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This review article explores the transformative impact of AI and IoT in livestock management, highlighting their pivotal role in advancing Agriculture 4.0. It delves into various technologies such as robotics, nanotechnology, and gene editing, which are reshaping farming and food systems towards sustainability. The paper emphasizes the significance of digital phenotyping in poultry, particularly in enhancing productivity, animal welfare, and sustainability through innovative genomics research and health monitoring platforms. Additionally, it examines the evolution of e-agriculture in India, focusing on government initiatives and the increasing influence of mobile technology in farming. The role of Big Data in Smart Farming is also scrutinized, revealing its extensive impact beyond primary production and its potential in reshaping supply chain dynamics and business models. The review further assesses the contributions of IoT in agricultural systems, particularly in meeting the challenges of a rapidly growing global population. Through this comprehensive analysis, the paper underscores the necessity for ongoing research and development in these areas, recognizing the potential challenges and opportunities presented by these robust, sustainable, and in creating a more technologically advanced agricultural future.

This review article titled “Revolutionizing Agriculture: The Impact of AI and IoT” delves into the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) in modern agriculture. It encapsulates the burgeoning wave of digitalization and its implications for data-driven farming practices. The paper comprehensively reviews the advancements in digital agriculture management, highlighting the integration of AI, IoT devices, machine learning, and sensor technology in enhancing farming efficiency and productivity. Emphasis is placed on the use of robotics, drones for crop monitoring, and smart irrigation systems, which leverage real-time data for optimized agricultural operations. The role of high-speed 5G networks in enabling these smart farming solutions is also discussed, particularly their impact on data transmission and connectivity in rural settings. Challenges and opportunities in implementing Smart Decision Support Systems (SDSS) in developing countries are explored, focusing on real-time soil analysis and decision-making aids for farmers. The review further discusses a proposed cloud-based system for remote farm monitoring, employing AI-based models for efficient data processing and improving farming practices. This article aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the current and future potential of AI and IoT in reshaping agricultural practices, addressing global food security challenges, and supporting sustainable development.

Electrical power systems usually suffer from instabilities because of some disturbances occurring due to environmental conditions, system failures, and loading conditions. The most frequently encountered problem is the loss of synchronization between the rotor angle and the stator magnetic angle for synchronous generators. The contribution of this study is that a nonlinear adaptive control approach called feedback error learning (FEL) is utilized to improve the small-signal stabilities of an electric power system. The power system under study is composed of a synchronous machine connected to infinite bus. Many advantages of FEL control approach makes it capable to robustly adapting with all possible operating conditions rather than using optimization algorithms for tuning the conventional power system stabilizer (CPSS) that is still unsatisfactory especially at some critical operating points. The performances of two controllers, namely the proposed FEL scheme and the conventional controller CPSS, are tested by Matlab simulations. It is found that the FEL controller can be effectively used as an alternative stabilizer for improving small-signal stabilities of the power

Background Both drug‐coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty and conventional plain balloon angioplasty (PBA) can be implemented to treat hemodialysis dysfunction. The present study aims to compare the safety and efficacy of these 2 approaches by conducting a meta‐analysis of available randomized controlled trials. Methods and Results PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases were queried from establishment to January 2021. A total of 18 randomized controlled trials including 877 and 875 patients in the DCB and PBA groups, respectively, were included in the present meta‐analysis. Target lesion primary patency, circuit patency, target lesion revascularization, and mortality were pooled. Odds ratios (ORs) were reported with 95% CIs. Publication bias was analyzed with funnel plot and Egger test. Target lesion primary patency was higher among patients who underwent DCB (OR, 2.93 [95% CI, 2.13–4.03], P

