Evaluation of Red Light Camera Enforcement at Signalized Intersections

The study attempts to find the effectiveness of adopting red light cameras in reducing red light violators. An experimental approach was adopted to investigate the use of red light cameras at signalized intersections in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The study locations were divided into three groups. The first group was related to the approaches monitored with red light cameras. The second group was related to approaches without red light cameras, but located within an intersection that had one of its approaches monitored with red light cameras. The third group was related to intersection approaches located at intersection without red light cameras (controlled sites). A methodology was developed for data collection. The data were then tested statistically by Z-test using proportion methods to compare the proportion of red light violations occurring at different sites. The study found that the proportion of red light violators at approaches monitored with red light cameras was significantly less than those at the controlled sites for most of the time. Approaches without red light cameras located within intersections having red light cameras showed, in general, fewer violations than controlled sites, but the results were not significant for all times of the day. The study reveals that red light cameras have a positive effect on reducing red light violations. However, these conclusions need further evaluations to justify their safe and economic use

Review of Literature on Emirati Women with Disabilities, Their Education, and Career Prospects

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has made significant advancements in women empowerment and has established legal frameworks to support people with disabilities, particularly women (People of Determination, POD). However, there is a notable lack of information regarding the career choices of Emirati Women of Determination (EWOD). This literature review aims to address this gap by examining the limited research on EWOD’s career choices and the challenges they encounter. The societal stigma surrounding disabilities, especially with women, often results in underreporting which hinders data collection efforts. While existing research predominantly relies on qualitative methods, providing valuable insights, it lacks generalizability. This review underscores the necessity for a comprehensive approach to tackle these obstacles. It examines and highlights educational institutions offering tailored career guidance and support services for POD, policymakers facilitating partnerships and developing targeted internship programs to bridge the education-employment gap, and organizations creating inclusive workplaces with accessibility modifications, flexible work arrangements, and continuous training opportunities. Future research should prioritize studies focused on EWOD\u27s experiences, utilizing a mixed-methods approach and involving POD in the research process. Policymakers should invest in research on EWOD’s career choices and design specialized educational initiatives. Collaboration among policymakers, educational institutions, and the private sector is essential to establish seamless pathways for EWOD’s career development. By addressing these knowledge gaps and implementing a combination of interventions, we can empower Emirati women with disabilities to make informed career decisions and reach their full potential

An evaluation of the implications of imposing speed limits on major roads

PhD ThesisThe effectiveness of speed limits has been the subject of considerable debate over the years. In most cases in the past, speed limits have been changed because of a single factor (e. g. improving the safety of road traffic or saving energy). In this thesis an attempt has been made to evaluate the consequences of changing a speed limit using cost-benefit analysis which formed the principle objective of this study. The scope was confined to motorways and similar high-quality roads operating under free-flow traffic conditions where speed limits were believed to be most effective. To achieve the main goal, the effect of the speed limit on the mean speed of traffic was investigated which was the second objective of the study. The third objective was to find the effect of the speed of traffic, and especially the mean speed of traffic, on the frequency and severity of personal injury accidents. There was a need to investigate these two relationships as the literature was not consistent on these relationships. A hypothesis was proposed to achieve the second objective. This was tested by defining criteria that had to be met for each of the data collection sites and measuring the speed of vehicles. There were II sites in Tyne & Wear, England and 14 sites in the State of Bahrain. A statistical analysis was applied to the data collected. It was found, from both sets of data, that speed limits had a positive effect on the mean speed and the eighty-fifth percentile speed of traffic. Linear and non-linear (multiplicative) models were developed for each set of data. In addition to the speed limit, the trip length and the length of the section were shown to affect significantly the mean speed of traffic. The amount of change in the mean speed of traffic varied between the models tested but, generally, for every 4 to 5 km/h change in the speed limit the mean speed of traffic changed by, about, I km/h. In a similar way, a hypothesis was proposed to pursue the third objective. Criteria were established for the selection of suitable data collection sites and for the types of accidents. 9 sites were selected in Tyne & Wear and 10 sites in the State of Bahrain. Data was drawn from a5 year set of accident records in Tyne and Wear and a four year set in the State of Bahrain. A statistical analysis was applied to the data. The set of data from Tyne & Wear revealed no significant relationship between the mean speed of traffic and the frequency of accidents but the speed differentials affected the frequency of the personal injury accidents. The data from Bahrain showed that both the mean speed of traffic and the speed differentials of vehicles affected the frequency of the personal injury accidents. No significant relationships were found between the speed of vehicles and the severity of the personal injury accidents. The principle objective of the study was achieved by applying cost-benefit analysis to the consequences of changing the speed limit for a hypothetical typical section of road. The components of cost were the cost of travel-time, the vehicle operating cost, and the cost of accidents. No monetary values were assigned to the environmental effects so it was not possible to include them in the cost-benefit analysis but they were acknowledged. Any changes in air pollution and noise annoyance due to a change in the mean speed of traffic following a change in a speed limit were likely to be small and were not considered in the study. The significance of the uncertainty in the frequency and severity of personal injury accidents in relation to the mean speed of traffic was studied using 'break-even analysis'. Generally, it was believed that lowering the speed limit on motorways and similar high-quality roads would produce negative benefits, even if the frequency and severity of personal injury accidents decreasedw ithin expectedr anges. Increasing the speed limits would produce positive economic benefits but the conclusion was less firm than the previous case. Sensitivity analysis was applied to the variables used in the cost-benefit analysis. It was found that the net benefits were most sensitive to the estimation of the effect of the speed limits on the mean speed of traffic, the initial mean speed of traffic in the base year of the assessment, the travel-time cost, the changes in the frequency of the personal injury accidents, and changes in the number of fatal injury casualties per average personal injury accident as the speed limit varied (i. e. in descending order for most speed limits). The ranking of these variables differed as the speed limit was changed.University of Bahrai

