Arab University Research Articles

Lifetime Weight Cycling and Central Fat Distribution in Females With Obesity: A Brief Report

Weight cycling (WC) is a common phenomenon in patients with obesity, however, its consequence on body composition has not yet been fully understood. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether multiple WC can negatively affect the latter, especially in terms of body fat distribution in female adults seeking treatment that are overweight or obese. Body composition was obtained using a segmental body composition analyser (MC-780MA, Tanita Corp., Tokyo, Japan) in 125 adult females who had been referred to the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the Beirut Arab University (Lebanon). WC was defined as intentional weight loss of ≥3 kg followed by involuntary weight regain of ≥3 kg, and participants were categorized as WC if they had experienced ≥2 cycles. Ninety of the 125 participants met the criteria for WC and displayed a higher total and trunk fat mass than those without WC. This was confirmed through linear regression analysis, showing that multiple WC were associated with increased fat mass (FM) by nearly 4.2 kg (β = 4.23, 95%CI: 0.81–7.65, p = 0.016)–2.4 kg in the trunk region (β = 2.35, 95%CI: 0.786–3.917, p = 0.004) when compared to the non-WC group, after adjusting for age and fat-free mass. In conclusion, multiple WC is associated with increased body fat, especially in the central region. Future studies are needed to examine the impact of this fat distribution on health outcomes in this phenotype of patients.

The Emerging Roles of Faculty Staff in Arab Universities of The Requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

The research aimed to determine the roles developed for faculty members in Arab universities in the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution .to achieve this goal the study employed the descriptive analytical approach, to analyze educational heritage and previous relevant studies to characterize the current reality of the roles of faculty members in Arab universities. Defining the concept of the fourth industrial revolution and its implications for university education and use that to define the most important new roles for faculty members in the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The research reached to define a number of roles developed in the fields of: Teaching and education, Scientific research, social responsibility and community service, leadership and governance, building a knowledge society nurturing and developing creativity, facing the challenges and dilemmas of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, facing Arab reality crises and facing the challenges of the Corona pandemic.

Quality Education Factor Effects on Student Satisfaction in Saudi Arabian Universities

This research examines the level of student satisfaction in Saudi Arabian universities. The research studied factors such as classroom facilities, available courses, learning environment, e-learning methods, type of leadership, and instructor's expertise. Four-hundred students responded to a questionnaire on three different campuses with a 5-point Likert scale. Regression analysis results of student responses showed a significant impact on students’ satisfaction with varying degrees of strength. Most importantly, classroom facilities and instructor expertise had a more substantial effect among all variables, whereas learning environment and type of leadership had the least impact. Hence, university policymakers should focus more on classroom facilities and instructor expertise to increase students’ satisfaction in their universities. Keywords: Classroom facilities, Available courses, Learning environment, E-learning methods, Type of leadership, Instructor's expertise, Education Quality DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-9-10 Publication date: March 31 st 2020

Association Between Reduced Daily Steps and Sarcopenic Obesity in Treatment-Seeking Adults With Obesity.

Objectives: Understanding the condition that describes the coexistence of obesity and sarcopenia, termed sarcopenic obesity (SO), is becoming a scientific and clinical priority. In this study, we aimed to assess the prevalence of SO in treatment-seeking adults with obesity and investigate any potential association between SO and a sedentary lifestyle, expressed in terms of daily steps.Methods: In this cross-sectional, prospective observational study, body composition and daily steps measurements were obtained using a segmental body composition analyser (Tanita BC-418) and an Omron HJ-320 pedometer, respectively, in 111 adults of both genders with obesity (body mass index; BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), referred to the Outpatient Clinic in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Beirut Arab University (BAU) in Lebanon. The participants were then categorized according to the presence of absence of SO, defined as an appendicular lean mass divided by body weight (ALM/weight) × 100%) of less than 23.40 and 29.60 in females and males, respectively.Results: Fifty-five of the 111 participants with obesity, with a mean age of 39.62 ± 16.55 years and a mean BMI of 38.05 ± 5.33 kg/m2 met the criteria for SO and displayed a significantly higher prevalence of inactivity (<5,000 daily steps), i.e., nearly double (54.5% vs. 32.1%; p = 0.017) and they had a lower mean number of daily steps than those in the group without SO (5,279 ± 2,641 vs. 6,732 ± 2,989; p = 0.008). Linear regression analysis showed that SO is associated with a lower number of daily steps by 1,421 (β = −1421.4; −2508.9, −333.9; p = 0.011) after adjusting for age, gender employment and the presence of cardiometabolic disease.Conclusion: Sarcopenic obesity affects nearly 50% of treatment-seeking adults with obesity. Moreover, it seems to be associated with a lower number of daily steps and a sedentary lifestyle. Future studies are needed to clarify whether this may influence clinical outcomes. If this is shown to be the case, weight management programmes should incorporate additional physical activity strategies in this population.

