Potentialities and priorities for higher educational development in Saudi Arabia for the next decade: Critical reflections of the vision 2030 framework

Contributing to Vision 2030, Saudi higher educational institutions (HEIs) must reform their education system, reevaluate their potentialities, and priorities to support higher education development in achieving the Vision theme. With this goal, several educational innovation projects have been introduced to attain the vision's higher educational development strategic objectives. This study investigates the HEIs' current practices and analyses their achievements and the progress toward achieving the Vision's higher education development goals for the first review cycle (2016-2020) of the Vision. Academic expert interviews and surveys were conducted involving participants from the top ten Saudi universities to know how these institutions contribute to the Vision progress using an innovative approach. Juxtaposing HEIs' potential and priorities with the Vision's higher educational objectives to determine the development progress. The findings reveal that the most sought priorities are the new modern curriculum, industry-based academic learning outcomes, skilled graduates, faculty development, innovative research, foreign universities collaborations, accreditations, and lifelong learning focusing on future skills. The tendency of these priorities works on higher education development, improving professional competency, filling the gaps between higher education outcomes and the growing market needs, revitalizing universities, and linking to knowledge base society. The presented approach will be an effective tool for understanding how specifically these entities contribute toward achieving the vision's targets. It is a significant model for future studies, useful for analyses of higher education potentialities' performances, and enhances readers' understanding.

Flamingo-Optimization-Based Deep Convolutional Neural Network for IoT-Based Arrhythmia Classification

Cardiac arrhythmia is a deadly disease that threatens the lives of millions of people, which shows the need for earlier detection and classification. An abnormal signal in the heart causing arrhythmia can be detected at an earlier stage when the health data from the patient are monitored using IoT technology. Arrhythmias may suddenly lead to death and the classification of arrhythmias is considered a complicated process. In this research, an effective classification model for the classification of heart disease is developed using flamingo optimization. Initially, the ECG signal from the heart is collected and then it is subjected to the preprocessing stage; to detect and control the electrical activity of the heart, the electrocardiogram (ECG) is used. The input signals collected using IoT nodes are collectively presented in the base station for the classification using flamingo-optimization-based deep convolutional networks, which effectively predict the disease. With the aid of communication technologies and the contribution of IoT, medical professionals can easily monitor the health condition of patients. The performance is analyzed in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity.

Prior differences in previous trauma exposure primarily drive the observed racial/ethnic differences in posttrauma depression and anxiety following a recent trauma

BACKGROUND

Racial and ethnic groups in the USA differ in the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recent research however has not observed consistent racial/ethnic differences in posttraumatic stress in the early aftermath of trauma, suggesting that such differences in chronic PTSD rates may be related to differences in recovery over time.

METHODS

As part of the multisite, longitudinal AURORA study, we investigated racial/ethnic differences in PTSD and related outcomes within 3 months after trauma. Participants (n = 930) were recruited from emergency departments across the USA and provided periodic (2 weeks, 8 weeks, and 3 months after trauma) self-report assessments of PTSD, depression, dissociation, anxiety, and resilience. Linear models were completed to investigate racial/ethnic differences in posttraumatic dysfunction with subsequent follow-up models assessing potential effects of prior life stressors.

RESULTS

Racial/ethnic groups did not differ in symptoms over time; however, Black participants showed reduced posttraumatic depression and anxiety symptoms overall compared to Hispanic participants and White participants. Racial/ethnic differences were not attenuated after accounting for differences in sociodemographic factors. However, racial/ethnic differences in depression and anxiety were no longer significant after accounting for greater prior trauma exposure and childhood emotional abuse in White participants.

CONCLUSIONS

The present findings suggest prior differences in previous trauma exposure partially mediate the observed racial/ethnic differences in posttraumatic depression and anxiety symptoms following a recent trauma. Our findings further demonstrate that racial/ethnic groups show similar rates of symptom recovery over time. Future work utilizing longer time-scale data is needed to elucidate potential racial/ethnic differences in long-term symptom trajectories.

303 Adherence to Nil by Mouth Guidelines in A Tertiary Centre

Aim

Fasting before general anaesthetic aims to decrease the volume and acidity of stomach contents during surgery, which therefore reduces the risk of aspiration. This is a second cycle closed loop reaudit which had implemented Nil by mouth (NBM) guidelines during the first cycle as an intervention to improve knowledge. Preoperatively, adult patients should remain fasted for a minimum duration as below:

During the second cycle interventions were included such as: teaching to junior doctors and nurses including specific teaching during induction of new surgical doctors and posters displaying the NBM guidelines were placed in surgical wards. These were carried out despite restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method

The same questionnaire was redistributed amongst staff members (nurses and HCA) throughout various surgical wards and junior doctors. Results were compared with the initial audit during this second cycle to assess whether any improvements had been made after implementation of interventions.

Results

Total number of staff:

Conclusions

A significant improvement in knowledge and understanding of the NBM guidelines was demonstrated with all members of staff and practice was in accordance with NICE guidelines.

