Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University

Uncertain times require prompt reflexes to survive and this study is a collaborative reflex to better understand uncertainty and navigate through it. The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic hit hard and interrupted many dimensions of our lives, particularly education. As a response to interruption of education due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this study is a collaborative reaction that narrates the overall view, reflections from the K12 and higher educational landscape, lessons learned and suggestions from a total of 31 countries across the world with a representation of 62.7% of the whole world population. In addition to the value of each case by country, the synthesis of this research suggests that the current practices can be defined as emergency remote education and this practice is different from planned practices such as distance education, online learning or other derivations. Above all, this study points out how social injustice, inequity and the digital divide have been exacerbated during the pandemic and need unique and targeted measures if they are to be addressed. While there are support communities and mechanisms, parents are overburdened between regular daily/professional duties and emerging educational roles, and all parties are experiencing trauma, psychological pressure and anxiety to various degrees, which necessitates a pedagogy of care, affection and empathy. In terms of educational processes, the interruption of education signifies the importance of openness in education and highlights issues that should be taken into consideration such as using alternative assessment and evaluation methods as well as concerns about surveillance, ethics, and data privacy resulting from nearly exclusive dependency on online solutions.

In the last four decades, nanotechnology has gained momentum with no sign of slowing down. The application of inventions or products from nanotechnology has revolutionised all aspects of everyday life ranging from medical applications to its impact on the food industry. Nanoparticles have made it possible to significantly extend the shelf lives of food product, improve intracellular delivery of hydrophobic drugs and improve the efficacy of specific therapeutics such as anticancer agents. As a consequence, nanotechnology has not only impacted the global standard of living but has also impacted the global economy. In this review, the characteristics of nanoparticles that confers them with suitable and potentially toxic biological effects, as well as their applications in different biological fields and nanoparticle-based drugs and delivery systems in biomedicine including nano-based drugs currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are discussed. The possible consequence of continuous exposure to nanoparticles due to the increased use of nanotechnology and possible solution is also highlighted.

Abstract Chatbots hold the promise of revolutionizing education by engaging learners, personalizing learning activities, supporting educators, and developing deep insight into learners’ behavior. However, there is a lack of studies that analyze the recent evidence-based chatbot-learner interaction design techniques applied in education. This study presents a systematic review of 36 papers to understand, compare, and reflect on recent attempts to utilize chatbots in education using seven dimensions: educational field, platform, design principles, the role of chatbots, interaction styles, evidence, and limitations. The results show that the chatbots were mainly designed on a web platform to teach computer science, language, general education, and a few other fields such as engineering and mathematics. Further, more than half of the chatbots were used as teaching agents, while more than a third were peer agents. Most of the chatbots used a predetermined conversational path, and more than a quarter utilized a personalized learning approach that catered to students’ learning needs, while other chatbots used experiential and collaborative learning besides other design principles. Moreover, more than a third of the chatbots were evaluated with experiments, and the results primarily point to improved learning and subjective satisfaction. Challenges and limitations include inadequate or insufficient dataset training and a lack of reliance on usability heuristics. Future studies should explore the effect of chatbot personality and localization on subjective satisfaction and learning effectiveness.

Uncertain times require prompt reflexes to survive and this study is a collaborative reflex to better understand uncertainty and navigate through it. The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic hit hard and interrupted many dimensions of our lives, particularly education. As a response to interruption of education due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this study is a collaborative reaction that narrates the overall view, reflections from the K12 and higher educational landscape, lessons learned and suggestions from a total of 31 countries across the world with a representation of 62.7% of the whole world population. In addition to the value of each case by country, the synthesis of this research suggests that the current practices can be defined as emergency remote education and this practice is different from planned practices such as distance education, online learning or other derivations. Above all, this study points out how social injustice, inequity and the digital divide have been exacerbated during the pandemic and need unique and targeted measures if they are to be addressed. While there are support communities and mechanisms, parents are overburdened between regular daily/professional duties and emerging educational roles, and all parties are experiencing trauma, psychological pressure and anxiety to various degrees, which necessitates a pedagogy of care, affection and empathy. In terms of educational processes, the interruption of education signifies the importance of openness in education and highlights issues that should be taken into consideration such as using alternative assessment and evaluation methods as well as concerns about surveillance, ethics, and data privacy resulting from nearly exclusive dependency on online solutions.

