The core of all existing Giftedness Identification Systems (GIS?s) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are based either on academic performance results, or on referrals from teachers and parents, or psychometric testing. Consequently, can we explore a new approach to identify giftedness that can take advantage of the recent advancements of Neuroimaging techniques within the growing hybrid domain of Mind, Brain and Education? Can the findings within the field of Neuro-Education inform the identification process of giftedness? The purpose of the current research proposal is to explore this untraveled path and explore the fundamental question of this study, Can Neuroimaging Identify Giftedness? If Neuroimaging succeeds in identifying Giftedness, this will mean that it can be utilized for the ?Early Identification? of Giftedness and at the same time provide a unique opportunity to identify Giftedness amongst the ?Twice Exceptional? and those whom their ability is masked by their disability. The core methodology of the study is ?Exploratory Experimentation? that will be based on two potential options: (a) Comparing Neuroimaging Results between Intellectually Gifted participants with None-Gifted Subjects using Standardized Stimuli; or (b) Comparing Neuroimaging Results between Intellectually Gifted participants with other forms of Gifted participants using Standardized Stimuli.
The educational sector in the UAE considers Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) as a valuable indicator to trace educational improvements and to fulfill the country?s National Agenda 2021. By then, the nation aspires to become among the top rated educational systems in the world, simultaneously with the country?s National Day Golden Jubilee celebration. However, grades Four and Eight students scored below the international norm in TIMSS 2015 in both subjects of mathematics and science. Viewing the benchmark results of TIMSS 2015 and 2011, the challenges in content and cognitive domains for the UAE students look similar. This proposal will discuss the factors that are associated with the students? performance in the above mentioned domains. The study will adopt the quantitative research approach through the data analysis of TIMSS UAE 2015 results for mathematics and science. Additionally, contextual questionnaires for schools, classrooms and student are put under scrutiny. The data will be analyzed through multiple linear regression since there were three hierarchical levels of the contextual questionnaire variables.
The study aims to investigate the impact of an iPad program on the performance of students with dyslexia on reading, writing and spelling skills in two classes of a public primary school in Al -Ain, UAE. The study follows a mixed method approach (questionnaire; face-to-face interviews; pre-posttests). Twenty (20) 3rd graders male students with dyslexia, attending English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes were the participants of the study. Students? performance on spelling, reading and writing skills were tested after instructed through an iPad intervention program with multisensory applications. The experimental group?s performance (10 students with dyslexia) was compared to the control group. A pre-assessment test was conducted for evaluating the reading, spelling and writing skills of both groups of students prior to the intervention. After eight (8) weeks, both groups were involved in post-tests for evaluating their performance on reading, spelling and writing skills. The study found that the students with dyslexia skills were improved after the iPad intervention program as opposed to the students instructed through mainstream methods. Interviews with the parents and the teachers corroborated the results of the post-tests but also validated the usefulness and effectiveness of the intervention program for the students? academic improvement.
Automation involved successfully in lots of industrial applications, and recently it started to be researched in construction in the form of additive manufacturing. This paper explores the developments of 3D printing processes which are classified as additive fabrication methods, and discusses the challenges of using such techniques in construction-scale applications especially in the UAE. The main challenge in the use of 3D concrete printing techniques is the material design, as it should have appropriate strength, rapid hardening upon extrusion, flowable enough to pass through delivery pipes, quality, and resistance to deformations. These properties are significantly challenging to have in a cementitious mixture at once. Under the harsh climate of the UAE, material design will be more considerable to account for the high temperature and humidity, which will end up in 3D printing of concrete being an efficiently sustainable solution that can be used in on-site applications.
Fibrous reinforcements used in the manufacturing of composite structures have multi-scale nature with varying permeability depending on the local porosity. Here, we discuss a formulation for homogenization of such multi-scale regions using the analogy of electrical resistance in series and parallel. The analogy is established on the similarities between voltage difference, flow of electric current and electrical resistance to pressure difference, fluid flow and flow resistance. The formulation is based on the Darcy?s law which relates the flow rate with the pressure difference. Using this analogy, we have developed relationship for computing the equivalent permeability of three adjacent porous regions. The formulation is then generalized to any number of regions. The equivalent permeability is the arithmetic mean of the permeabilities of the individual regions in case of parallel arrangement whereas the harmonic mean in the series case. Using numerical simulations, the model has been validated. In case of adjacent parallel regions where permeabilities differ by more than three orders of magnitude, the model does not perform very well. Nevertheless, the models presented here are applicable in the homogenization of multi-scale porous regions encountered in manufacturing of fiber reinforced composite materials.
