19 research outputs found
The three step filtering models in assessing and comparing the performance of Islamic and conventional banks in KSA
No full textIslamic banks are considered as an alternative for conventional banks in the banking industry, their
performance would be different from each other. This difference is important for investors in
making their investment or hedging decisions. The purpose of this study is to investigate and assess
the performance of the Islamic and conventional banks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the
post-Financial US Crisis period. Using a series of ratios called by us “CAPLERS”, which is an
extension of CAMELS (implemented in the literature), we examine the performance of Saudi
Islamic banks versus the conventional ones. To perform such a comparison, we use seven-year
annual data from 2010 through 2016 and 12 banks where 4 are Islamic and 8 conventional. The
empirical framework involves three sequential steps. The first step consists in filtering the ratios
based on their correlation with each other. The second specifies the ratios, which contributes to
the performance with respect to Tobin Q method. The third step consists of implementing Logit
regression model to figure out the performance of Islamic banks compared to conventional ones.
Our results show that Saudi Islamic banks exhibit higher performance than conventional ones in
terms Efficiency, Capital Adequacy, Asset quality and liquidity
The Use of Innovation Technology in Pedagogical Practices of L2 Reading Comprehension: An Annotated Bibliography
No full textTeaching reading as a second/foreign language has gained increasing significance in the educational field. Investigating pedagogical methods has become one of the major areas of research in the expanding field of teaching second language (L2) reading comprehension. Many researchers have addressed various pedagogical aspects and issues related to this field. This annotated bibliography is designed for researchers and instructors working on developing modern technological techniques of teaching reading in second/foreign language settings and to provide a solid theoretical and pedagogical background based on many types of data from various angles and contexts. It attempts to provide an overview of and highlight research studies related to teaching L2 reading comprehension through updated digital methods with applications and recommendations based on previous research studies. The sources listed in this annotated bibliography are journal articles arranged alphabetically by author, and for each work there is a brief non-evaluative synopsis of the study’s objectives, instruments of data collection and results
Predicting Students’ Performance in University Courses: A Case Study and Tool in KSU Mathematics Department
No full textAbstractEducational data mining is a growing field that uses the data obtained from educational information systems to discover knowledge and find answers to questions and problems concerning the education system. High dropout rates and poor academic performance among students are examples of the most common issues that affect the reputation of an educational institution. Students’ academic records can be analyzed to explore the factors behind these phenomena. This paper discusses the building of a model to predict the performance of students in a programming course based on their grades in courses in other subjects. A classification based on an association rules algorithm is used to build a classifier to help evaluate the student's performance in the programming course. This model aims to reduce dropout levels by helping student predict their likelihood of success in a course before they enroll in it. In addition, course instructors will be able to enhance student performance in the course by better estimating their abilities to learn the subject matter and adjusting their teaching strategies and methods
Teaching Academic Writing for Advanced Level Grade 10 English
No full textAbstractTeaching academic English writing to high school learners is quite challenging. As a teacher, you need to consider the learners⿿ background, and their knowledge of English with their strengths and weaknesses. Teachers need to adopt research based methods of L2 teaching since research based methods have been successful in helping L2 learners produce writing that is a satisfactory level of linguistic proficiency and mastery of academic writing. Moreover, teachers have to modify their classes according to their learners⿿ various needs. Techniques vary and what works with one learner does not necessarily work for another. Yet, research also reveals that by following certain strategies, academic writing can be acquired more efficiently, particularly when learners have a high level of English proficiency. This study follows the qualitative research method since it is an action research. An essay template was developed for the learners to follow in order to teach them academic writing. The data is composed of the participants⿿ pre- & post essays that were evaluated using the Common Core State Standards Writing Rubric. The participants are the learners of Grade 10-advanced level, at LWIS-CiS, DT. The results reveal that following the designed ⿿essay template⿿ has improved the learners⿿ academic writing and therefore, the researchers recommend using the template
Conflict of interest reporting in dentistry meta-analyses: a systematic review
No full textObjectives: The issue of reporting conflicts of interest (COI) in medical research has come under scrutiny over the
past decade. Absolute transparency is important when dealing with conflicts of interest to provide readers with all
essential information required to make an informative decision of the results. The key objective of this study was
to examine the prevalence of reporting conflicts of interest in therapeutic dental meta-analyses of Randomized
Control Trials (RCTs), and to investigate possible associations with other categorical variables.