This paper presents a comprehensive study of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and transfer learning in the context of medical imaging. Medical imaging plays a critical role in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and CNN-based models have demonstrated significant improvements in image analysis and classification tasks. Transfer learning, which involves reusing pre-trained CNN models, has also shown promise in addressing challenges related to small datasets and limited computational resources. This paper reviews the advantages of CNN and transfer learning in medical imaging, including improved accuracy, reduced time and resource requirements, and the ability to address class imbalances. It also discusses challenges, such as the need for large and diverse datasets, and the limited interpretability of deep learning models. What factors contribute to the success of these networks? How are they fashioned, exactly? What motivated them to build the structures that they did? Finally, the paper presents current and future research directions and opportunities, including the development of specialized architectures and the exploration of new modalities and applications for medical imaging using CNN and transfer learning techniques. Overall, the paper highlights the significant potential of CNN and transfer learning in the field of medical imaging, while also acknowledging the need for continued research and development to overcome existing challenges and limitations.

Biochar is gaining significant attention due to its potential for carbon (C) sequestration, improvement of soil health, fertility enhancement, and crop productivity and quality. In this review, we discuss the most common available techniques for biochar production, the main physiochemical properties of biochar, and its effects on soil health, including physical, chemical, and biological parameters of soil quality and fertility, nutrient leaching, salt stress, and crop productivity and quality. In addition, the impacts of biochar addition on salt-affected and heavy metal contaminated soils were also reviewed. An ample body of literature supports the idea that soil amended with biochar has a high potential to increase crop productivity due to the concomitant improvement in soil structure, high nutrient use efficiency (NUE), aeration, porosity, and water-holding capacity (WHC), among other soil amendments. However, the increases in crop productivity in biochar-amended soils are most frequently reported in the coarse-textured and sandy soils compared with the fine-textured and fertile soils. Biochar has a significant effect on soil microbial community composition and abundance. The negative impacts that salt-affected and heavy metal polluted soils have on plant growth and yield and on components of soil quality such as soil aggregation and stability can be ameliorated by the application of biochar. Moreover, most of the positive impacts of biochar application have been observed when biochar was applied with other organic and inorganic amendments and fertilizers. Biochar addition to the soil can decrease the nitrogen (N) leaching and volatilization as well as increase NUE. However, some potential negative effects of biochar on microbial biomass and activity have been reported. There is also evidence that biochar addition can sorb and retain pesticides for long periods of time, which may result in a high weed infestation and control cost.

There has been an increasing demand for the development of nanocarriers targeting multiple diseases with a broad range of properties. Due to their tiny size, giant surface area and feasible targetability, nanocarriers have optimized efficacy, decreased side effects and improved stability over conventional drug dosage forms. There are diverse types of nanocarriers that have been synthesized for drug delivery, including dendrimers, liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, polymersomes, polymer-drug conjugates, polymeric nanoparticles, peptide nanoparticles, micelles, nanoemulsions, nanospheres, nanocapsules, nanoshells, carbon nanotubes and gold nanoparticles, etc. Several characterization techniques have been proposed and used over the past few decades to control and predict the behavior of nanocarriers both in vitro and in vivo. In this review, we describe some fundamental in vitro, ex vivo, in situ and in vivo characterization methods for most nanocarriers, emphasizing their advantages and limitations, as well as the safety, regulatory and manufacturing aspects that hinder the transfer of nanocarriers from the laboratory to the clinic. Moreover, integration of artificial intelligence with nanotechnology, as well as the advantages and problems of artificial intelligence in the development and optimization of nanocarriers, are also discussed, along with future perspectives.

Heavy-metal (HM) pollution is considered a leading source of environmental contamination. Heavy-metal pollution in ground water poses a serious threat to human health and the aquatic ecosystem. Conventional treatment technologies to remove the pollutants from wastewater are usually costly, time-consuming, environmentally destructive, and mostly inefficient. Phytoremediation is a cost-effective green emerging technology with long-lasting applicability. The selection of plant species is the most significant aspect for successful phytoremediation. Aquatic plants hold steep efficiency for the removal of organic and inorganic pollutants. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) and Duck weed (Lemna minor) along with some other aquatic plants are prominent metal accumulator plants for the remediation of heavy-metal polluted water. The phytoremediation potential of the aquatic plant can be further enhanced by the application of innovative approaches in phytoremediation. A summarizing review regarding the use of aquatic plants in phytoremediation is gathered in order to present the broad applicability of phytoremediation.