The Impact of Perceived Organizational Support on the Quality of Educational Services at Arab Universities

The current study explored the impact of perceived organizational support on the quality of educational services at Arab universities. The descriptive analytical approach was used with a total sample consisting of 215 participants, from Jizan University, and participants from the International Islamic Sciences University. The results of the study showed that the level of both the perceived organizational support and the quality of educational services in universities, the study sample was medium. The results also showed a significant impact of the perceived organizational support on the quality of educational services at Arab universities. In addition to that, there are significant differences at the level of (&amp;alpha; &amp;le; 0,05) in the quality of educational services level (quality of academic and administrative services, and the quality of facilities and equipment and quality of reputation) at Arab universities that can be attributed to (gender). And no significant differences at the level of (&amp;alpha; &amp;le; 0,05) in the quality of educational services level (Quality of academic services, quality of administrative services, quality of facilities and equipment and quality of reputation) at Arab universities, that can be attributed (to experience and work nature). The study recommended the necessity of raising the level of perceived organizational support and raising the quality of educational services at Arab universities.

The Impact of E-Learning (Distance Learning) Implementation during COVID-19 Virus Pandemic on Intended Learning Outcomes Achievement in Universities

COVID-19 (2019–20 coronavirus) pandemic has affected the educational systems in all the world countries, leading to the near-total closures of universities, colleges and schools. As of 21 March 2020, approximately more than 632 from Arab universities have been affected (closures) in response to the pandemic. According to UNICEF monitoring, 186 countries have implemented nationwide closures and 8 have implemented local closures, impacting about 98.5 percent of the world’s student population.

Sarcopenic Obesity Predicts Early Attrition in Treatment-Seeking Patients with Obesity: A Longitudinal Pilot Study.

Attrition is a major cause of failure in obesity treatment, which is still not fully understood. The identification of factors related to this outcome is of clinical relevance. We aimed to assess the relationship between sarcopenic obesity (SO) and early attrition. Early attrition was assessed at six months, and two groups of patients were selected from a large cohort of participants with overweight or obesity enrolled at the Outpatient Clinic of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Beirut Arab University (Lebanon). Body composition was measured using a bioimpedance analyser (Tanita BC-418) and participants at baseline were categorized as having or not having SO. The “dropout group” included 72 participants (cases) compared to 31 participants (controls) in the “completer group”, with the former displaying a higher prevalence of SO than the latter (51.0% vs. 25.8%; p = 0.016). In the same direction, Poisson regression analysis showed that SO increased the relative risk of dropout by nearly 150% (RR = 1.45; 95% CI = 1.10–1.89; p = 0.007) after adjustment for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), age at first dieting, sedentary habits and weight-loss expectation. In conclusion, in a “real-world” outpatient clinical setting, the presence of SO at baseline increases the risk of dropout at six months. New directions of future research should be focused on identifying new strategies to reduce the attrition rate in this population.