Study Design: We conducted an extensive literature search across multiple databases to search for relevant review
articles for this study. We utilized pre-determined key words, and relied on three reviewers to test and review the
use of a data extraction form that was used for the meta-analyses. Data regarding study characteristics, direction of
results, and the significance of the results from each meta-analysis were extracted.
Results: There were 129 meta-analyses used in this review, and the reporting on conflict of interest was low with
only 50 (38.8%) of the articles possessing a conflict of interest statement (either confirming of denying COI). Of
these 50 articles, there were only 4 (8%) studies that reported an actual conflict of interest. A statement of conflicts
of interest was found in 29 (35.3%) of the papers that reported significant findings, whereas 35% of the papers that
reported positive results reported on conflict of interest. Prior to 2009, only 17 (25%) papers reported conflicts of
interest, but since 2009, 54.1% of papers collected had a conflict of interest statement.
Conclusions: Meta-analyses published in the field of dentistry do not routinely report author conflicts of interest.
Although few conflicts appear to exist, the field of dentistry should continue to ensure that best evidence reports
provide clear and transparent reporting of potential conflicts of interest in academic journals
Noncontact nondestructive ultrasonic techniques for manufacturing defects monitoring in composites: a review
No full textComposite materials are widely used in most industries due to their high specific strength, specific stiffness, and their relatively lighter weight compared to other traditional materials. However, the presence of defects arising from manufacturing processes or during service loads can make these structures more susceptible to a diminished performance. Furthermore, the former defects are inevitable in composite structures, but they can be reduced. Each type of defect requires specific inspection techniques and configurations. In this work, a review of the different types of composites manufacturing processes and their corresponding resultant defects is presented with the various nondestructive evaluation techniques employed for these defects’ characterization. The emphasis of this paper is on ultrasonic inspection and detection techniques for they present high sensitivity to surface/subsurface discontinuities, superior depth of ultrasonic penetration for flaw detection, feasibility on large scales, and instantaneous and detailed images production. Notably, noncontact ultrasonic testing techniques are also reviewed, air-coupled techniques in specific, and highlighted as a fine alternative to conventional contact inspection systems as they reduce the restrictions that coexist with the use of couplants. Moreover, these ultrasonic testing techniques are summarized to show the latest research progress achieved in the field of air-coupled ultrasonic inspection systems for manufacturing defects’ monitoring in composite structures including delamination, porosity, dryness, waviness, and resin lack/excess. Finally, we highlight the type and central frequency of the transducers and experimental results present in literature and obtained in terms of both detection and size of the defects. © The Author(s) 2023
The Dababiya corehole, Upper Nile Valley, Egypt : preliminary results
No full textAuthor Posting. © Austrian Geological Society, 2012. This article is posted here by permission of Austrian Geological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Austrian Journal of Earth Sciences 105, no. 1 (2012): 161-168.The Dababiya corehole was drilled in the Dababiya Quarry (Upper Nile Valley, Egypt), adjacent to the GSSP for the Paleocene/
Eocene boundary, to a total depth of 140 m and bottomed in the lower Maastrichtian Globotruncana aegyptiaca Zone of the Dakhla
Shale Formation. Preliminary integrated studies on calcareous plankton (foraminifera, nannoplankton), benthic foraminifera, dinoflagellates,
