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Morphological skills among native Arab kindergarteners with developmental language disorders
No full textThis study tested morphological skills among 14 native Arab kindergarteners with developmental language disorder (DLD) (age; 5.51 ± 0.95, 10 boys and 4 girls) and fifteen kindergarteners with typical language development (TD) (age; 5.49 ± 0.37, 7 boys and 8 girls). The participants completed two tasks designed to assess the identification and production of inflectional morphology skills in Arabic. In the identification task, the participants were asked to choose between two alternatives of pseudowords, the one that corresponds to a conventional inflection in the language, based on the instruction they hear. In the production task, the participants were asked to produce an appropriate pronunciation of the pseudowords according to the requested inflection, without selecting from given alternatives. Pseudowords were used in both tasks to evaluate the efficiency of applying inflectional knowledge. The results showed that the performances of TD children were significantly higher than those of children with DLD, in both tasks. Additionally, children with DLD performed significantly better on the identification task than on the production task. These findings are discussed in light of the assumption that the difficulties in morphological skills in the group of native Arab children with DLD may result from general difficulties in acquiring language regularities
FM-LC: A Hierarchical Framework for Urban Flood Mapping by Land Cover Identification Models
No full textUrban flooding in arid regions threatens infrastructure and public safety. Fine-scale mapping of flood extents is vital for effective emergency response and resilience planning, but limited spectral contrast, rapid hydrological changes, and heterogeneous land covers make this task challenging. High-resolution, daily PlanetScope imagery provides the temporal and spatial detail needed. In this work, we introduce FM-LC, a hierarchical framework for Flood Mapping by Land Cover identification, for this challenging task. Through a three-stage process, it first uses an initial multi-class U-Net to segment imagery into water, vegetation, built area, and bare ground classes. We identify that this method has confusion between spectrally similar categories (e.g., water vs. vegetation). Second, by early checking, the class with the major misclassified area is flagged, and a lightweight binary ‘expert’ segmentation model is trained to distinguish the flagged class from the rest. Third, a Bayesian smoothing step refines boundaries and removes spurious noise by leveraging nearby pixel information. We validate the framework on the April 2024 Dubai storm event, demonstrating average F1-score improvements of up to 29% across all land-cover classes and notably sharper flood delineations. Compared to conventional single-stage U-Nets, FM-LC achieves over 12% higher mean F1, significant gains for vegetation classification, and more reliable temporal tracking of flood dynamics. These results highlight FM-LC as a practical and scalable solution for high-resolution flood mapping in complex urban and arid environments
Psychiatric comorbidities in HIV/AIDS patients and its overlap with neurological disorders
No full textBackground: The prevalence of psychiatric and neurological disorders in populations with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) presents significant public health concerns including impaired quality of life, reduced antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, and elevated morbidity and mortality rates. Research suggests that these correlations translate to millions of people globally, given that over 25 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in the African region alone. Objective: This article explores the overlap in clinical presentation and pathophysiology between psychiatric and neurological conditions and seeks to fill current knowledge gaps regarding their co-occurrence, misdiagnosis, and impact on treatment outcomes. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted employing electronic search databases comprising PubMed/MEDLINE, ResearchGate, and related databases, using keywords such as “psychiatric disorders,” “neurological disorders,” “HIV,” “AIDS,” and “comorbidities”. Studies were selected based on relevance to the overlap of psychiatric and neurological conditions in HIV/AIDS. Results: Neurological disorders like HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND) were observed in 20–50% of HIV/AIDS patients. Similarly, the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, among HIV/AIDS patients was reported at 32.9% and 27.4% respectively. Also, overlapping pathophysiological processes, such as neuroinflammation, immune dysregulation, and HIV-related neurotoxicity, were identified as common mechanisms underpinning both psychiatric and neurological disorders in HIV/AIDS patients. Conclusion: Multidisciplinary collaborations are warranted to create tailored antiretroviral therapy regimens that minimize neurotoxicity and further investigate the neuropsychiatric overlap to enhance diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes
Beyond The Hype: Evidence-Based Approaches To Responsible Ai Integration In Workplace Learning
No full textPurposeThis paper examines the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in organizational training and development through an evidence-based lens, addressing the gap between technological enthusiasm and pedagogical effectiveness in workplace learning contexts. Design/methodology/approachAn integrative literature review methodology was employed following Torraco\u27s (2016) framework for synthesizing diverse knowledge streams. The analysis examined 180 papers from multiple databases, combining theoretical frameworks from social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) and organizational learning theory (Dittmar et al., 2025) to develop an integrated conceptual framework. FindingsThe analysis reveals critical misalignments between current AI implementation practices and established learning principles. While AI demonstrates effectiveness in personalized content delivery and routine skill development, significant challenges emerge in supporting transformative learning and maintaining social learning dynamics. Cultural variations and ethical considerations substantially influence implementation success. Originality/valueThis paper contributes an integrated theoretical framework bridging individual and organizational learning perspectives in AI contexts, identifies specific gaps between technological capabilities and pedagogical requirements and proposes evidence-based guidance for practitioners navigating AI implementation decisions
A Qualitative Exploration of Parents\u27 Experiences of Homeschooling in the United Arab Emirates: Motivations and Challenges