The influence of economic incentives linked to road safety indicators on accidents: The case of toll concessions in Spain

The goal of this paper is to evaluate whether the incentives incorporated in toll highway concession contracts in order to encourage private operators to adopt measures to reduce accidents are actually effective at improving safety. To this end, we implemented negative binomial regression models using information about highway characteristics and accident data from toll highway concessions in Spain from 2007 to 2009. Our results show that even though road safety is highly influenced by variables that are not managed by the contractor, such as the annual average daily traffic (AADT), the percentage of heavy vehicles on the highway, number of lanes, number of intersections and average speed; the implementation of these incentives has a positive influence on the reduction of accidents and injuries. Consequently, this measure seems to be an effective way of improving safety performance in road networks

Patterns of Reading Errors among Emirati Second Grade Students

The impact of morphological awareness on reading proficiency has been neglected and there has been much focus on researching the impact of phonological awareness on reading skills. The aim of this study was to examine reading errors among second-grade Emeriti students by mapping a threefold paradigm (i.e., difficulty level, lexical category, and reading error patterns). The study sample included 168 Emirati second grade students (87 males and 81 females). One hundred forty four words were randomly selected from the Arabic reading curriculum. Those words were classified into lexical categories as nouns (45%), verbs (34%), adjectives and adverbs (10%), and functional words (i.e., prepositions and conjunctions; 11%). Those words were classified into three levels of linguistic difficulty (i.e., easy, difficult, and very difficult) according to their morphological complexity. The results revealed that reading difficulties may be the result of a threefold interrelated paradigm: the difficulty level of the words (i.e., morphological complexity), the lexical category (i.e., nouns, verbs, adjective and adverbs, and prepositions and conjunctions), and the pattern of the reading error (e.g., omission of a letter or a syllable and reading the geminated letter as ingeminated). The results also indicated that identifying this paradigm in each student can be useful in early detection of reading difficulty and thus, may assist in constructing appropriate remedial programs

Evaluation and performance comparison of a model for adoption of biometrics in online banking

Review and Proposed Model” [Al-Janahi, N. et al, 2019] in which we proposed a model for adoption of biometrics in online banking system in Kuwait. The research started by developing a model for measuring the customers’ acceptance of biometrics adoption in online banking in Kuwait. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed through SurveyMonkey.com platform.  A total of 500 invitations were sent and 302 valid responses were received. The data was analysed using SPSS software tool, version 22. Analyses such as descriptive, correlation, regression, t-test and one-way ANOVA were conducted on the collected data to test their relationships and significance. The results revealed that self-efficacy, perceived behavioural control, reliability, appearance, support, content, safety and privacy are important parameters that need to be carefully addressed by the bank management while considering adoption of Biometrics in online banking in Kuwait. Bank management need also to ensure that the intended biometric system is easy to use, that it provides the expected usefulness, and that it ensures high level of convenience and that it earns (secures) customers’ trust and satisfaction.