Reforming Undergraduate Statistics Education in the Arab World in the Era of Information

This article is the first to thoroughly investigate the state of undergraduate statistics education in the Arab world. It discusses evidence with respect to the quality of education in general and statistics education in particular. Based on a survey of statistics programs in Arab universities, several issues pertaining to curriculum structure, pedagogical practices, and matching learning outcomes with labor market needs are discussed. The survey results reveal a gap between the undergraduate statistics programs in Arab universities and the international curriculum guidelines. This gap signals the urgent need for reforming and enhancing statistics education to address the needs of the labor market in this era of information. Recommendations and strategic reforms based on best international practices are outlined.

Can Adults Learn Vocabulary through Watching Subtitled Movies? An Experimental Corpus-Based Approach

Visual media are potential sources for second and foreign language acquisition, with several experimental studies examining the incidental learning of vocabulary through watching television. In contrast to previous studies that relied on self-reported use of English language media, the present experimental study explores how a combination of incidental learning (watching English-language movies with English subtitles) and intentional learning (using instructional materials) contribute to the recognition and recall of vocabulary. Furthermore, the study seeks to discover whether the learning of vocabulary in this way also contributes to the learning of parts of speech. Eighty-eight undergraduate learners of English at an Arabic university watched an English-language subtitled movie for two and a half hours. Using a corpus-based sampling approach, learning gains were assessed using a multiple choice receptive task and a fill-in-the-blank productive task. Based on paired sample t-tests and ANOVAs, the results showed that watching an English subtitled movie had a positive effect on the learning of vocabulary, for both recognition and recall; however, study participants scored significantly higher on receptive than productive tasks. Regarding parts of speech, most of the vocabulary items learnt were nouns, followed by verbs and adjectives. The teaching implications of the findings of the study are also discussed.

The Reality of the Meetings of the Academic Councils at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences and its obstacles

The study aimed to identify the reality of following the modern methods in the meetings of the academic councils in Naif Arab University for Security Sciences and its obstacles. The number of the study society reached 102 members of the academic councils in the university. The researcher used the method of the comprehensive sample and using the descriptive method, On the ground, the questionnaire was used to identify the views of the study community on the answer to the three axes of the study, using the Statistical Package Program (SPSS) for analysis and statistical processing. The study reached many conclusions, including: The objectives of the meeting are determined accurately, and the place and time of the meeting are determined in the invitation, and emergency meetings are called when necessary. Delegations are delegated to members, and decisions are taken after consultation with the experts at the meeting. The meeting is concluded on time and to a medium extent of the responses of the study community. Lack of incentives for active members. And the results of the meeting do not send a written letter to the participants, the results of the study showed that the overlap between administrative and academic practices and individual decision-making, the absence of material and moral incentives for members and the lack of a specific time for the end of the meeting are one of the most important difficulties facing the management of meetings. The study reached several recommendations, including: the need to delegate powers to members participating in meetings. Decisions must be made after consultation with the meeting specialists. The need to end the meeting in time for him to stay away from the waste of time. Physical and moral incentives should be provided to the active members of the meetings as they have a significant impact on increased attention and activity in the implementation of the decisions of the meetings. Keywords : Meetings, Academic Councils, Security Sciences DOI : 10.7176/EJBM/12-3-07 Publication date: January 31 st 2020

The Level of Psychological Security among Sample of Nizwa University students in the Sultanate of Oman: مستوى الأمن النفسي لدى عينة من طلبة جامعة نزوى في سلطنة عمان

This study aimed to find out the level of Psychological Security of Nizwa University students and to find out the differences in level of Psychological Security according to gender (males/ females), the sample included (238) males and females. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, the descriptive approach was used. The researcher used the Maslow scale for the sense of Psychological Security and interpolation by Dawani and Dirani (1983) in the Abdullah’s study (1996) after verifying its validity and stability. The study sample (238) students from Nizwa University in the Sultanate of Oman were randomly chosen. The findings of the study could be summarized as the following: there is a high level of Psychological Security with Nizwa University students according to the comprehensive Psychological Security scale with a median (2.24) feeling with Psychological Security compares to threat with average (2.29) and feeling love to hatred with average (2.25) feeling with loyalty to loneliness with average (2.19), there is a significant difference at the level of α=0.05 between males and females in favour of the males. In light of the results, a number of recommendations and proposals were submitted to enhance the level of psychological security among students of the University of Nizwa, and the general Omani and Arab universities.