Global epidemic crises, such as the coronavirus (COVID-19), usually expose small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to various kinds of challenges and may put their lives at risk. This study aims to develop a theoretical model to provide insights about the association between innovation practices and the SMEs' performance and survival while underlining the auxiliary role of external support in such a relationship. Online questionnaire has been used to collect the data from 259 randomly selected SME managers in Saudi Arabia, and the data was analyzed using the SmartPLS3 software. The structural equation modeling results showed that the innovation practices adopted by SMEs to face the repercussions of COVID-19 had a positive impact on the performance and likelihood of business survival. PLS-SEM bootstrap results indicated that external support aids strengthen the positive impact of SMEs' innovation practices on business survival rather than its performance. The study has several significant practical implications for SME managers, governments, and policy makers that have been stated.

This study critically analyzes the state-of-the-art of food waste in the hospitality and food services (HaFS) sector body of literature. It uses a systematic literature review (SLR) approach implemented through search, evaluation, and synthesis of peer-reviewed articles. The primary focus is on uncovering key research themes and gaps in the extant knowledge to edify and advance a future research agenda. Content analysis is used to aggregate the selected articles around nine themes representing various aspects of food waste. The themes range from the causes of waste generation to leftover handling and waste reduction. Additionally, extensive research profiling is undertaken to present summary statistics of the selected articles in terms of research design, methods of data analysis, variables investigated, and the theoretical lens used. The SLR raises some interesting research questions and offers actionable inferences for practice. The study concludes with a framework that brings the findings together to inform future empirical research in the area.

Abstract: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major human pathogen and a historically emergent zoonotic pathogen with public health and veterinary importance. In humans, MRSA commonly causes severe infectious diseases, including food poisoning, pyogenic endocarditis, suppurative pneumonia, otitis media, osteomyelitis, and pyogenic infections of the skin, soft tissues. In the horse, MRSA could cause a localized purulent infection and botryomycosis; in cattle and ewe, localized pyogenic infection and severe acute mastitis with marked toxemia; in sheep, abscess disease resembles caseous lymphadenitis caused by anaerobic strains; in dogs and cats, pustular dermatitis and food poisoning; in pig, exudative epidermatitis “greasy pig disease; in birds, MRSA causes bumble-foot. The methicillin resistance could be determined by PCR-based detection of the mec A gene as well as resistance to cefoxitin. In Egypt, MRSA is one of the important occasions of subclinical and clinical bovine mastitis, and the prevalence of MRSA varies by geographical region. In this review, we are trying to illustrate variable data about the host susceptibility, diseases, epidemiology, virulence factors, antibiotic resistance, treatment, and control of MRSA infection. Keywords: MRSA, One Health Approach, pathogenicity, virulence factors, epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance, treatment

There is a need for a more innovative fertilizer approach that can increase the productivity of agricultural systems and be more environmentally friendly than synthetic fertilizers. In this article, we reviewed the recent development and potential benefits derived from the use of nanofertilizers (NFs) in modern agriculture. NFs have the potential to promote sustainable agriculture and increase overall crop productivity, mainly by increasing the nutrient use efficiency (NUE) of field and greenhouse crops. NFs can release their nutrients at a slow and steady pace, either when applied alone or in combination with synthetic or organic fertilizers. They can release their nutrients in 40-50 days, while synthetic fertilizers do the same in 4-10 days. Moreover, NFs can increase the tolerance of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses. Here, the advantages of NFs over synthetic fertilizers, as well as the different types of macro and micro NFs, are discussed in detail. Furthermore, the application of NFs in smart sustainable agriculture and the role of NFs in the mitigation of biotic and abiotic stress on plants is presented. Though NF applications may have many benefits for sustainable agriculture, there are some concerns related to the release of nanoparticles (NPs) from NFs into the environment, with the subsequent detrimental effects that this could have on both human and animal health. Future research should explore green synthesized and biosynthesized NFs, their safe use, bioavailability, and toxicity concerns.

