and analytical thinking. It also highlights the benefits of puzzles in increasing students’ motivation and engagement with the subject, making learning more fun and exciting. The research examines how to integrate puzzles into geography classes as an interactive tool that enhances student collaboration, and presents the challenges that teachers may face in implementing them. The research recommends employing puzzles as part of a comprehensive strategy to improve geography teaching and enhance student engagement in the learning process
The Role of Mother Tongue in Education
No full textMother tongue plays a significant role in education. It is a fundamental tool for facilitating learning. Without the use of the mother tongue, understanding educational concepts becomes impossible for students whose mother tongue differs from the official language. The mother tongue holds great value and importance in the educational process. By using their mother tongue, students gain the opportunity to understand lesson concepts better, feel more comfortable in the classroom, and solve their academic problems more easily. The mother tongue validates students\u27 individual experiences and creates a conducive environment for them to express their thoughts, ideas, feelings, experiences, theories, and learnings without anxiety. Moreover, the mother tongue is essential in preserving and promoting the culture and identity of individuals. Incorporating the mother tongue into educational systems integrates culture with the curriculum, fostering a positive attitude among students toward the societal culture
Innovative Learning Spaces and the Creative Use of Professional Conversations in Leadership Capability Advancement
No full textThis focus of this paper is on understanding historical and critical viewpoints that facilitate learning for effective outcomes in adult education plans. It is shown that inclusive and participatory methods are useful for promoting lifelong learning. It highlights professional ideas that support learning methods that empower learners’ knowledge development and eliminate structural barriers to learning. The iterative process of discovery reflects the movement between interactive sessions with next generation leaders and evidence in the literature that emerged as a comprehensive literature review and analysis. The analysis indicates that leaders, educators, and other professionals should be facilitating and promoting professional conversations from a learner-centered perspective since they enable learners to embrace self-direction in growth and learning. Through the approach, educators emphasize learners’ strengths and experiences, while implementing team discussions, peer coaching, and mentorship programs. This paper illustrates that learning space metaphors such as campfire, watering hole, cave, life, and holodeck, are essential for establishing flexible learning environments that enhance knowledge development through vivid imagery among learners. It indicates that, while each metaphor signifies a specific educational process, combining the concepts improves learning by making it more collaborative as learners can participate in imaginative activities and problem-solving tasks in a collaborative approach that promotes research. Furthermore, it illustrates that Thornburg’s learning spaces can also be incorporated into collaborative education frameworks to improve learner-centered engagement. The experiential utilization shows that the purpose of Thornburg’s learning spaces is to create intentional teaching and learning practices that require facilitators and mentors to go beyond what is familiar and apply risk-taking techniques such as dynamic interaction in teaching and learning processes. A review of cooperative and experiential learning in this paper also shows that they form the foundation for co-learning, co-thinking, co-mentoring, and co-creating in education processes. It is demonstrated that cooperative and experiential learning concepts align with the core principles of adult education, emphasizing practical application and purposeful reciprocal engagement. As learners contribute to creating study materials and designing learning activities, they facilitate co-creation to improve their interactions with educators. A review of co-transforming and co-innovating concepts in education also indicates that they are effective methods of enhancing leadership capabilities. This paper illustrates that co-transforming methods foster transformative learning related to real-life situations, encouraging participants in professional conversations to become change agents within a transformation ecosystem. It also illustrates that components of co-innovating can be established by acquiring new ideas, conscientiously managing shared knowledge, and effectively implementing creative concepts. This review demonstrates that co-learning approaches reflect the constructivist philosophy even though they are novel methods. It indicates that the constructivist theory can be applied in learning processes since it inspires learners to engage actively in educational tasks. This paper also highlights research findings demonstrating the effectiveness of professional discussions in leadership and educational contexts due to their dynamic applicability. It encourages professionals to gain extensive awareness of the intentional decision-making for effective teaching and leadership. It also emphasizes the need for future professionals to adopt and maintain practices that reflect learner-centeredness. The report concludes by stressing the importance of combining professional conversations with deliberate and intentional activities and discussion as an effective strategy for educating adult learners. Such an education approach encompasses discussions that foster teamwork, critical thinking, and reflective thought among learners that culminate in a transforming mindset