Mediation Effects of Work Engagement among Arab Faculty Members on the Relationship between Job Demands, Organizational Commitment, and Job Strain

The recent changes in teaching professional activity have undergone a significant increase in the occupational stress of faculty. The present study is an extension of prior studies in investigating Job Demand Resource (JD-R) model by examining two hypothesizes of the mediation effects of work engagement on the relationship between job demands, organizational commitment, and job strain. Job demands variable has been included through three factors namely workload, work ambiguity, and work conflict. The sample includes 177 faculty from several disciplines at an Arab university. Regression analysis was used to test the suggested mediating effects of study variables. The findings designated that work engagement partially mediated between role ambiguity and psychological strain, but this effect has not been reported in the relationship between role conflict and psychological strain. Similarly, partial mediation effects were concluded between role conflict and organizational commitment. The study contributed to analyzing the stressors among academics and how the role of these factors to develop the decision-making processes in higher education institutions.

The Role of Transformational Leadership - Between Challenges and Opportunities - in Applying the Comprehensive Quality at Al-Istiqlal University in Palestine as a Case Study

The study aimed to identify the Role of Transformational Leadership – between Challenges and Opportunities – in Applying the Comprehensive Quality at Al-Istiqlal University in Palestine as a case study. To conduct the study the researcher used the descriptive method and relied on the sources of his data on the previous references and studies in addition to the information available at Al-Istiqlal University. The study examined the extent of applying the comprehensive quality through the academic, administrative and infrastructure fields. The study reached several results; some of them are listed below: 1-Al-Istiqlal University is applying the quality in the field of planning since its inception. It is strategic and operational plans are constantly being updated. The University has evaluated itself (according to the standards and weights guide for quantitative and qualitative indicators of quality assurance and accreditation according to the guide of Arab universities that are members in the union issued in Amman, 2010). It works to evaluate deviations. 2- The University administration holds periodic meetings with the staff to discuss and evaluate the conditions of the University, exchange viewpoints, and suggestions for continuous improvement and development. 3- The University does not have most of its curriculum. The number of faculty members who hold the rank of professor and associate professor is limited compared to the number of teaching staff. The participation of students in the evaluation of curricula, teachers and study plans is not active. 4- The University does not benefit from clean (solar) energy enough. It also does not benefit from fertile agriculture land it owns, and it does not treat sewage water. 5- The number of research papers by teaching staff and students published in refereed international journals is not at the required level. Based on the results of the study, the researcher made the following recommendations: 1-Providing special curricula for the University, giving scientific research more attention, opening promotions for scientific ranks, and the need to focus on the participation of students in evaluating curricula, teachers and study plans. 2- The University must take advantage of clean (solar) energy in the generation of electricity for self-use. as well as the exploitation of fertile agricultural land to grow vegetables and fruits to meet the University needs, and sewage treatment for irrigation. Keywords: Transformational Leadership, Challenges, and Opportunities, comprehensive quality, Al-Istiqlal University. DOI : 10.7176/EJBM/11-36-11 Publication date: December 31 st 2019

The Difficulty of Translating Relative Pronouns From Arabic Into English for a Sample of Saudi Students

The present study aimed at exploring the difficulty of translating relative pronouns from Arabic into English encountered by a sample of Saudi undergraduate students. Besides, the researcher attempted to pinpoint the underlying reasons behind such a difficulty and find practical solutions to it. This qualitative study employed two data collection tools. The first one was a short translation test on relative pronouns given to a random sample of 30 fourth year Saudi undergraduate students at the English Department of the College of Languages and Translation of King Saud University in the first semester of the academic year 2018. The other data collection tool was a semi-structured interview with the research population. The research findings showed that 41.1% of the students could not translate relative pronouns correctly, 80% could not translate the relative pronoun referring to the possessive case into English correctly and 93.3% had difficulty translating the relative pronoun in the accusative case into English. When interviewed, the students gave some reasons for this difficulty such as the different structures of relative pronouns in Arabic and English and lack of match between Arabic and English pronouns. The students also offered some suggestions for overcoming this difficulty such as practicing Arabic-English translation and reading Arabic and English books. As this difficulty proved to be serious, the researcher suggested carrying out some large-scale studies at other Saudi and Arab universities to either confirm its findings or add other insights into the translation of relative pronouns.