BACKGROUND: Addiction to smartphone usage is a common worldwide problem among adults, which might negatively affect their wellbeing. This study investigated the prevalence and factors associated with smartphone addiction and depression among a Middle Eastern population. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017 using a web-based questionnaire distributed via social media. Responses to the Smartphone Addiction Scale - Short version (10-items) were rated on a 6-point Likert scale, and their percentage mean score (PMS) was commuted. Responses to Beck's Depression Inventory (20-items) were summated (range 0-60); their mean score (MS) was commuted and categorized. Higher scores indicated higher levels of addiction and depression. Factors associated with these outcomes were identified using descriptive and regression analyses. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Complete questionnaires were 935/1120 (83.5%), of which 619 (66.2%) were females and 316 (33.8%) were males. The mean ± standard deviation of their age was 31.7 ± 11 years. Majority of participants obtained university education 766 (81.9%), while 169 (18.1%) had school education. The PMS of addiction was 50.2 ± 20.3, and MS of depression was 13.6 ± 10.0. A significant positive linear relationship was present between smart phone addiction and depression (y = 39.2 + 0.8×; P < 0.001). Significantly higher smartphone addiction scores were associated with younger age users, (β = - 0.203, adj. P = 0.004). Factors associated with higher depression scores were school educated users (β = - 2.03, adj. P = 0.01) compared to the university educated group and users with higher smart phone addiction scores (β =0.194, adj. P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The positive correlation between smartphone addiction and depression is alarming. Reasonable usage of smart phones is advised, especially among younger adults and less educated users who could be at higher risk of depression.

The effect of sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations (0.0, 60, 120, 240 mM) on growth, osmotic potential, chlorophyll content, protein content of (Vicia faba L.) seedlings was investigated. NaCl caused an increase in plant height with low and medium concentrations and a decrease with the highest concentration, in both measurement periods. No significant effect was observed in the number of leaves or leaf area with low concentration, while a decrease was noticed for each, with two higher concentrations and in both measurement periods. Salinity increased both fresh and dry weights of the shoot in the two measurement periods. Osmotic potential (O.P.) showed a significant decrease with the increase in concentrations, and in the duration of the stress periods. Salinity significantly reduced chlorophyll ‘a’ content in both measurement periods. It also significantly reduced chlorophyll ‘b’, total chl., and carotenoids contents after ten days of treatment. An increase was observed in the protein content in the two measurement periods due to the impact of salinity stress. A directly proportional relationship was found between protein content and the increase in salt concentrations in the first measurement period, while it was inversely proportional in the second.

Although trace elements are essential for life, environmental contamination due to metal accumulation and overuse in various sectors, such as healthcare, agriculture, industry, and cosmetics, poses significant health concerns. Exposure of plants to heavy metals leads to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to their ability to change mitochondrial membrane permeability and restrict the action of ROS clearance enzymes in the cellular antioxidant system. The interaction of ROS with cellular membranes, heavy-metal-induced interactions directly or indirectly with different macromolecules, and signaling pathways leads to the accumulation of environmental pollutants and oxidative stress in exposed organisms. The heavy metal-ROS-cell signaling axis affects various pathological processes such as ATP depletion, excess ROS production, mitochondrial respiratory chain damage, decoupling of oxidative phosphorylation, and mitochondrial death. This review focuses on discussing the toxic effects of different heavy metals on plants, with particular emphasis on oxidative stress, its consequences, and mitigation strategies.

The concentration of some heavy metals Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and Hg in various vegetables (roots, stems, leafy, fruits, cereals and legumes) grown in four major industrial and urban cities (Tabouk, Riyadh, Damamm and Jazan) in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was assessed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The obtained results declared that concentrations of major studied metals were exceeding than the recommended maximum acceptable levels proposed by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. Leafy vegetables were found to contain the highest metals values especially parsley (543.2 and 0.048 μg/g for Fe and Hg respectively), Jews mallow (94.12 and 33.22 μg/g for Mn and Zn respectively), spinach (4.13 μg/g for Cd). While peas in legumes group maintained the highest Zn content 71.77 μg/g and finally cucumber had the highest Pb content 6.98 μg/g on dry matter basis. High concentrations of heavy metals in different parts of the vegetables might be related to their concentration in the polluted air with industrial activities especially in middle and eastern districts. The study concludes that atmospheric depositions and marketing systems of vegetables play a significant role in elevating the levels of heavy metals in vegetables having potential health hazards to consumers of locally produced foodstuffs.