The objective of this paper is to contribute towards understanding the effects of palm oil production upon key macroeconomic variables in Malaysian economy. A dynamic general equilibrium model was employed in order to analyze the dynamic macroeconomic adjustment processes arising from palm oil production increase for Malaysian economy (the second biggest palm oil producer in world), operating under a managed float exchange rate regime. The model utilized in this paper is likely to be of interest to other palm oil-exporting economies with similar features such as that of Indonesia. Findings from this paper show that an increase in palm oil production would potentially result in an increase in private capital stock, private sector wealth, real income, public capital stock, human capital stock and non-palm oil output supply and demand. However, the revenue arising from the palm oil sector also has the potential to deteriorate the non-palm-oil trade balance through a slight loss of competitiveness from a real exchange rate appreciation.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is third in prevalence and mortality among all cancers in the US. Currently, the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends anyone ages 50-75 and/or with a family history to be screened for CRC. To improve screening specificity and sensitivity, we have built an artificial neural network (ANN) trained on 12 to 14 categories of personal health data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Years 1997-2016 of the NHIS contain 583,770 respondents who had never received a diagnosis of any cancer and 1409 who had received a diagnosis of CRC within 4 years of taking the survey. The trained ANN has sensitivity of 0.57 ± 0.03, specificity of 0.89 ± 0.02, positive predictive value of 0.0075 ± 0.0003, negative predictive value of 0.999 ± 0.001, and concordance of 0.80 ± 0.05 per the guidelines of Transparent Reporting of Multivariable Prediction Model for Individual Prognosis or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) level 2a, comparable to current risk-scoring methods. To demonstrate clinical applicability, both USPSTF guidelines and the trained ANN are used to stratify respondents to the 2017 NHIS into low-, medium- and high-risk categories (TRIPOD levels 4 and 2b, respectively). The number of CRC respondents misclassified as low risk is decreased from 35% by screening guidelines to 5% by ANN (in 60 cases). The number of non-CRC respondents misclassified as high risk is decreased from 53% by screening guidelines to 6% by ANN (in 25,457 cases). Our results demonstrate a robustly-tested method of stratifying CRC risk that is non-invasive, cost-effective, and easy to implement publicly.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death globally. As a preventive measure, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends annual screening of high risk individuals with low-dose computed tomography (CT). The resulting volume of CT scans from millions of people will pose a significant challenge for radiologists to interpret. To fill this gap, computer-aided detection (CAD) algorithms may prove to be the most promising solution. A crucial first step in the analysis of lung cancer screening results using CAD is the detection of pulmonary nodules, which may represent early-stage lung cancer. The objective of this work is to develop and validate a reinforcement learning model based on deep artificial neural networks for early detection of lung nodules in thoracic CT images. Inspired by the AlphaGo system, our deep learning algorithm takes a raw CT image as input and views it as a collection of states, and output a classification of whether a nodule is present or not. The dataset used to train our model is the LIDC/IDRI database hosted by the lung nodule analysis (LUNA) challenge. In total, there are 888 CT scans with annotations based on agreement from at least three out of four radiologists. As a result, there are 590 individuals having one or more nodules, and 298 having none. Our training results yielded an overall accuracy of 99.1% [sensitivity 99.2%, specificity 99.1%, positive predictive value (PPV) 99.1%, negative predictive value (NPV) 99.2%]. In our test, the results yielded an overall accuracy of 64.4% (sensitivity 58.9%, specificity 55.3%, PPV 54.2%, and NPV 60.0%). These early results show promise in solving the major issue of false positives in CT screening of lung nodules, and may help to save unnecessary follow-up tests and expenditures.

Much has been written, published, and presented about the important role and uses of technology in English language teaching (ELT) today and the effect it can have on students' learning. The present qualitative study is an intervention, which attempted to explore the integration of technology among 11 public school English language teachers in the Sultanate of Oman through the use of community of practice (CoP). As the first in the region, this qualitative study triangulated data using a focus group interview and reflective journals. Three themes emerged from the data analysis. Despite certain challenges, the findings were generally positive and encouraging, and revealed that if a CoP is effectively utilized to the fullest to integrate technology in ELT, it can facilitate policy implementation and Second Language Teacher Education (SLTE) in the Sultanate of Oman, the neighboring Gulf Cooperation Council countries, some Asian and Far Eastern countries, and beyond.