Assessment of EFL Writing at the Arab University Level under Scrutiny: A Need for a Writing Rubric

التقييم الانطباعي في المستوى الجامعي العربي، واسلوب تصحيح نتاجات الطلبة التحريرية في امتحاناتهم الموحدة هو المبدأ المتبع. لكن مثل هذه الخطة تنطوي على مشكلة. فقد جرى انتقادها كونها ذاتية وتستند على ميول المدرس وليس على معايير محددة مسبقا وقابلة للأثبات لكي توجه وتبرر قراراتهم في احتساب درجات الطلبة.اخذين بنظر الاعتبار هذه الحالة، فان الغرض من هذا البحث هو تطوير أداة ذات معايير محددة كبديل للتقييم الانطباعي الحالي استخلصت من أفضل جوانب الدراسات الحالية ذات العلاقة. ولتحقيق هذه الغاية، استقصت الدراسة النقاشات المؤيدة والمعارضة لكلا اسلوبيٌ التقييم، التحليلي والشمولي المستخدمين حاليا. تنبع اهمية هذه الدراسة من عدة جوانب: الاول: تزود الاداة المقترحة لمدرسي الكتابة في العالم العربي عموما والعراق على وجه الخصوص بأداة لتوجيههم للقيام بمهمة تقييم وتصحيح اعمال الطلاب التحريرية مما ينتج عنها نتائج ذات مصداقية ومقبولية. ثانيا: هناك القليل من الدراسات التي اجريت في هذا المجال على المستوى الجامعي العربي. لذلك فان هذه الدراسة هي محاولة لتوسيع الدراسات الحالية في هذا المجال. ثالثا: كما انها كشفت عن العديد من الفرص للقيام بالبحوث والتقصي عن اهمية تطبيق الاداة المقترحة في تقييم وتصحيح الكتابة مقارنة بالتقييم الانطباعي الحالي. وأبرز هذا البحث ان أسلوب التقييم المقترح لها نتائج عملية. واختتم البحث باستنتاج الكلمات المفتاحية: قاعدة تصحيح الكتابة، خطة التصحيح الشاملة، خطة التصحيح التحليلية وقاعدة التصحيح المقترحة.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Foreign Terms in the Daily Arabic Discourse of Arab University Students

This study investigates the presence of foreign terms, especially communication-oriented ones, in the daily Arabic discourse of University students. Data in the study were culled from 70 university students in two stages. Data obtained from the first stage of elicitation were made into a survey that comprises foreign terms together with their Arabic counterparts. The second stage involved distributing the survey to 50 freshman University students at the AOU, Kuwait. The students were to select the terms that they use in their daily Arabic communication, i.e., Arabic or English. The findings of the analysis reveal that the English terms emerged as the vividly dominant code of communication in Arabic conversations as far as the terms in the study are concerned. The paper delineates the results of the analysis. The implications of this research will be important in the area of Arabicization and the role of the Arabic language Academies in maximizing their efforts toward Arabicization in this age of technological revolution.&#x0D; Key words: Arabic, foreign words, English, equivalents.&#x0D;

Isolation and Identification of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium from Sheep in Baghdad city

One hundred fifty fecal samples of sheep were collected from September, 2017-March, 2018 in Baghdad city areas (Abu-Grab zone, Dora zone, Saydyia zone, Arab jbure zone, Al-Usfia zone, Al-Fudhalia zone and College Veterinary medicine –University of Baghdad). Samples were cultured on MacConkey and Eosine Methylene Blue agar for E.coli isolation, Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate and Salmonella –Shigella agar for S. typhimurium isolation. Results showed high percent (78.57%) of infection in female of E.coli than 68.42% in Salmonella typhimurium. E.coli was recovered with an infection rate 93.33% in Al-Fudhalia area, and S. typhimurium with an infection rate 12.66% in Arab Jbur. Also, the results showed an infection rate of E.coli 78.75% (110/140) and 21.43% (30/140), and S. typhimurium was recovered in 68.42% (13/19) and 31.58% (6/19) in females and males respectively .

