SACM - United States of America
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/9668
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Item Restricted Adult Foster Homes in an Aging America: Trends, Effects, and Operational Challenges (2017–2023)(Oregon Health and Science University, 2024) Albalawi, Wafi; Chair, Paula Carder; Tunalilar, Ozcan; Messer, Lynne; Carlson, BryantBackground: As the aging U.S. population grows, the demand for long-term care services (LTCS) is rising. Adult Foster Homes (AFHs), small residential care settings providing personalized support for older adults, play a critical role in meeting this demand. However, limited research has focused on AFHs compared to other LTCS options. This dissertation examines Oregon’s AFH holistically by assessing home characteristics, resident’s status and health needs, and the experiences of operators, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Utilizing data from the Oregon Community-Based Care study (2017–2023), this mixed methods research integrates quantitative trend analyses and qualitative content analysis. It explores three key aims: (1) identifying trends in residents' health conditions, service utilization, and medication use; (2) assessing associations between AFH characteristics and healthcare outcomes; and (3) capturing operators' perspectives on rewards and challenges during the pandemic. Results: Findings reveal high prevalence rates of dementia and polypharmacy among residents, with increasing medication use and stable trends in ADL needs. Family involvement significantly declined during the pandemic but showed partial recovery post-restrictions. Operators highlighted meaningful rewards, such as resident care and autonomy, alongside challenges like regulatory burdens and low Medicaid reimbursement rates. Conclusion: By highlighting the unique attributes, resident health needs, and operational challenges of AFHs in Oregon, this study brings critical attention to an often-overlooked long-term care option7 0Item Restricted Islamic Schools of Jurisprudence and Gender Inequality in Muslim-Majority Countries(University at Buffalo, 2025-06-01) Alshammari, Ahmed; Palmer, HarveyThis study investigates the relationship between the different Islamic schools of jurisprudence and three aspects of gender inequality in Muslim-majority countries. These aspects are: gender inequality in economic participation, political representation, and judicial positions. The literature on gender inequality presents two competing explanations of the relationship between Islam and gender inequality. Some studies conclude that Islam is associated with gender inequality while other studies cast doubts on this conclusion and argue that gender inequality in Muslim-majority countries is associated with structural/contextual factors such as oil rents. This dissertation argues that concluding Islam is either associated with gender inequality or not may be premature without disaggregating Islam into its different schools of jurisprudence.38 0Item Restricted Corpus-driven Translation Pedagogy: An Empirical Study(Kent State University, 2025) Alramadhan, Mohammed H; Baer, Brian J.Corpus-based approaches have seen substantial growth across different areas of applied translation studies, with translator pedagogy emerging as a key area of focus. This is evident in the broad range of academic literature, alongside the current ongoing projects, dedicated to this field. While considerable research has already examined the role of different corpus types in translator education, relatively little has been done with parallel corpora to empirically validate the underlying assumptions reviewed in the literature, particularly in terms of English-Arabic translation. This study seeks to bridge this gap by conducting a more systematic and empirical investigation of parallel corpus-based translation teaching (PCBT), taking into account two primary areas of enquiry: 1) if and how the incorporation of parallel corpora has an impact on the quality of student translations, and 2) if and how students find this approach conducive to learning to translate. Student translations and survey responses were analyzed to gain insight into the effectiveness of PCBT. The findings reveal that PCBT has led to an improvement in translation quality, as seen in its capacity to mitigate error occurrences in student translations. Furthermore, the findings point to the potential of PCBT in fostering more constructive learning through students’ engagement in data-driven learning, a process that included observation, negotiation, evaluation, and critical thinking. Finally, the responses from the survey demonstrate that the students exhibited positive attitudes toward PCBT, recognizing its impact not only in terms of improving their translation accuracy and quality but also in terms of reinforcing positive attitudes toward translation.7 0Item Restricted POLITICAL REFORMS AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA(Florida Atlantic University, 2024-12-16) Abuhasabo, Sama Khalil; Rabil, Robert GThe Arabian Peninsula was under the influence of the Ottoman Empire from 1517 until its collapse in 1918. During this time, three attempts were made to establish a Saudi state, the last of which began in 1902 and ended with the unification of the third Saudi State in 1932. During this period, three Saudi States were formed. The first Saudi State was established in 1745 when the al-Diriyah Agreement was introduced. This landmark agreement was achieved when Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud formed an alliance with Sheikh Mohammed Ibn Abdul Wahhab, a religious and rebellious man who advocated for the pure interpretation of Islamic principles. This alliance enabled Ibn Saud to