ammonites, geochemistry, clay mineralogy and geophysical logging indicate that: 1) The K/P boundary lies between
80.4 and 80.2 m, the Danian/Selandian boundary between ~ 41 and 43 m, the Selandian/Thanetian boundary at ~ 30 m (within the
mid-part of the Tarawan Chalk) and the Paleocene/Eocene boundary at 11.75 m (base [planktonic foraminifera] Zone E1 and [calcareous
nannoplankton] Zone NP9b); 2) the Dababiya Quarry Member (=Paleocene/Eocene Thermal Maximum interval) extends
from 11.75 to 9.5 m, which is ~1 m less than in the adjacent GSSP outcrop.; 3) the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) depositional
environment was nearshore, tropical-sub tropical and nutrient rich; the latest Maastrichtian somewhat more restricted (coastal); and
the early Danian cooler, low(er) salinity with increasing warmth and depth of water (i.e., more open water); 4) the Paleocene is further
characterized by outer shelf (~ 200 m), warm water environments as supported by foraminifera P/B ratios > 85% (~79-28 m),
whereas benthic foraminifera dominate (>70%) from ~27-12 m (Tarawan Chalk and Hanadi Member) due, perhaps, in part to increased
dissolution (as observed in nearby outcrop samples over this interval); 5) during the PETM, enhanced hydrodynamic conditions
are inferred to have occurred on the sea-floor with increased river discharge (in agreement with sedimentologic evidence),
itself a likely cause for very high enhanced biological productivity on the epicontinental shelf of Egypt; 6) correlation of in situ measured
geophysical logs of Natural Gamma Ray (GR), Single-Point Resistance (PR), Self-Potential (SP), magnetic susceptibility
(MS), and Resistivity, and Short Normal (SN) and Long Normal (LN) showed correspondence to the lithologic units. The Dababiya
Quarry Member, in particular, is characterized by very high Gamma Ray and Resistivity Short Normal values.The Dababiya corehole was made possible by the
financial support of the National Geographic Society
The burden of injury in Central, Eastern, and Western European sub-region: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study.
No full textBackground
Injury remains a major concern to public health in the European region. Previous iterations of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study showed wide variation in injury death and disability adjusted life year (DALY) rates across Europe, indicating injury inequality gaps between sub-regions and countries. The objectives of this study were to: 1) compare GBD 2019 estimates on injury mortality and DALYs across European sub-regions and countries by cause-of-injury category and sex; 2) examine changes in injury DALY rates over a 20 year-period by cause-of-injury category, sub-region and country; and 3) assess inequalities in injury mortality and DALY rates across the countries.
Methods
We performed a secondary database descriptive study using the GBD 2019 results on injuries in 44 European countries from 2000 to 2019. Inequality in DALY rates between these countries was assessed by calculating the DALY rate ratio between the highest-ranking country and lowest-ranking country in each year.
Results
In 2019, in Eastern Europe 80 [95% uncertainty interval (UI): 71 to 89] people per 100,000 died from injuries; twice as high compared to Central Europe (38 injury deaths per 100,000; 95% UI 34 to 42) and three times as high compared to Western Europe (27 injury deaths per 100,000; 95%UI 25 to 28). The injury DALY rates showed less pronounced differences between Eastern (5129 DALYs per 100,000; 95% UI: 4547 to 5864), Central (2940 DALYs per 100,000; 95% UI: 2452 to 3546) and Western Europe (1782 DALYs per 100,000; 95% UI: 1523 to 2115). Injury DALY rate was lowest in Italy (1489 DALYs per 100,000) and highest in Ukraine (5553 DALYs per 100,000). The difference in injury DALY rates by country was larger for males compared to females. The DALY rate ratio was highest in 2005, with DALY rate in the lowest-ranking country (Russian Federation) 6.0 times higher compared to the highest-ranking country (Malta). After 2005, the DALY rate ratio between the lowest- and the highest-ranking country gradually decreased to 3.7 in 2019.