Language learning games combine a number of linguistic, psychological and social elements that have been found to have considerable advantages and powerfully impact language learning and teaching. They are incorporated into language curricula to promote interactive engaging learning. This study investigates the role of games in the Omani ELT syllabus through conducting a thorough content analysis of Basic Education System English language textbooks across all grades as well as seeking the attitudes of teachers and students of three public schools representing the three teaching cycles in the educational system. A content analysis form and a questionnaire were used to collect data. Results showed that the Omani ELT syllabi endorsed a modest number of communicative games across grades, the majority of which focus on teaching vocabulary with a very timid focus on the language skills. Moreover, students hold highly positive attitudes about the role of games in improving their language whereas teachers have moderately positive attitudes about their role. Implications of these results on the language learning and teaching context are outlined.

Proficiency in the English language has been described as central for determining Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (N-NESTs) selection for joining the profession. The Ministry of Education in the Sultanate of Oman decided to set the score of Band 6 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for accepting the English Language Teaching (ELT) graduates of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) as full-time teachers. This qualitative content analysis study hence triangulates data from interviews and the relevant literature about the different language proficiency measurement devices to determine the selection of SQU graduates to join the ELT force. The findings show that the Ministry of Education needs to rethink the decision of opting for the IELTS as a valid and reliable selection criterion. The results have important implications for setting selection criteria of becoming an English language teacher in the Sultanate of Oman and beyond.

Historically and as a developing country, the Sultanate of Oman has always been culturally dependent on Britain to plan and implement its English Language Teaching (ELT) and in-service teacher education. This dependency has negatively affected preparing English language teachers with a new global professional identity capable of introducing change to the Omani ELT system. This argument is at the heart of my response to Wyatt and Sargeant's article in this issue of "Changing English." I argue for professionalism as a political ideology capable of resisting and challenging the ELT cultural imperialism. [For Wyatt and Sargeant's article, "As an Insider, Researching English Language Teaching in Oman, You Need to Be Reflexive: A Response to Al-Issa (2019)," see EJ1302936.]

The government of the Sultanate of Oman actively promotes the value of English as a global "lingua franca" to support modernization and national economic growth. This policy, however, creates difficulties for many teachers, who find themselves implementing certain practices that conflict with a vision of English language teaching (ELT) that accords with humanist values. They find themselves adopting forms of instruction that reduce English to a matter of drills and skills. This essay draws on an inquiry that I facilitated with the help of four Student Teachers during their practicum. The inquiry involved asking them to keep reflective journals in an effort to place their teaching in a critical perspective exposing the contradictory nature of their professional situation. The journals show their struggle with the ELT "status quo" at their cooperating schools, while revealing their commitment to opening up educational opportunities for their students beyond what the curriculum prescribes.

Family ownership is a special form of the known forms of ownership that is distinguished from it in that the owners are relatives who belong to one family. This is what the legislator in the Emirate approved under Family Property Law No. (9) of 2020 in more detail, and thus completed this type of ownership with the social life and Emirati customs and traditions. Therefore, the legislator in the Emirate of Dubai was keen to organize this type of ownership in an optional manner for the securities related to the allocation of this type of ownership. The study aimed to establish a comprehensive and clear legal framework for the family institution in the Emirate of Dubai, and to facilitate its transfer between successive generations easily and smoothly, and to maintain the exclusivity of ownership, the role it plays in achieving institutional economic growth in the emirate, and to maintain social prostitution, and to stay away from everything. What may increase disputes between family members. The study concluded with a number of distinguished results: Public property in both federal laws and the law of the Emirate of Dubai has a form of common ownership, and the legislator has organized its download within common ownership (compulsory common ownership), while the legislator in the Emirate of Dubai has allocated an independent law under the name of the Family Organization Law. It concluded many tips, including: The urgent need for a strong organization of commercial ownership in the Federation of Legal Contractors, similar to the legislator in the Emirate of Dubai, since this is the reason it is also in the field of family commercial companies and real estate, and therefore the UAE legislator allowed one of three celebrities to be an exception to the rule that it also requires. However, the legislator should have rejected this and not not taken it into account; because it is contrary to starting with family ownership, which is exclusive ownership between family members or the family for downloading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflective teaching practice has become a central theme in professional growth at the pre-service teacher education level almost everywhere. English language teaching (ELT) teacher trainers, like any other teacher trainers, have a powerful role to play in fostering reflection in their student teachers through the approaches and strategies they incorporate in their training, which can have implications related to the perceived worth of reflective practice. This quantitative study describes the responses of 90 final-year ELT student teachers and eight of their trainers at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman, to a survey about the roles, approaches and strategies used to help the student teachers to reflect on their teaching. The results show that while the trainers have helped their student teachers to develop as reflective teachers, there are certain practices and aspects adopted by the trainers that need to be reconsidered, as they can have negative implications for teacher preparation. (Contains 10 figures.)