Comorbidities Associated With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents at a Tertiary Care Setting

Studies have revealed high rates of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric comorbid conditions among individuals diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, research on this topic in the Arab world has been limited. This study evaluates the medical, neurodevelopmental, and psychiatric comorbidities in children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). A total of 428 pediatric patients diagnosed with ADHD were included. Children and adolescents with ADHD had high rates of comorbid disorders. Twenty comorbid conditions were identified. More than 3 quarters of the study sample had at least 1 comorbid disorder. The most common comorbidity among children was autism spectrum disorder, and among adolescents was anxiety disorders. Comprehensive assessments are highly warranted to identify and manage associated comorbid conditions. Further research is needed in exploring the biopsychosocial factors contributing to the elevated rate of comorbidity in children and adolescents with ADHD

Comparative Study of Two Semi-automated Forensic DNA Extraction Methods

Automation in forensic DNA analysis is crucial for analysts to reduce time, improve results, and decrease risk of contamination. With the variety of commercially available automated DNA extraction systems, comes the need for end-users to be informed of what they provide and what they might lack. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of two semi-automated DNA extraction systems used for forensic DNA analysis: Automate Express™ and Hamilton Microlab STAR™ system, for four parameters; reproducibility, stability, sensitivity and contamination. Overall, the results indicated that both semi-automated systems performed similarly in providing robust and reproducible DNA results while maintaining good capability to overcome PCR inhibition with low risk of contamination. The two semi-automated systems showed higher DNA recovery than organic extraction using phenol-chloroform by 22% for semen and 7% for blood samples. In addition, three sample types, blood, saliva, semen were tested to compare the two systems (total samples n=100). Overall, the data showed the average DNA recovery for Hamilton was higher than the DNA recovery by Automate Express™ for the blood and semen sample types indicating better performance of the Hamilton Microlab STAR™ in terms of recovery and sensitivity level

Performance of Different Cotton and Nylon Swabs on DNA Recovery and Storage

Touch DNA samples are routine yet challenging pieces of evidence that provide investigators with information that helps them solve crimes. However, this type of evidence can be easily lost if the correct collection method is not used. This problem could be overcome with an optimal method of collection that increases the amount of touch DNA collected from different types of surfaces. Better-quality touch DNA can increase the chances of getting a full genetic profile. This study was divided into two parts which aimed to assess whether the type of swab used on different surfaces will significantly increase DNA recovery, concentrations, and the DNA preservation during three different timeframes (24h, 1 month and 3 months). Two different cotton swabs and Nylon swabs were used to lift touch DNA on three different surfaces (glass, plastic and wood) to identify the most suitable method of collection across all three surfaces. A total of 72 samples were lifted (3 replicates from each swab on 3 different surfaces) from two different participants (Male and Female) which were left to dry for 14 days in room temperature prior to DNA extraction. DNA preservation of the swabs was observed while using three dilutions of blood sample which was prepared from one of the volunteers (1:1 – 1:10 – 1:20) where 10 uL of each dilution was pipetted onto the four types of swabs in three replicates (n=36) to observe the preservation over three different timeframes 24h storage, 1 Month and 3 Months with a total of 108 samples. The COPAN CLASSIQSwabsTM Dry swab showed an overall average result during the storage periods of 24h with (1:1) dilution by (2.694ng/μL), (1:10) dilution with (0.548ng/μL) and (1:20) dilution with (0.143ng/μL). Results for the period of 1 Month also showed an average of (1:1) dilution with (2.825ng/μL), (1:10) dilution with (0.361ng/μL) and (1:20) dilution with (0.156ng/μL). These findings can be helpful for laboratories and crime scene investigators to optimize DNA sample collection and preservation based on their workflow

Enhancing Trace DNA Profile Recovery in Forensic Casework Using the Amplicon RX Post-PCR Clean-up Kit

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the amplicon RX post-PCR clean-up kit in enhancing trace DNA profile recovery from forensic casework samples amplified using the GlobalFiler PCR amplification kit. The impact of post-PCR clean-up on allele recovery and signal intensity was assessed in both trace casework samples and control samples across a range of DNA concentrations. The results showed that the amplicon RX method significantly improved allele recovery compared to the 29-cycle protocol (p = 8.30 × 10−12) and achieved slightly better results than the 30-cycle protocol (p = 0.019). Additionally, the Amplicon RX method demonstrated a significant increase in signal intensity (p = 2.70 × 10−4), reflecting improved sensitivity in detecting trace DNA profiles compared to the 30-cycle protocol. In the evaluation of control samples, the amplicon RX method consistently outperformed both the 29- and 30-cycle protocols, especially at lower DNA concentrations (D3: 0.001 ng/µL). While the performance of all methods declined at the lowest concentration (D4: 0.0001 ng/µL), the Amplicon RX method still demonstrated superior allele recovery (p = 0.014 compared to 29 cycles; p = 0.011 compared to 30 cycles). Therefore, the Amplicon RX method should be widely adopted in forensic laboratories to enhance the analysis of extremely low-template and compromised samples. These findings highlight the potential of the amplicon RX post-PCR clean-up kit to improve trace DNA analysis in forensic casework. Further research is recommended to validate these results and explore its broader application in forensic DNA analysis, particularly in complex DNA mixtures and extremely low-template samples