In this paper, a study is carried out on the use of microwave tomography for bone health monitoring. The application would be helpful for Vitamin D deficient patients to safely monitor their bone density variations. The objects-of-interest are human leg cross-sections with varying fat thickness. The cross-sections are illuminated by antennas transmitting electric fields towards the human leg. The same antennas act as receivers to acquire the scattered electric fields at several locations. The obtained data are inputs for an inversion algorithm based on the finite element contrast source inversion method. In addition, the incorporation of prior information related to the structure and dielectric properties was investigated. Furthermore, the effect of changing the antennas distribution following the shape of the OI is tested and evaluated. From the results, bone density variations became detectable after the incorporation of prior information.
This work presents the development and application of a 3D printed non-contact microfluidic probe for delivering DNA vaccines into mammalian cells, with a single cell resolution (40 micrometer diameter). The platform constitutes of a 3D printed micro-electro-fluidic probe (MeFP) and a conductive cell culture substrate. It operates by simultaneously creating temporary pores on the cell membrane with an electric pulse and isolating the DNA molecules to a target area. Using the developed tool, we show successful transfer of propidium iodide (PI), a membrane impermeable molecule, through the membranes of single HeLa cells. Our results demonstrate the MeFP as the first microfluidic based electroporation technology that is reconfigurable for single or multiple cell targets. These results demonstrate the MeFP as an affordable technology that can also be used for gene therapy, in vitro fertilization, cancer treatment, regenerative medicine, and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.
The development of efficient and deactivation-resistant catalysts is required to produce a high yield of diesel, kerosene and jet fuels. The development of zeolites as catalysts in hydrocracking caused a major breakthrough due to their superior activity, stability, and gasoline selectivity as compared to amorphous silica-alumina catalysts. Y-type zeolites having uniform crystal pore sizes, and strong Br?nsted acidity arising from the bridging OH groups, are largely used as catalysts in industrial processes such as, hydrocracking, isomerization, and alkylation. Zeolite Y has been progressively enhanced to improve its activity and selectivity towards the products of interest in hydrocracking processes. In addition, hydrogenation-dehydrogenation processes are promoted by impregnated metal particles such as, nickel, molybdenum, and tungsten. In this study, two approaches have been adopted to prepare/modify zeolite Y for catalyzing hydrocracking reactions: (i) ball milling and (ii) in-situ growth of metals on the zeolite.
In the present study, enhanced microwave (EMW) synthesis, where microwave radiation is coupled with reflux conditions, was used to prepare binary Ce-M-O (M= La, Sm) and ternary Ce-M-Cu-O (M= La, Sm) catalysts. It is well known that ceria-based oxides feature high redox properties including high population of oxygen vacancies [Ovac]. These properties are crucial for hydrocarbon catalytic reactions such as CO2 reforming of methane (dry reforming of biogas), in the sense that they contribute to coke reduction. Post synthetically, the catalysts, were calcined at 500?C followed by ball milling in selected composition cases. The ball milling technique is expected to give higher efficiency for uniform multi-component mixed oxides in consideration of time and energy usage. The prepared catalysts were characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Remarkably, the EMW synthesis conditions affect the crystallinity of the catalysts (XRD), and crystal growth, generating particles with crystallite size in the nano-metric ranges. The catalysts present a flake-like shape and random agglomerates morphology (SEM). The ball-milled catalysts exhibited a very small crystallite size (XRD), which corresponds to larger surface area (m2/g). This, in fact, enhances oxygen mobility in ceria support lattice and yield to the formation of more O vacancies.
The autoclave curing process of composite structures leads to Process-induced Deformations (PIDs) in which the composite structures deform, and their dimensions deviate from the design drawings. PIDs can hinder the assembly process and potentially lead to scraping the part. PIDs within the assembly tolerance can be achieved either by adjusting the tool or modifying the design and process parameters. Predicting PIDs, experimentally, costs raw material and manhours, whereas simulation tools allow predicting PIDs, testing and introducing modifications to the design and the manufacturing process with less risk and cost. Many research papers discussed the PIDs of laminated structures, but few addressed the sandwich structure. This paper discusses predicting the spring-in of a U-shaped sandwich structure using ABAQUS/COMPRO simulation tools. PID was predicted with error of less than 5% and the effect of core material on PIDs was discussed. This indicates that simulation can predict PIDs of aero-structures with high accuracy.