OBJECTIVES: Saudi Arabia has recently witnessed enormous economic growth accompanied by undesirable lifestyle behaviors, along with an associated increase in non-communicable diseases (NCD's). This systematic review presents a comprehensive and an updated overview of the status of physical activity (PA) or inactivity among the Saudi population and examines the major barriers and correlates of PA. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted using MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases. The electronic search yielded an initial 434 articles. However, the majority of these articles were eliminated because they did not meet the inclusion criteria. The remaining relevant papers were 65 articles that became the bases for this review. RESULTS: The majority of Saudi children, youth and adults were not active enough to meet the recommended guidelines for moderate to vigorous PA. Saudi females were disproportionately less active than males, beginning from early school years. The proportions of Saudis who are at risk of inactivity are exceedingly higher than those at risk for other coronary heart diseases. Active Saudi boys tend to have favorable levels of blood lipids and body composition profile compared to inactive boys. Increased urbanization, crowded traffic, extreme weather, cultural barriers, lack of social support, the absence of female school PA program and lack of time and resources, all make PA a difficult choice for the Saudis. CONCLUSION: More intensified efforts toward promoting PA and reducing sedentary behaviors among the Saudi population are needed to curtail the risks of NCD's.

The unique biological and physicochemical characteristics of biogenic (green-synthesized) nanomaterials (NMs) have attracted significant interest in different fields, with applications in the agrochemical, food, medication delivery, cosmetics, cellular imaging, and biomedical industries. To synthesize biogenic nanomaterials, green synthesis techniques use microorganisms, plant extracts, or proteins as bio-capping and bio-reducing agents and their role as bio-nanofactories for material synthesis at the nanoscale size. Green chemistry is environmentally benign, biocompatible, nontoxic, and economically effective. By taking into account the findings from recent investigations, we shed light on the most recent developments in the green synthesis of nanomaterials using different types of microbes and plants. Additionally, we cover different applications of green-synthesized nanomaterials in the food and textile industries, water treatment, and biomedical applications. Furthermore, we discuss the future perspectives of the green synthesis of nanomaterials to advance their production and applications.

The alcoholic extracts of eight plants namely Lycium shawii, Teucrium oliverianum, Ochradenus baccatus, Anvillea garcinii, Cassia italica, Artemisia sieberi, Carthamus tinctorius, and Tripleurospermum auriculatum grown in Saudi Arabia were studied for their corrosion inhibitive effect on mild steel in 0.5 M HCl media using the open circuit potential (OCP), Tafel plots and A.C. impedance methods. All the plant extracts inhibited the corrosion of mild steel in acidic media through adsorption and act as mixed-type inhibitors.

Nanomaterials and nanoparticles are a burgeoning field of research and a rapidly expanding technology sector in a wide variety of application domains. Nanomaterials have made exponential progress due to their numerous uses in a variety of fields, particularly the advancement of engineering technology. Nanoparticles are divided into various groups based on the size, shape, and structural morphology of their bodies. The 21st century's defining feature of nanoparticles is their application in the design and production of semiconductor devices made of metals, metal oxides, carbon allotropes, and chalcogenides. For the researchers, these materials then opened a new door to a variety of applications, including energy storage, catalysis, and biosensors, as well as devices for conversion and medicinal uses. For chemical and thermal applications, ZnO is one of the most stable n-type semiconducting materials available. It is utilised in a wide range of products, from luminous materials to batteries, supercapacitors, solar cells to biomedical photocatalysis sensors, and it may be found in a number of forms, including pellets, nanoparticles, bulk crystals, and thin films. The distinctive physiochemical characteristics of semiconducting metal oxides are particularly responsible for this. ZnO nanostructures differ depending on the synthesis conditions, growth method, growth process, and substrate type. A number of distinct growth strategies for ZnO nanostructures, including chemical, physical, and biological methods, have been recorded. These nanostructures may be synthesized very simply at very low temperatures. This review focuses on and summarizes recent achievements in fabricating semiconductor devices based on nanostructured materials as 2D materials as well as rapidly developing hybrid structures. Apart from this, challenges and promising prospects in this research field are also discussed.