govern the state, but he left the religious and cultural aspects of the society under the authority of Ibn Abdul Wahhab. As a result, throughout centuries, the religious establishment has greatly influenced the affairs of all three Saudi States. However, following the seizure of the Grand Mosque by religious zealots in 1979, Saudi Arabia underwent changes that viii radicalized the religious establishment, causing myriad detrimental effects for Saudi women. Oppressed by the weight of unfair laws and obstacles, Saudi women challenged the status quo and fought for equal rights through various methods. While King Abdullah al-Saud introduced some reforms, more significant change was still to come. After King Abdullah’s death, King Salman and his son Mohammed Bin Salman—the Crown Prince and Prime Minster—initiated a series of sweeping reforms under the Vision 2030 initiative to empower women, diversify the economy, and modernize the Kingdom of Saudi. Some key aspects of these reforms were abolishing the Male Guardianship System and removing the ban on women’s driving. This dissertation explores the sociopolitical reforms in Saudi Arabia, culminating with Vision 2030 and their impact on Saudi culture. Through vivid narratives and compelling examples, it offers a nuanced perspective and sheds light on the challenges and opportunities that have resulted from these reforms, particularly through the lens of Saudi women’s experiences. Ultimately, this dissertation demonstrates that Saudi Arabia’s moving away from the extreme religious principles that emerged after 1979, dismantling of the Male Guardianship System, and lifting of the ban on Saudi women driving have all positively impacted the day-to-day lives of Saudi women as well as Saudi society as a whole.24 0Item Restricted Understanding adoption of the ecological and technological innovation of textile digital printing through Saudi enterprises(KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY, 2024) Baaqil, Khadijah; Melody, LeHewThe world is currently facing a climate crisis that cannot be resisted. Many businesses contribute to climate change by engaging in industrial activities and practices. For example, Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest exporter of total petroleum products, and its economy is heavily dependent on oil and petroleum-related industries (Odnoletkova & Patzek, 2021). These industries cause major environmental impacts in Saudi Arabia and surrounding areas. To move away from its oil dependency and implement sustainability, Saudi Arabia has heavily invested in other sectors, including the fashion industry (Rana & Suliman, 2018). However, the textile goods industry is considered the second most contaminated industry followed by the oil industry. One area of concern is the damage caused by dyeing and printing processes (Dhir, 2021). Technological innovations in the textile goods industry are creating solutions to reduce the negative impact of the industry (Sachs, 2019). Digital textile printing technology (DTP) is promoted as the future of sustainability in the fashion industry (Ayyoob & Khan, 2023; Kumelachew et al., 2023; Tkalec et al., 2022). However, there is limited information in the literature on digital textile printing (DTP) technology. Specifically, there are no studies investigating the factors influencing DTP adoption. Therefore, this study fills a gap in the literature by understanding the motivational and behavioral factors influencing DTP adoption in Saudi Arabia, through the lens of the modified Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), considering performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, social influence, eco-technological concern, and technological innovativeness. In order to achieve the objectives of this study, a mixed methods approach was employed through survey based primary data collection to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. Three models were proposed to investigate different relationships and variables to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research objectives and hypotheses. Model 1 used SEMPLS for testing hypotheses and mediation relationships. Ordinal Logistic Regression (OLR) was used to test Model 2 and Model 3. Model 2 estimated the relationship between ordered categorical dependent variable and independents variables, and Model 3 estimated the influence of control variables in the adoption of DTP. The findings demonstrated that effort expectancy, social influence, and technological innovativeness have a significant influence on adoption. Conversely, there were three rejected hypotheses, including performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, and eco-technological concern, that showed a non-significant relationship with adoption. Additionally, the results highlighted that technological innovativeness strongly mediates between primary study variables and the adoption of DTP technology. Overall, the OLR result showed that all relationships between the study constructs are significant, and the model is robust. Analysis also revealed that DTP adopters were younger and have higher incomes. Yet, individuals with a higher education level had less likelihood of adoption. Furthermore, the qualitative findings confirmed some close-ended responses and added insights. Thematic analysis identified three benefits of DTP: innovation, production efficiency, and product results. Participants also reported challenges, such as a lack of skills, financial resources, and limited DTP suppliers. Study results revealed some positive implications for the DTP market. There are strategies that marketers and policymakers could implement to improve the rate of DTP adoption. For example, marketers should segment targeted market into