In this work, colloidal AgNPs have been synthesized through chemical reduction (cold method) with sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as the reducing agent, and the solution was modified by adding 0.1 ml of both NH3 and HNO3 solutions to the various pH values. The silver nanoparticles colloidal suspension was then preserved utilizing polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The impact of pH on the AgNPs’ size was discussed, and the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) behavior of AgNPs in aqueous sols prepared at various pH values varies. Surface plasmon peaks at around (434,426, 410 nm) wavelengths and different pH levels (5, 7, and11). For the reaction system; when changing different Ph values, the silver nanoparticles size scale was determined. At high pH, compared to low pH, smaller silver nanoparticles were obtained. Plasmon resonance shows a difference in the size of AgNPs. Ag NPs have a cubic polycrystalline structure, according to X-Ray diffraction (XRD). The Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) were used to characterize Ag NPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing body of literature about the qualities of professional teacher educators (TEs) and their impact on preparing professional teachers. However, English Language Teaching (ELT) research has fallen behind in this regard, despite the fact that different programs worldwide suffer from different limitations, due to certain aspects related to TEs' qualities. This qualitative study investigates the qualities of the professional ELT TE and what implications such qualities have for achieving accountable and quality Second Language Teacher Education (SLTE). A form comprising a set of closed and open ended questions was distributed to 63 participants representing 23 countries. Findings and discussion have revealed that the professional ELT TEs are empowering educators and holders of strong disciplinary knowledge who pursue achieving social justice ELT education. The findings can be considered a milestone and have important implications for preparing professional English language teachers and achieving quality and accountability in SLTE.

Despite the emphasis laid on demonstrating English language proficiency by Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (NNESTs), research has shown that for various reasons English language teachers graduating from a state-owned university in an Arab country for the past 25 years or so have been found lacking communication skills due to reasons pertinent to their preparation. This Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) study combines data from two different sources and examines from an ideological perspective the reasons underlying those student-teachers' (STs) deficient English language proficiency. Results have revealed that there have been conflicting and contesting ideological among the various involved agents leading to manipulating the factors affecting those STs' English language proficiency. The findings have implications for shaping the STs' language proficiency.

As of March 15, 2020, Jordan had only 1 confirmed case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (1). However, a wedding ceremony on March 13 led to a large outbreak of COVID-19 [...]

