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Facial emotion recognition is an inherently complex problem due to individual diversity in facial features and racial and cultural differences. Moreover, facial expressions typically reflect the mixture of people’s emotional statuses, which can be expressed using compound emotions. Compound facial emotion recognition makes the problem even more difficult because the discrimination between dominant and complementary emotions is usually weak. We have created a database that includes 31,250 facial images with different emotions of 115 subjects whose gender distribution is almost uniform to address compound emotion recognition. In addition, we have organized a competition based on the proposed dataset, held at FG workshop 2020. This paper analyzes the winner’s approach—a two-stage recognition method (1st stage, coarse recognition, 2nd stage, fine recognition), which enhances the classification of symmetrical emotion labels.

Background Many women living in Middle Eastern countries report negative, dehumanising experiences of childbirth. Finding effective ways of changing maternity care to improve women’s experience is needed but is challenging. Aim This paper explores the potential strategies to improve birthing experiences of women in Jordan and identifies the facilitators and obstacles to change. Method A qualitative interpretive research design underpinned by a feminist approach was used. Seventeen community women, 14 midwives and midwifery leaders were engaged in workshops and face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Data were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis undertaken. Results An overarching theme “From hopelessness to some hope” emerged from data analysis and comprised of two themes: ‘It’s hopeless-there are so many obstacles’; and ‘Finding some hope for the way forward’. The community women were unhappy with the current maternity services but accepted the situation. Midwives offered explanations for the way women are treated, including that women have no voice. For these participants, the obstacles seemed almost insurmountable; however, there was some hope expressed about potential for small changes to occur. Conclusions This study highlights the value of women and midwives sharing experiences and listening to the stories of women. Listening to women’s birth stories may also be an important element of undergraduate and continuing education in Jordan. Small changes, such as promoting women’s dignity by ensuring they are covered during birth are possible, but real change needs to be generated at a professional and societal level.

Background Privacy is related to a person’s sense of self and the need to be respected and it is a key factor that contributes to women’s satisfaction with their birth experiences. Aim To examine the meaning of privacy for Jordanian women during labour and birth. Method A qualitative interpretive design was used. Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 27 Jordanian women. Of these women, 20 were living in Jordan while seven were living in Australia (with birthing experience in both Jordan and Australia). Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results The phrase ‘there is no privacy’ captured women’s experience of birth in Jordanian public hospitals and in some private hospital settings. Women in public hospitals in Jordan had to share a room during their labour with no screening. This experience meant that they were, “lying there for everyone to see”, “not even covered by a sheet” and with doctors and others coming in and out of their room. This experience contrasted with birth experienced in Australia. Conclusions This study explicates the meaning of privacy to Jordanian women and demonstrates the impact of the lack of privacy during labour and birth. Seeking a birth in a private hospital in Jordan was one of the strategies that women used to gain privacy, although this was not always achieved. Some strategies were identified to facilitate privacy, such as being covered by a sheet; however, even simple practices are difficult to change in a patriarchal, medically dominated maternity system.

The study aims at recognizing the problems which gifted students at King Abdullah II Schools for Distinction (KASD) face. The study sample, 240 male and female students, is randomly selected out of the gifted students with a percentage of 50 % of the study society. A forty item questionnaire is prepared to achieve the study objectives. It is distributed into three fields: Problems related to school, to family, and to students. Study results show that problems which KASD students face are rated medium. Problems related to school come first, second those related to students, and finally those related to family. Statistical significant differences are found in the means of study subjects responses according to the gender variable at the two fields of family and school for the males. However, no significant differences are found in the means of the subjects responses according to the school stage variable (basic and secondary).

The objective of the current study was to investigate the effect of a blended learning based training program (BLBTP) on developing creative thinking (CT) among talented students at King Abdullah II Schools for Distinction (KASD). The study sample consisted of fifty-six grade ten students selected from KASD for boys at Irbid governorate. The sample was assigned randomly into two groups: experimental (26 students) and control (30 students). To achieve the objective of the study, the researchers prepared a BLBTP. They also used the Torrance Creative Thinking Scale - form A, containing three skills (fluency, flexibility, and authenticity). After establishing reliability and validity of these instruments, they were administrated to both groups.. Findings indicated significant differences in the means scores of the experimental group on creative thinking skills and whole skills due to the training program, in favor of the experimental group students. In light of the findings reported in the current study, the study recommends the need to encourage teachers to use blended learning (BL) more in schooling, as it has major effects on developing CT among students. Further future studies are needed to address different populations of students, and then compare the findings reported in these studies with those reported in the current study to achieve a thorough picture of the effective use of BL in the classroom. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2016.v6n3p13

This article investigates the effect that some factors would have on the achievement of students learning English as a foreign language. Secondary school students' grades of the first semester 2013 / 2014 in English have been used as parameter of achievement. The factors (attitudinal, social, socioeconomic, and extracurricular) which are believed to influence students' achievement have been included in a 16 item yes / no questionnaire. Findings show that there is significant relationship between the factors and students' achievement in English language learning. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2016.v6n2p9

BACKGROUND:Episiotomy is still a commonly used surgical intervention during birth in some parts of the world, such as the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Evidence supports the restrictive use of episiotomy, and this is reflected in policy statements and clinical practice recommendations. Internationally, various strategies have been used to change and reduce the incidence of episiotomy.AIM:To identify and describe the strategies and practices that have been used internationally to effectively reduce the rate of episiotomy.METHOD:We searched CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, PubMed and Nursing Consultant from 1980 to 2010 by using the keywords episiotomy, change, practice, midwife, routine use and evidence-based. A review of the literature was undertaken, which examined factors that facilitate the reduction in episiotomy rates.RESULTS:Two hundred articles were found, and after examination, only nine provided relevant data and are included in this review. The findings of this review are discussed under the following headings: impact of practice change on episiotomy rates, continuous quality improvement, implementing clinical guidelines, practice change (system change), and the impact of health beliefs and organizational culture. Strategies for changing practice that were identified focused on challenging rationales for current practice and on creating a social and organizational environments that encourage motivation and, therefore, are more effective in reducing episiotomy rates. The literature identified the importance of clarifying critical success factors before trying to implement change with regards to episiotomy usage.CONCLUSION:Greater efforts to reduce episiotomy rates are currently needed, particularly in countries with high rates. Researchers need to continue to examine the barriers to change and investigate approaches that promote clinician behavior change.

The problem of Arabic learning difficulty is amongst the serious problems encountering the educationalists which would be attributed to many reasons. Therefore, this research is about the idea of detecting the real and minute reasons of Arabic learning problems by non-Arabic speaking children. Investigating and detecting these reasons are not the objective and substance of this research, but it is a reasonable method to diagnose the disease and set the proper linguistic cure prescription to extinguish the phenomenon of language weakness of these children. The research deals with linguistic treatment methods of this weakness at different phonetic, semantic, syntactic, morphological and lexical levels and areas. It also deals with solutions, suggestions, and recommendations which would take part in solving the problems of this serious problem.