An Overview of Migraine Diagnosis and Treatment
No full textMigraine causes a severe headache and is accompanied by other characteristic symptoms. Migraines are often characterized by throbbing pain in one area of the head that lasts 4 to 72 hours and is accompanied by symptoms such as sensitivity to light or sound, nausea, and vomiting. Some people experience visual disturbances (auras), which may appear as zigzag lines or flashing lights before or during a migraine. Migraines are estimated to affect more than 10% of the population worldwide, occur most often in people between the ages of 20 and 50, and are about 3 times more common in women than men. Having migraines can be debilitating and lead to missed days of school or work, inability to perform household responsibilities. There is no definitive cure for migraines, but treatments and lifestyle can help reduce the number of attacks in a person and shorten or reduce the severity of the attacks. Hormonal changes in women act as a stimulus. It seems that fluctuations in estrogen levels due to menstrual periods, pregnancy or menopause cause acute headaches. Certain foods and beverages such as salty processed food, caffeine etc... can trigger this disease in both men and women. But one of the most important causes of migraine is stress. Migraine attacks usually develops over hours, increases with normal physical activity. Sometimes this disease can be relieved simply by changes in lifestyle and daily habits, but sometimes it may be necessary to consult a doctor and diagnose it for improvement. Medical treatment and lifestyle modification together can help in getting rid of this disease
The Human Lens: A Natural Cancer Shield and Its Implications for Oncology
No full textThe human body is a complex network of tissues, organs, and cells, all of which are susceptible to diseases, including cancer. However, among these, the lens of the eye stands out as an exceptional anomaly—it remains tumor-free throughout life. In animals, rare occurrence of lens tumor documented. Despite exposure to oxidative stress, genetic mutations, environmental insults, and the natural wear and tear of aging, lens cells exhibit a unique resistance to cancer. This phenomenon raises a compelling scientific question: why is the human lens immune to tumor formation? Understanding this enigma could hold the key to groundbreaking cancer prevention strategies. These cases, though uncommon, provide insights into the unique biology of the lens and its susceptibility (or resistance) to oncogenic processes under certain conditions. The lens is a transparent, avascular structure in the eye that resists tumor formation due to its unique characteristics. Lacking blood vessels, it deprives potential cancer cells of nutrients and oxygen needed for growth. Its immune-privileged environment and protective lens capsule further shield it from inflammation and external insults. Lens cells undergo terminal differentiation, losing their ability to divide, which minimizes the risk of uncontrolled cell growth. Strong tumor suppressor activity, efficient DNA repair mechanisms, and a robust antioxidant defense system further enhance its resistance to cancer. Additionally, the thick lens capsule acts as a barrier against malignant invasion. Unlike most tissues, which rely on angiogenesis and undergo constant cell turnover, the lens remains largely static, reducing the likelihood of genetic mutations. These combined features make the lens uniquely resistant to tumor development.Understanding the mechanisms behind the lens’s tumor-free state could revolutionize cancer research and treatment. Some potential applications include: 1- evelopment of Angiogenesis Inhibitors: Mimicking the avascular environment of the lens to starve tumors of their blood supply., 2. Enhancing DNA Repair Pathways: Leveraging the efficient DNA repair mechanisms in lens cells to prevent cancer in high-risk tissues, and 3. Antioxidant Therapies: Utilizing insights from the lens’s robust antioxidant system to protect against oxidative stress in other tissues. While existing studies provide intriguing clues, the exact reasons for the lens’s resistance to cancer remain poorly understood. A multidisciplinary approach, combining molecular biology, genetics, structural biology, and clinical research, is essential to unravel this mystery. Investigating these protective mechanisms in the lens may offer new hope in the fight against cancer, potentially revealing strategies to replicate its tumor-resistant properties in other tissues. The lens of the human eye stands as a testament to nature’s ability to protect tissues from cancer, even in the face of constant challenges. By delving deeper into the molecular, structural, and environmental factors that safeguard the lens, scientists can uncover transformative insights. These discoveries have the potential to redefine our approach to cancer prevention, paving the way for a healthier, tumor-resistant future