Conclusions
Injury mortality and DALY rates were highest in Eastern Europe and lowest in Western Europe, although differences in injury DALY rates declined rapidly, particularly in the past decade. The injury DALY rate ratio of highest- and lowest-ranking country declined from 2005 onwards, indicating declining inequalities in injuries between European countries
Academic domains as political battlegrounds : A global enquiry by 99 academics in the fields of education and technology
No full textAcademic cognition and intelligence are ‘socially distributed’; instead of dwelling inside the single mind of an individual academic or a few academics, they are spread throughout the different minds of all academics. In this article, some mechanisms have been developed that systematically bring together these fragmented pieces of cognition and intelligence. These mechanisms jointly form a new authoring method called ‘crowd-authoring’, enabling an international crowd of academics to co-author a manuscript in an organized way. The article discusses this method, addressing the following question: What are the main mechanisms needed for a large collection of academics to collaborate on the authorship of an article? This question is addressed through a developmental endeavour wherein 101 academics of educational technology from around the world worked together in three rounds by email to compose a short article. Based on this endeavour, four mechanisms have been developed: a) a mechanism for finding a crowd of scholars; b) a mechanism for managing this crowd; c) a mechanism for analyzing the input of this crowd; and d) a scenario for software that helps automate the process of crowd-authoring. The recommendation is that crowd-authoring ought to win the attention of academic communities and funding agencies, because, given the well-connected nature of the contemporary age, the widely and commonly distributed status of academic intelligence and the increasing value of collective and democratic participation, large-scale multi-authored publications are the way forward for academic fields and wider academia in the 21st century.peerReviewe
Global mortality associated with 33 bacterial pathogens in 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
No full textBackground Reducing the burden of death due to infection is an urgent global public health priority. Previous studies have estimated the number of deaths associated with drug-resistant infections and sepsis and found that infections remain a leading cause of death globally. Understanding the global burden of common bacterial pathogens (both susceptible and resistant to antimicrobials) is essential to identify the greatest threats to public health. To our knowledge, this is the first study to present global comprehensive estimates of deaths associated with 33 bacterial pathogens across 11 major infectious syndromes. Methods We estimated deaths associated with 33 bacterial genera or species across 11 infectious syndromes in 2019 using methods from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, in addition to a subset of the input data described in the Global Burden of Antimicrobial Resistance 2019 study. This study included 343 million individual records or isolates covering 11 361 study-location-years. We used three modelling steps to estimate the number of deaths associated with each pathogen: deaths in which infection had a role, the fraction of deaths due to infection that are attributable to a given infectious syndrome, and the fraction of deaths due to an infectious syndrome that are attributable to a given pathogen. Estimates were produced for all ages and for males and females across 204 countries and territories in 2019. 95 uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for final estimates of deaths and infections associated with the 33 bacterial pathogens following standard GBD methods by taking the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles across 1000 posterior draws for each quantity of interest. Findings From an estimated 13.7 million (95 UI 10.9-17.1) infection-related deaths in 2019, there were 7.7 million deaths (5.7-10.2) associated with the 33 bacterial pathogens (both resistant and susceptible to antimicrobials) across the 11 infectious syndromes estimated in this study. We estimated deaths associated with the 33 bacterial pathogens to comprise 13.6 (10.2-18.1) of all global deaths and 56.2 (52.1-60.1) of all sepsis-related deaths in 2019. Five leading pathogens-Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa-were responsible for 54.9 (52.9-56.9) of deaths among the investigated bacteria. The deadliest infectious syndromes and pathogens varied by location and age. The age-standardised mortality rate associated with these bacterial pathogens was highest in the sub-Saharan Africa super-region, with 230 deaths (185-285) per 100 000 population, and lowest in the high-income super-region, with 52.2 deaths (37.4-71.5) per 100 000 population. S aureus was the leading bacterial cause of death in 135 countries and was also associated with the most deaths in individuals older than 15 years, globally. Among children younger than 5 years, S pneumoniae was the pathogen associated with the most deaths. In 2019, more than 6 million deaths occurred as a result of three bacterial infectious syndromes, with lower respiratory infections and bloodstream infections each causing more than 2 million deaths and peritoneal and intra-abdominal infections causing more than 1 million deaths. Interpretation The 33 bacterial pathogens that we investigated in this study are a substantial source of health loss globally, with considerable variation in their distribution across infectious syndromes and locations. Compared with GBD Level 3 underlying causes of death, deaths associated with these bacteria would rank as the second leading cause of death globally in 2019; hence, they should be considered an urgent priority for intervention within the global health community. Strategies to address the burden of bacterial infections include infection prevention, optimised use of antibiotics, improved capacity for microbiological analysis, vaccine development, and improved and more pervasive use of available vaccines. These estimates can be used to help set priorities for vaccine need, demand, and development. Copyright (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license