Asynchronous learning techniques during the COVID 19 Pandemic

This study aims to summarize the capabilities available in learning techniques that can be used in managing the educational process in all academic disciplines during the Corona pandemic (Covid 19). In this research, the blackboard system and the Moodle system were chosen to highlight the capabilities available in it through three axes: Teaching strategies Used in the administration and delivery of the course, and the evaluation methods that are used to evaluate the performance of students in the course, and the last axis is to ensure the quality of the educational process by following up the educational process from the concerned administration. The study relied on the exploratory descriptive approach to identify the types of teaching strategies used and classify them according to their support for the majors, as well as the methods of evaluation of students ’performance in the course according to the scientific specializations by examining many types of research to sort and classify teaching strategies and evaluation methods for scientific specialties according to the opinions of the studies that have been relied upon. The study revealed that there are about 28 teaching styles that can be used in the four main practical disciplines, which are arts and humanities, education in the medical field, science and engineering, and social sciences. The study also showed the mechanism of implementing these methods through the tools available on the Blackboard Learning Management System and the Moodle Learning Management System.

Efficient resourceful mobile cloud architecture (mRARSA) for resource demanding applications

For mobile clients, sufficient resources with the assurance of efficient performance and energy efficiency are the core concerns. This article mainly considers this need and proposes a resourceful architecture, called mRARSA that addresses the critical need in a mobile cloud environment. This architecture consists of cloud resources, mobile devices, and a set of functional components. The performance efficiency evaluates implementing the proposed context-aware multi-criteria decision offloading algorithm. This algorithm considers both device context (network parameters) and application content (task size) at run time when offloading an executable code to allocate the cloud resources. The appropriate resources select based on offloading decisions and via the wireless communication channels. The architecture’s remarkable component is the signal strength analyzer that determines the signal quality (e.g.-60 dBm) and contributes to performance efficiency. The proposed prototype model has implemented several times to monitor the performance efficiency, mobility, performance at communication barriers, and the outcomes of resource-demanding application’s execution. Results indicate performance improvement, such as the algorithm appropriately decides the cloud resources based on device network context, application content, mobility, and the signal strength quality and range. Moreover, the results also show significant improvement in achieving performance and energy efficiency. Sufficient resources and performance efficiency are the most significant features that distinguish this framework from the other existing frameworks.

Short-term results for laparoscopic ventral rectopexy using biological mesh for pelvic organ prolapse

AIM

There is growing evidence that laparoscopic ventral rectopexy (LVR) is an effective treatment for pelvic organ prolapse and obstructive defaecation caused by rectocele. LVR is usually performed using synthetic mesh despite concerns about mesh erosion. We present our experience of using a porcine dermal collagen mesh (Permacol™) for LVR, which is the largest such case series to date.

METHOD

Data on 65 patients were collected prospectively from May 2008 to October 2010. Outcome measures were complications, recurrence, length of hospital stay, patient satisfaction, Wexner constipation score and Wexner incontinence score. Preoperative and postoperative scores were compared using the two-tailed Wilcoxon signed rank test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

There were statistically significant improvements in the Wexner constipation scores at 6 months and 1 year (both P<0.0001) and in faecal incontinence scores at 6 months (P<0.0001) and 1year (P=0.0002). There were no cases of mesh erosion or mesh-related infection in our series. Recurrence of symptoms occurred in two patients (3.1%). Symptoms were rated as much better or better by 93% of patients at 6months and this was sustained at 1year (96%).

CONCLUSION

In the short term, LVR using biological mesh is safe and as effective as synthetic mesh, with high patient satisfaction. Constipation and faecal incontinence scores were both improved.

Novel mutations in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy from Indian population

BACKGROUND:

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a progressive condition with right ventricular myocardium being replaced by fibro-fatty tissue. The spectrum of the expression may range from benign palpitations to the most malignant sudden death. Most of the mutations identified for the condition are localized in desmosomal proteins although three other nondesmosomal genes (cardiac ryanodine receptor-2, TGF-β3, and TMEM43) have also been implicated in ARVC. Both desmosomal and nondesmosomal genes were screened in a set of patients from local population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

A set of 34 patients from local population were included in this study. Diagnosis was based on the criteria proposed by task force of European Society of Cardiology/International Society and Federation of Cardiology. Polymerase chain reaction-based single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis was carried out, and samples with abnormal band pattern were commercially sequenced.

RESULTS:

Screening of cardiac ryanodine receptor revealed an insertion of a base in the intronic region of exon-28 in a patient, leading to a creation of a cryptic splice site. Screening of plakohilin-2 for mutations revealed an abnormal band pattern in three patients. Two of them had similar abnormal band pattern for exon-3.1. Sequencing revealed a novel 2 base pair deletion (433_434 delCT), which would lead to premature truncation of the protein (L145EfsX8). Another patient showed abnormal band pattern for exon-3.2 and sequencing revealed a missense mutation C792T leading to amino acid change P244L, in N-terminal, and this substitution may cause disturbances in the various protein–protein interactions.

CONCLUSION:

This study reports novel cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR-2) mutations and Pkp-2 for the first time from Indian population.