One of the quasi-Newton update formulae, namely the Davidon-Fletcher-Powell method, is crucial for resolving nonlinear programming optimization problems. In order to achieve a Newton-like condition that depends on the function values and gradient vectors at each iteration, we construct an alternative positive-definite Hessian approximation in this study. The essential theorems are established to study algorithm convergence. The proposed approach is then tested on well-known test problems and then compared to the standard DFP method. The numerical outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness of the newly developed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polystyrene (PS) films are photostabilized by 2-amino pyridine derivative compounds. Investigations were conducted on compounds of (a-e). The casting method was used to create PS films with complexes present in concentrations of 0.5 % by weight, while chloroform served as the solvent. By keeping track of the carbonyl indices as the exposure duration progressed, the photostabilization activities of these compounds were discovered. Using chloroform as a solvent, the variations in PS's viscosity average molecular weight with exposure time were also monitored. The theoretical results of the PS modification compounds showed that the total energy values of PS-D are higher energy content than the rest of the studied models. The negative sign in the HOMO energy indicates stability, that is, it is less effective, where values are shown (HOMO) PS-C is the least effective (stable) and PS-E is the most effective (unstable). The thermodynamic theoretical outcome was shown that all reactions are endothermic and spontaneous, and the results of the (energy gap) values gave a range from 2.38453 eV for PS-C to 2.60277 eV. For PVCE, which proves that all PS modifications are conductive or semiconducting materials for electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sultanate of Oman is a developing country that has accepted the English language as a significant tool for modernization. This was best interpreted in the opening of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in 1986, which has delivered its different academic programmes totally or partially through the English language. One of the colleges of SQU has been the College of Law. It was opened in 1997 to help contribute to effective implementation of nationalisation and national development in the Sultanate of Oman, which English language proficiency is a part and parcel of. However, graduates exiting the College so far have been unable to fulfil this strategic aim due to policy-practice drawbacks. Evident weaknesses in their English language and legal knowledge have provoked repeated complaints from the employers in both sectors. Accordingly, a decision was made to introduce a bilingual programme through which approximately 30% of the subjects at the College of Law would be taught in English. This study, therefore, researches the uses of English language in the Law job market in the Sultanate of Oman and its implications for policy-practice improvement. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to 182 graduates of the College of Law, SQU. Findings have shown that while the new programme has the potential to serve national development and Omanisation, the College faculties have a pivotal role to play in influencing a positive implementation of the plan.

This study asks questions and elicits answers about the importance of English language teaching (ELT) instruction time on the national curriculum in the Sultanate of Oman from an ideological perspective. It triangulates data from semi-structured interviews made with different agents involved in the Omani ELT system and representing different social, cultural, and academic backgrounds, the pertinent literature, the National English Language Policy/Plan, and other locally produced policy texts. The critical discussion, which aims at revealing and examining the degree of conflict and harmony, differences and similarities, and agreements and disagreements embodied in the various statements, has revealed variable ideologies and paradigms about the instruction time given to ELT on the national curriculum. The findings in this article have their direct implications for ELT policy in the Sultanate of Oman and other similar contexts where English and other equally important languages are taught as a foreign/second language.

Sultanate of Oman is one out of many developing countries around the world which have valued English as a very important international language and a tool for achieving multiple purposes. When His Majesty the Sultan came to power in 1970, the government accepted English as the only official foreign language and allocated huge budgets and resources for its implementation through education. However, almost three decades after this, it was found that students exiting the ELT system in Oman suffer from various inadequacies in their English language proficiency, which has had negative implications for Oman's national development. This has driven the government to attempt to revolutionize English language teaching (ELT) through pursuing a reform plan--Basic Education System (BES). This paper attempts to examine the attitudes of 141 freshmen, who have exited the BES and joined Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in September 2009, about their teachers and the curriculum. The results have shown that there have hardly been any significant changes in the BES reform project, as compared to the previously implemented system--General Education System (GES) mainly due to implementation shortcomings.

This article discusses theoretical and practical aspects pertaining to oral presentations in the EFL context. It discusses issues and proposes ideas concerning the advantages of presentations, types of presentations, ways of arranging presentations in the classroom, possible topics of presentations and sources of data and information obtained for the different topics, and ways of assessing presentations in the EFL classroom. However, the discussion also has implications for non-EFL contexts, including ESL, content-based language learning, and learning languages other than English.

Teacher trainers/educators (the two terms will be used interchangeably) at the pre-service level are important agents and influential raw models for their trainee teachers. They can contribute positively to the student teacher's socialization process via the progressive training modes they adopt, the informed decisions they make, the critical reflection and analytical thinking abilities they demonstrate, and the epistemic power and experience they possess and exhibit. In rigidly centralized and hegemonic educational systems, like Oman for instance, educators should be in a position to equip their prospective teachers with theoretical and practical tools to help them become efficient agents of change.