Awareness and Utilization of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) of College Students and Teachers in Selected Philippine Higher Education Institutions
No full textMassive Open Online Course (MOOC) are open online courses aimed at massive groups of learners that anyone anywhere can access as long as they have the internet. This study aimed to determine the awareness and utilization of MOOCs by faculty and students of selected higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines. Descriptive correlational analysis was used to determine the awareness and utilization of MOOC among the selected HEI faculty and students. Moderate awareness and usage of MOOCs by teachers and students. It found that teachers’ years of teaching were significantly correlated with their level of MOOC awareness. It also shows a big correlation between students enrolling well in courses based on their understanding of MOOCs. Moreover, it shows that teachers’ MOOC usages correlate to their teaching years. MOOC utilization has a significant relationship with the students’ ages. Integrating the MOOC into curricula should be promoted by the HEIs, where tailored usage could be encouraged to leverage its potential and address teachers\u27 and college student\u27s unique needs and preferences. The researchers suggested implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the proposed learning enhancement plan
‘Pop the Balloon or Find Love’: A New Black Popular Culture? Exploring its Potential Social Influence and Implications for the Global Image of Nigerians
No full textThe “Pop the Balloon or Find Love” show has rapidly captured global attention, establishing itself as a notable expression of contemporary popular culture. This article critically examines the emergence of “Pop the Balloon or Find Love” as a contemporary Black popular culture, highlighting its dual role as both a platform for affirming Black love and self-expression, and a problematic reinforcement of social norms, particularly as depicted in Nons Miraj’s “Hunt Game Show: Pop the Balloon to Find Love,” which serves as the central focus of this analysis. Drawing upon cultivation theory and social learning theory, the study assesses the show’s potential social influences and considers its broader implications for the global image of Nigerians. While recognizing the show’s ability to foster meaningful cultural exchanges and genuine interpersonal connections, the article critically engages with its promotion of harmful behaviors such as body consumption, verbal aggression, and materialism. In response, this study offers carefully considered recommendations for reform, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that prioritizes ethical representation alongside entertainment. Ultimately, this research contributes to ongoing discussions about the intersections of media, identity formation, cultural representation, and social responsibility
Digital Lending and Bank Profitability in Selected Asian Countries
No full textDigital lending is considered vital for innovation and economic growth. Many countries have experienced digital lending as alternative to formal financing channels. The growth in digital lending may have implications for banks. In this research we estimate the impact of digital lending on bank profitability in three south Asian countries. We collect banking and macro data from 2012-2023 and run panel model regression. Our results are that digital lending reduces bank profitability in our sample of banks. Our results imply that banks should adopt digital lending so they may compete with digital platforms
An Exploratory Approach to the Determinants of Students\u27 Entrepreneurial Intention in Morocco
No full textEntrepreneurship is experiencing significant growth worldwide, becoming a key driver of economic development and innovation. In this context, entrepreneurial education and support are gaining increasing importance within universities, aiming to foster the entrepreneurial mindset of students and graduates to promote business creation. This research aims to identify the main components of students’ entrepreneurial intention using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). An empirical study was conducted on a sample of students from the National School of Business and Management of Beni Mellal, affiliated with Sultan Moulay Slimane University, a selective admission institution. Data were collected through a questionnaire, leading to the development of an entrepreneurial intention model based primarily on Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (1991) and Shapero & Sokol’s Entrepreneurial Event Model (1982)