No full textHomeschooling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an understudied phenomenon despite the growing numbers of homeschoolers. Controversies about homeschooling and its impact on children’s well-being create a social stigma around families that choose to homeschool their children for various reasons. This study explored the experiences of homeschoolers in the UAE, specifically, the motivations for homeschooling and the challenges homeschooling families face during the experience. The study followed a qualitative exploratory approach using a semi-structured interview. The sample consisted of 16 parents of different nationalities living in the UAE. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach to gain an in-depth understanding of participants’ experiences. The findings revealed that parents in the UAE homeschool their children for various reasons including their desire to provide a child-centered education. The findings also showed that the main concern homeschoolers have is the absence of a legal framework for homeschooling in the UAE. The study suggested creating an open dialogue where homeschoolers in the UAE can share their experiences with policymakers for a better understanding and a possible amendment to the current educational laws and policies that don’t officially recognize homeschooling. Although this study fills the gap in the literature concerning homeschooling in the UAE, more research is needed to understand the phenomenon and provide practical recommendations
Scales for rating the behavioral characteristics of superior students: a preliminary examination of the psychometric properties of the Greek version of the first four scales: learning, creativity, motivation, and leadership scale
No full textThe Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students (SRBCSS; Renzulli et al., 2010) are notable for incorporating teachers’ informed evaluations in identifying gifted students. Teachers’ close interactions with students enable them to make meaningful judgments, and the SRBCSS provides a structured method to guide and strengthen their nominations. The aim of the present study was to gain insight into the psychometric properties of the Greek version of the first four Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students (SRBCSS), which assess various dimensions of giftedness. One hundred and forty-five (145) Greek primary and secondary education school (elementary and middle school) teachers completed the Learning, Creativity, Motivation, and Leadership scales of the SRBCSS to estimate the corresponding dimensions of giftedness in their students. Specifically, 145 students (83 girls and 62 boys) were evaluated by their teachers. The unidimensional structure of each of the aforementioned SRBCSS scales was tested using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analyses, both of which demonstrated their one-factor structure. CFA analysis also confirmed their content validity, as all four scales were found to be positively correlated at statistically significant levels in the structural model. Furthermore, the number of underlying factors (latent variables) in their total organization was also examined using CFA at scale-level data. Both the one-factor and the correlated two-factor models’ solutions demonstrated statistically equivalent, excellent fit. Additionally, the internal consistency reliability of the four scales was evaluated with Hancock’s H coefficient and found to be good to excellent for all of them. Furthermore, moderate correlations were found between the first four scales of SRBCSS and the GRS-S scales, thus supporting their convergent validity. The research findings indicate that the specific SRBCSS scales can be used as reliable and valid tools for identifying gifted students (by their teachers) in the Greek educational context
An Efficient Blockchain-Based Privacy Preservation Scheme For Smart Grids
No full textSmart grids have revolutionized electricity management and distribution, but they also generate and transmit vast amounts of consumer data, raising privacy concerns. In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based solution to preserve user\u27s privacy in smart grids and to mitigates data forgery, profiling, and man-in-the-middle attacks. Moreover, our solution provides security services such as authentication and non-repudiation to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data and ensure accountability and traceability. We validate our approach through testing and show that it is a simple, scalable, cost-effective solution with minimal computational processing overhead
The Growing Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for Green Marketing, Investments, and Future Projections
No full textThis study employs a qualitative case study approach to explore the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the healthcare sector, with a focus on its contributions to sustainable practices and green marketing. The research method involves an in-depth analysis of real-world case studies from healthcare organizations that have integrated AI solutions, such as predictive analytics, telemedicine, and AI-driven robotics. Data were collected through interviews with healthcare professionals, policy makers, and AI solution providers, as well as an examination of industry reports, market trends, and financial investments. The study also reviews key applications of AI, such as its role in optimizing resource allocation, reducing waste, and enhancing patient care, with a particular emphasis on the environmental sustainability aspect. By examining the experiences and outcomes of AI adoption in various healthcare settings, this research identifies both the opportunities and challenges in implementing AI-driven solutions for sustainability
Social Entrepreneurship in the UAE: Building Sustainable Cities and Communities by Employing the Concept of Creating Shared Value (CSV)
No full textUrbanisation is set to be one of the most transformative trends of the 21st century. This chapter explores the role of social entrepreneurship in addressing SDG 11: ‘Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable’, within the political, socio-cultural and economic context of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Specifically, it examines how emerging concepts like Creating Shared Value (CSV) offer a more effective approach to sustainable urbanisation in this context, proposing a reconceptualisation of social entrepreneurship. First, the concept of Social Entrepreneurship and CSV is introduced as part of a continuum spanning public, private and non-profit sectors. Next, the concept of urban development and its sustainability challenges, focusing on the UAE\u27s unique urbanisation issues, especially those pertinent to oil-rich countries in the Middle East, in relation to the UN\u27s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2050 net-zero commitment is outlined. Finally, using two case studies from the UAE, the chapter explores how sustainable cities have leveraged social entrepreneurship and CSV to advance sustainable urban development
A collaborative autoethnography on English as a medium of instruction
No full textAbstract English-medium instruction (EMI), and more broadly English-medium education (EME), is growing in leaps and bounds in multilingual university settings globally. Despite the phenomenon of EMI affecting all stakeholders in any given university, research concerning EMI pedagogical and sociolinguistic issues most often occupies the attention of applied linguists alone. This study aims to open up research on EMI to include interdisciplinary perspectives from faculty members in the disciplines of applied linguistics, education and media studies. The study takes the form of a collaborative autoethnography whereby the authors, as participants, reflect on their experiences and perceptions of EMI in their respective disciplines in the context of higher education in the United Arab Emirates. Findings revealed both similarities and differences between approaches and experiences of EMI across disciplines. Drawing on the findings, open sharing and discussion of EMI struggles and triumphs is recommended together with critical awareness of decolonisation in educationscapes and teacher agency in EMI classrooms