Browsing by Author "Alanazi, Sultan"

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Beliefs of Male Elementary School Special Education and General Education Teachers Regarding Full Inclusion for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Saudi Arabia
(University of South Florida, 2024-05-01) Alanazi, Sultan; Ann, Cranston-Gingras
The current educational settings for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Saudi Arabia consist of special institutions for students with intellectual disabilities and special classrooms within public schools. The Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia is interested in full inclusion for students with ASD because of the social, psychological, and educational benefits it can provide them. One crucial factor for achieving full inclusion is considering elementary teachers’ perceptions and beliefs toward full inclusion, as they are one of the primary stakeholders in this venture. Therefore, elementary general education and special education teachers’ beliefs regarding full inclusion for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Saudi Arabia were examined through this study. The participants of the study consisted of four general education teachers and four special education teachers. The study used a qualitative interview design to gather data. Each participant was interviewed three times. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data which resulted in four themes: (a) lack of knowledge (b) low self-efficacy (c) inadequate preparation for implementing inclusion and (d) cultural influences. Participants who had prior experience with people with disabilities reported positive beliefs and high self-efficacy regarding inclusion for students with ASD in general education classrooms while those with no experience had the opposite. The findings also indicate that there are more similarities than differences among Saudi male general and special education teachers regarding their perceptions of ASD inclusion. Both groups cited a lack of information, unclear policies related to inclusion, and limited professional development as barriers to full inclusion with general education teachers noting a lack of knowledge about ASD and its impact on student performance as further impediments.
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Development of a core domain set for ankle osteoarthritis: An international consensus
(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-11-28) Alanazi, Sultan; Smith, Michelle
Ankle osteoarthritis (OA), a disabling condition characterised by severe pain, disability and poor quality of life, lacks high-quality clinical trials and evidence-informed clinical practice guidelines. A barrier to synthesising clinical trial research on ankle OA is the heterogeneity of outcome measures. As a first step towards synthesising the clinical trial research, this thesis aimed, through five studies, to develop an internationally agreed-upon core domain set – a minimum set of health-related domains that should be measured and reported – for clinical trials on ankle OA. This will standardise the reporting of outcome measures in ankle OA, facilitate data synthesis and lead to evidence-informed clinical practice guidelines. Study 1 systematically reviewed the literature on outcome measures in ankle OA research and proposed 19 aligned health-related domains. The review included 547 studies reporting 250 outcome measures. The large number of disparate outcome measures confirmed a lack of agreement on which outcome measures should be reported in clinical trials of ankle OA. The most commonly used outcome measures (reported ≥10 times) were grouped into a list of 19 preliminary domains according to the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology core areas (life impact, pathophysiological manifestations/abnormalities, death/adverse events and resource use). Study 2 explored the lived experiences of 23 individuals with symptomatic ankle OA through semi-structured interviews and canvassed potential domains from their perspectives. Thematic analysis of the interview data provided insights into the impact of the condition and identified five main themes: (1) pain, often severe, is a central feature of living with ankle OA; (2) stiffness and swelling are key symptoms; (3) mobility impairments induced by ankle OA compromise enjoyment of life; (4) instability and balance impairments caused by ankle OA lead to concerns about falling; and (5) living with ankle OA has financial implications. Seventeen additional domains to those identified in Study 1 were proposed. Study 3 complemented the findings of Studies 1 and 2 by investigating the perspectives of international multidisciplinary healthcare professionals (HCPs) on the main problems in patients with ankle OA. Four themes emerged from a thematic analysis: (1) people with ankle OA have difficulty with weight-bearing activities; (2) symptoms of pain and stiffness predominate, alongside swelling, instability, weakness and poor balance; (3) chronic pain in ankle OA has psychosocial consequences; and (4) the loss of independence/activities of daily living compromises quality of life. Fifteen potential domains were proposed from the interview data. In Study 4, an international multidisciplinary steering committee reviewed the candidate domains generated from the previous studies and endorsed them for use in an online Delphi study, which aimed to reach consensus on a core domain set for ankle OA with the involvement of 75 HCPs and 25 individuals with ankle OA from 18 countries across four continents. It involved three rounds of online questionnaires and a subsequent online consensus meeting. Consensus was a priori defined as ≥70% agreement that a domain should or should not be included in a core domain set for ankle OA. After the three online questionnaires and the consensus meeting, a set of five core domains was agreed upon: (1) pain severity, (2) health-related quality of life, (3) function, (4) disability and (5) range of motion. Participants were undecided on three of the proposed domains (ankle instability, physical capacity and mental health) and agreed that the remaining 21 domains should not be included in the core domain set. Study 5 was a systematic review of six studies of the measurement properties (clinimetrics/psychometrics) of 10 pain assessment tools, undertaken as a subsequent step in determining which outcome measurement tools are appropriate for the pain domains of the ankle OA core domain set developed in Study 4. The COnsensus-based Standards for the Selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) methodology was followed to assess/review the clinimetric/psychometric properties of pain severity in individuals with ankle OA. As the review revealed very low-quality evidence of content validity and undetermined internal consistency, no pain measurement tool was recommended for use. The paucity of research on the clinimetric properties of pain measurement tools for individuals with ankle OA indicates a need for high-quality research to develop tools with acceptable validity. This thesis has established an evidence-based, internationally agreed-upon core domain set for ankle OA, which will guide the selection of domains that should be measured and reported in clinical trials on ankle OA. Future research is needed to ascertain the outcome measurement instruments/tools that should be used to represent each core domain.
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SUSTAINABILITY OF LITHIUM-ION BATTERY TECHNOLOGY IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A CRITICAL ANALAYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO REDUCE EMISSIONS
(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-12-23) Alanazi, Sultan; Qureshi, Athar
Despite the growing adoption of Lithium-ion Battery (Li+Bs), there are few studies that have conducted an in-depth examination of the sustainability of batteries at each stage of its lifecycle whereby the key stages include production, material sourcing, use, and end-of-life management. This research examines the sustainability of Lithium-ion battery (Li+Bs) technology in electric vehicles (EVs). Analysis of the Lithium-ion battery value chain reveals that the production stage contributes the most to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, particularly during raw material extraction and processing. Aluminium and copper, used in battery components, are found to be significant pollutants due to their energy-intensive production processes. Furthermore, safety concerns arise at various stages, from production to recycling, with issues like thermal runaway and potential short-circuiting posing significant challenges. This research explored various pathways such as upscaling production, employing renewable energy in cell manufacturing, and enhancing battery energy density show promise in reducing emissions and improving overall sustainability. It is found that upscaling has the greatest impact in reducing GHG emissions across the Li+Bs value chain (56%), followed by adoption of renewable energy (45%), sustainable procurement and recycling (36%), greater density of battery energy (29%), increase in battery lifetime (29%), sustainable electrode materials (28%), substitute electrolytes (26%) and redesign of battery packs and cells (22%). The findings highlight the relevance of various pathways and options available to enhance the sustainability of Lithium-ion battery technology in EVs. This research provides recommendations stemming from the study and past practical experience in industries that advocate for a multidimensional approach towards a greener Lithium-ion battery value chain. Upscaling of production facilities and transitioning to renewable energy sources for battery manufacturing are essential first steps. In addition, sustainable procurement strategies, investments in comprehensive recycling systems, and focused research & development efforts targeting improvements in battery performance, efficiency, and safety are integral to achieving long-term sustainability in the use of Li+Bs in EVs.
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