groups based on their individual characteristics. Awareness of the environmental impact of the fashion industry should be increased to enhance sustainability in the Saudi market. Addressing the study factors holistically necessitates targeted interventions, such as awareness campaigns, training programs, and collaboration initiatives. Lastly, this study showed that the research model had the capability to explain the adoption of DTP technology.32 0Item Restricted Unleashing the Power of AI for Intraoperative Neuromonitoring During Carotid Endarterectomy(lawrence technological university, 2024-07-10) Roaa, Hindi; george, pappasThis research investigates the use of a 1D Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to classify electroencephalography (EEG) signals into four categories of ischemia severity: normal, mild, moderate, and severe. The model’s accuracy was lower in moderate instances (75%) and severe cases (65%) compared to normal cases (95%) and mild cases (85%). The preprocessing pipeline now incorporates Power Spectral Density (PSD) analysis, and segment lengths of 32, 64, and 128 s are thoroughly examined. The work highlights the potential of the model to identify ischemia in real time during carotid endarterectomy (CEA) to prevent perioperative stroke. The 1D-CNN effectively captures both temporal and spatial EEG signals, providing a combination of processing efficiency and accuracy when compared to existing approaches. In order to enhance the identification of moderate and severe instances of ischemia, future studies should prioritize the integration of more complex datasets, specifically for severe ischemia, as well as increasing the current dataset. Our contributions in this study are implementing a novel 1D-CNN model to achieve a classification accuracy of over 93%, improving feature extraction by utilizing Power Spectral Density (PSD), automating the ischemia detection procedure, and enhancing model performance using a well-balanced dataset.23 0Item Restricted DISTINCT CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH AUTOANTIBODIES AND CYTOKINES IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS(University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2022) Alduraibi , Fatima K; John Mountz, CommitteeObjective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease charac-terized by production of autoantibodies (autoAbs) and cytokines. Moreover, lupus nephritis (LN) occurs in approximately 50% of SLE patients. AutoAb and cytokine levels produced by B and T cells are high in LN patients, although their relationship with histological patterns requires inves-tigation. Methods: We analyzed the relationship between B cell cytokines and major T cell cyto-kines, including their association with autoAbs, and the clinical manifestations of SLE, espe-cially LN. We also analyzed endogenous intracellular interferon beta (IFNβ) expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum circulating nephritogenic autoAbs from patients with SLE (n = 80) and healthy controls (n = 16). Subsequently, plasma levels of T-helper cell cy-tokines and autoAbs were determined in patients with SLE (n = 60) and healthy controls (n = 11). Results: IFNβ expression was significantly higher in patients with SLE than in healthy controls (HC; P < 0.001) and positively associated with LN (P = 0.008) but not cutaneous mani-festations. Additionally, it was associated with increased circulating IgG anti-DNA and IgG anti- ii Smith autoAbs (P = 0.0130, P = 0.0010, respectively), and elevated urinary protein/creatinine ra-tio (P = 0.064). Histopathological evaluation of kidney biopsies revealed that higher IFNβ levels correlated with severe LN—higher degree of activity and chronicity (P < 0.0001, P = 0.0225 and P = 0.0327, respectively). Immune complex deposition in the kidney was not associated with in-creased IFNβ. Interferon gamma (IFNɣ) and interleukin (IL)-17 were generalized features in pa-tients with SLE. However, higher IL-10 levels occurred in patients with LN. IL-17 levels were significantly higher in patients with LN class V and discoid lupus (P = 0.0055 and P = 0.0238, respectively). IFNɣ was positively correlated with anti-double stranded DNA and anti-Sjogren's syndrome A (P = 0.0355 and p = 0.0402, respectively), while IL-17 was correlated with anti-Ro/SSA (P = 0.0130). Conclusions: IFNβ represents a potential biomarker for LN, while IL-10 and IL-17 could be used in combination with other diagnostic markers. Our results show the pathogenic mecha-nisms underlying LN to guide diagnosis and therapy.Item Restricted IDENTIFICATION OF TbRAP1-INTERACTING FACTORS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THEIR FUNCTIONS(CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY, 2024) Kishmiri, Hanadi; Li, BiboTrypanosoma brucei is a parasite that causes human African trypanosomiasis and regularly switches its major surface antigen, Variant Surface Glycoproteins (VSGs), to evade the host immune response and to establish a long-term infection. VSG genes are located at subtelomeric regions, and the active VSG is transcribed by RNA polymerase I. Antigenic variation is a critical pathogenesis mechanism in T. brucei that has two key aspects: monoallelic VSG expression and VSG switching. Monoallelic VSG expression ensures that at any moment, T. brucei presents a single type of VSG on its cell surface. Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes located at the chromosome ends. RAP1 is a protein that is conserved from protozoa to mammals and associates with the telomere chromatin. TbRAP1 is essential for T. brucei cell proliferation, telomere/sub- telomere integrity, monoallelic VSG expression, and suppressing VSG switching. To better understand TbRAP1’s essential functions, we attempted to identify TbRAP1’s interaction factors focusing on its conserved functional domains: BRCT, Myb, MybLike (including RRM and DB), and RCT. We identified several proteins that interact with TbRAP1 using TbRAP1 MybLike, Myb to RRM, and RCT domains separately as bait in yeast 2-hybrid (Y2H) screens. First, we identified Importin α (Tb427.06.2640) as a TbRAP1 Myblike domain (aa 633-766)-interacting factor. We also confirmed that TbRAP1 MybLike contains a bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) necessary for importing TbRAP1 into the nucleus through interaction with Importin α. Second, we identified many proteins as TbRAP1-Myb-RRM (aa 427-733) interacting candidates, including TbCactin (Tb927.11.11610). Lastly, we also identifiedmany proteins interacting with the TbRAP1-RCT (aa 742-855) domain, including recombinase RAD51 (Tb927.11.2550). Subsequently, we validated the interaction between TbRAP1 and TbCactin by Co-IP and showed that TbCactin is essential for T. brucei proliferation. Cactin, a conserved protein, plays a role in splicing in different organisms and cellular pathways. We examined T. brucei cells' transcriptome before and after TbCactin depletion, highlighting its potential function in trans-splicing. TbCactin depletion led to upregulation of over 300 genes and downregulation of nearly 150 genes, although more analysis is required to determine if TbCactin affects gene splicing. This helps us understand TbCactin’s role in gene expression regulation and cell proliferation.Item Restricted The Relationship between Child Maltreatment, Religiosity, and Adult-onset Anxiety and Depressive Disorders among Participants in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS)(University of Washington, 2024) Gadi, Ghadah; Sharif, MienahThis dissertation explores the interrelationships among childhood maltreatment (CM), religiosity, and adult-onset depressive and anxiety disorders using data from the Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS). It addresses whether parental religiosity is associated with CM and differs by gender, the influence of CM on adult religiosity and its gender-dependence, and the association between CM and adult-onset anxiety and depressive disorders with religiosity as a moderating factor. The first study (Chapter 2) investigates the correlation between parental religiosity and CM, finding no overall significant association but a significant protective effect against CM, particularly physical abuse, among males. The second study (chapter 3) explores the impact of CM on adult religiosity, revealing no significant association or gender differences. The third study (Chapter 4) examines the link between CM and adult-onset anxiety and depressive disorders, with religiosity moderating these effects. Sexual abuse significantly increases the risk of depressive disorders, while physical abuse increases anxiety disorder risk. Seeking religious comfort moderates these associations. In conclusion, this dissertation highlights that parental religiosity generally protects against CM, especially physical abuse among males, while CM does not influence adult religiosity. CM is associated with higher risks of mental health disorders, with religious coping moderating these effects. The findings emphasize the need for culturally tailored interventions in Saudi Arabia to promote healthy religious parenting, encourage seeking professional help, and address cultural and gender dynamics influencing CM experiences and mental health outcomes.Item Restricted Understanding Controls on Spring Hydrographs in an Eogenetic Karst Aquifer in North-Central Florida(University of South Florida, 2023) Almeqhem, Ryan; Gulley, JasonFlorida has one of the largest karst aquifers in the United States, with a significant portion of its water resources originating from the eogenetic karst system in north central Florida. Despite the importance of this system, eogenetic karst still needs to be studied compared to telogenetic karst. The hydrological behavior of karst aquifers is complex, with numerous factors influencing the timing, magnitude, and shape of spring hydrographs. One hypothesis, by Florea and Vacher (2006), suggests that matrix permeability is the primary control of spring hydrographs in karst systems. However, this thesis challenges this hypothesis by presenting evidence that the recharge mechanism plays a more significant role in controlling spring hydrographs in karst aquifers. The study focuses on Santa Fe River Rise and Ichetucknee River in north central Florida. They share similar rock types and matrix permeability but differ in their recharge mechanism. The Santa Fe River Rise is primarily recharged by a sinking stream, while the spring-fed Ichetucknee River is recharged via diffuse infiltration. Discharge and precipitation data were downloaded and analyzed from 2010 to 2021, to examine the behavior of Santa Fe River Rise and Ichetucknee River. The results demonstrate that the recharge mechanism primarily controls spring hydrographs in karst aquifers rather than matrix permeability. The study found that Santa Fe River Rise responds more rapidly to precipitation events, with high peak flows and short recession periods, like telogenetic karst in Florea and Vacher (2006). In contrast, the Ichetucknee River has a delayed response to precipitation, with lower peak flows, like most Florida springs in Florea and Vacher (2006). Thus, this thesis highlights the importance of considering the recharge mechanism when analyzing the hydrological behavior of karst aquifers. The findings have significant implications for managing water resources in karst regions, emphasizing the need for a more nuanced understanding of the complex hydrogeological processes that regulate spring hydrographs.