A framework for the Saudi universities governance to achieve competitive advantage in decision making according to the aspirations of Vision 2030

The research aimed at identifying the level of applying the governance decisions at the Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University to achieve the competitive advantage in making decisions the decisions under the vision of the Kingdom 2030, identifying the requirements of its application and identifying the level of achievement of competitive advantage at the University of Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic under the vision of the Kingdom 2030. The research is based on the analytical descriptive approach. The study’s society is composed of all administrative and academic leaderships at the Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The sample was limited to 63 people. The questionnaire consisted of three axes (the governance of Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, the requirements of applying governance at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, and the level of availability of competitive advantage in decision making at the Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University) in light of the vision of the Kingdom of 2030. The results of the study were as follows: the relative weights of the respondents' responses ranged from (61.9%- 79.4%), and the total score of their responses on this axis was 74.2%. The relative weights of the responses of the sample respondents ranged on the second axis: the requirements for applying governance at the Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in the light of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 ranged from 65.4% to 82.2%, the total score for their responses on this axis was 76.4%, and the relative weights of the responses of the sample respondents ranged on the third axis: the level of availability of the competitive advantage in decision- making at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in view of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 ranged from 60.6% to 76.8%, and the total score of their responses on this axis was 69.5%. In the light of the previous results, the study recommended the need to adopt the governance of universities as an administrative system in all Saudi and Arab universities, and provide all the necessary requirements for their application.

The roles of librarians and academic in Information literacy programs

The aim of this research is to present the experience of the Shamaa Foundation in the establishment of 10 training courses in information awareness for students of master's and doctoral degrees in the faculties of education in various Arab government universities, entitled "The use of educational resources". It offers a unique experience in seven Arab countries: Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and the UAE. It was an opportunity to seek out the students’ needs for knowledge. It also shows what library professionals can offer to develop scientific research. The research examines the content of the training courses in the light of the new vision of information literacy, as defined by global associations and by experts in library science; it discusses the possibility of integrating librarians in the educational process in Arab universities in the light of experience. It shows that training in information literacy needs to combine the efforts of Faculty members and librarians. It highlights the importance of the role of the librarians and improves their position in the educational institution. However, psychological and institutional barriers in several Arab universities hinder the integration of the library staff into the educational process. Information literacy programs should introduce the necessary skills for synthesizing and reviewing scientific literature in order to produce new knowledge.

On the quantification of collapse margin of a retrofitted university building in Beirut using a probabilistic approach

The scope of this study is to investigate the feasibility and performance of several retrofitting techniques on an existing building in Beirut Arab University (BAU). The implemented retrofitting techniques were adding RC shear walls (SW) and steel bracing systems. Simulation and analysis procedures were performed in a nonlinear platform. Models are designed based on ACI 318-14 and ANSI/AISC 360-10 for concrete and steel, respectively. Non-linear time history analysis (NL-THA), non-linear static analysis (NL-SA) and collapse margin ratio are carried out to evaluate the performance of existing and retrofitted structures. Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) curves are then generated and used to develop the seismic fragility curves. Three different strong ground motions are used in the analyses by referring to the UBC 1997 requirement. The IDA curves are compared based on five performance levels; operational phase (OP), immediate occupancy (IO), damage control (DC), life safety (LS), and collapse prevention (CP). The fragility curves and the calculated CMRs indicated that the shear wall and steel bracing systems both provide good seismic improvement and are able to achieve strengthening solution targets for an existing building system; however, the performance of RC-SW system under seismic excitation was much better. To this, RC-SW is considered as the most appropriate technique for retrofitting the main building of Beirut Arab University.