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This study explores Arab university faculty's views on fully AI-generated assignments and research papers submitted by students, what reasons they give for their stance and how they react in this case. Surveys with a sample of 45 Arab instructors revealed that 98% do not accept AI-generated assignments and research papers from students at all. They gave numerous reasons for their position. If students submit AI-generated assignments or research papers, they would ask them to re-write them. The study recommends raising students' awareness of university policies regarding AI-generated content and introducing faculty and students to AI plagiarism detection tools. Faculty views and recommendations are reported in detail.

The prevalence of plagiarism, cheating, and other acts of academic dishonesty may be as high as 80% in populations of high school and post-secondary students. Various educational interventions have been developed and implemented in an effort to educate students about academic integrity and to prevent academic misconduct. We reviewed the peer-reviewed research literature describing face-to-face workshops, e-learning tutorials, or blended approaches for promoting academic integrity and the effectiveness of these approaches. In general, the educational interventions were described as effective in terms of satisfaction with the intervention, and changes in students' attitudes and knowledge of academic integrity. Few studies provided evidence that the educational interventions changed student behaviour or outcomes outside the context of the intervention. Future research should explore how participation in educational interventions to promote academic integrity are linked to long-term student outcomes, such as graduate school admission, alumni career success, service to society, and personal stability.

Arid areas account for more than 20% of Earth's surface. Many of these arid areas suffer from harsh climates where energy consumption is high and production coexists with high hydrological stresses. In such areas, the production of water is directly linked to the production of electricity, bringing the Energy–Water nexus to a higher level [Heggy et al., Sustainable Energy-Water-Environment Nexus in Deserts (Springer, 2022)]. Under the current energy transition from a fossil-based economy to a renewable energy-based system, arid areas are seen as potential reservoirs for electricity production due to their high solar potential, thereby helping to achieve global decarbonation targets. This energy production transition will strongly affect the Energy–Water nexus as it will contribute to the decoupling of electricity from water production. The International Conference on Sustainable Energy–Water–Environment Nexus 2019 (ICSEWEN19) conference was the first to address the Sustainable Energy–Water Nexus in Deserts, bridging the gap between research and industry and highlighting the research capabilities relevant to Qatar, the region, and internationally. The Invited Papers from the International Conference on Sustainability, Energy, Water, and Environment Nexus in Desert Climates Special Collection in Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy presents articles covering the main elements of the conference with respect to solar photovoltaic implementation in desert environments as a key element to succeed in this global energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines Qatar's 2022 World Cup through the lens of liminality, presenting the intricate interplay between tradition, modernity, and human rights. By introducing liminality as an analytical tool, the paper explores how Qatar navigates traditional norms amidst global scrutiny, particularly concerning human rights issues such as migrant labour practices and cultural contestations around human rights. Employing liminality as a conceptual framework, this analysis offers a nuanced understanding of Qatar's endeavour to balance cultural authenticity with international expectations. I reveal why Qatar utilised the transient phase to implement reforms to its social and legal systems, aligning with international human rights while ensuring changes were akin with its cultural identity. The paper highlights the transient nature of change during the liminal phase of sport mega-events, emphasising both the opportunities and challenges presented for changes in Qatar. The paper unpacks Qatar continued navigation in the global stage as an extension of the initial liminal phase, demonstrating its engagements with processes of change and adaptation. The World Cup is a prime example that exposes the dual nature of sport mega events, serving as a springboard for social change, while also revealing underlying cultural and structural tensions. I conclude that Qatar utilised this liminal phase as a rite of passage, enabling the nation to traverse the terrain of modernity while testing the permeability of its cultural boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hosting 2022 FIFA World Cup (WC2022) in Qatar is a mega event that can shape a country's development1. Partnerships as preparedness efforts for mass gatherings within the health system can ensure a safe and efficient practice in hosting countries2,3. This work aims to provide an analysis of the existing literature around partnership frameworks to inform the development of an innovative partnership framework for Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC). In addition, it also discusses the preparedness plan at PHCC for the WC2022 to promote staff and national resilience. Methods: Various databases such as Academic Search Complete, Education Research Complete, Medline and Web of Science were used to search for relevant studies from 2010 to 2021. The search strategy consisted of search terms including partnership, framework and health. Moreover, searching was conducted by title, abstract, and full texts, and was limited to studies in English language. The content analysis was performed to analyze the relevant publications. Results: A total of 18 studies were considered. The related literatures were analyzed to present the emerging themes which revealed four major themes: collaboration, engagement, transformation, and risk mitigation. Leveraging the current primary care partnership framework will influence the ability of healthcare professionals to adapt and respond to the upcoming mass gathering. National and international partners must recognize and embrace the need for diverse training programs during the WC2022. The preparedness for the WC2022 calls upon clear assessments from various stakeholders at PHCC that are tied to the needs for emerging roles and services. Conclusion: This work offers a new perspective on the current PHCC partnership framework and provides some recommendations for infrastructure, commissioning, and engagement pathways among future public and private partners. Leveraging PHCC partnership framework and transforming it into a holistic framework of national resilience during mass gathering is of significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doha, the capital city of Qatar, has experienced remarkable urban growth over the last two decades. This raises concerns regarding the city's fulfillment of compactness, complexity, and connectivity. This paper considers transit-oriented development (TOD) as a potential tool to attain a sustainable and diverse urban landscape in a situated context. Qualitative research methods, which include observations and mapping, are employed to gain a deeper understanding of the physical aspects of a situated context in the neighborhood of Al-Slata, Doha. Specifically, this paper aims to investigate the implementation of TOD in metro station precincts within Al-Slata based on five design aspects: (1) walkability; (2) balance of ground use; (3) mixed-use spaces; (4) intermodality and transportation hubs; and (5) a public transportation network. The findings include a lack of complexity and connectivity between urban activities and spaces adjacent to the metro station. In addition, these findings demonstrate the potential of metro stations to preserve the cultural heritage and social identity in a rapidly developing city like Doha. The recommendations include a layout design proposal to increase connectivity and complexity within the situated context and suggestions on how transit nodes and metro stations could become active hubs within the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of migrant remittances on household food security in the Ghana-Qatar migration corridor. Drawing on a 2023 survey of migrant-sending households in Ghana and in-depth qualitative interviews with migrants in Qatar, the study explores the characteristics, determinants, and patterns of remitting. The findings reveal that cash remittances play a crucial role in enhancing food security and the overall welfare of households in Ghana. However, the pressure to remit affects the food security of migrants in Qatar significantly, and they often adopt various coping strategies to manage their limited resources. The paper highlights the translocal nature of Ghanaian households, where remittances contribute to the cultural and economic sustenance of families. The study underscores the dual role of remittances in supporting household food security while imposing financial constraints on migrants and calls for policies that address the needs of both remitters and recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The financial system plays an essential role in facilitating the intermediation process for economic growth. Policymakers stress on achieving a well-developed and regulated financial system to achieve economic development and resiliency. Using data from the State of Qatar, this paper aims to examine the impact of financial development indicator on economic growth; the impact of financial development indicator on hydrocarbon and nonhydrocarbon sector; the impact of Islamic banking on hydrocarbon and nonhydrocarbon economic growth. Design/methodology/approach: The research uses quarterly data from 2007 to 2019 and adopts autoregressive distributed lag cointegration techniques to test the long- and short-run dynamic relationship between various measures of financial development and economic growth. Findings: The results present evidence of long-term cointegration between overall financial development indicator and economic growth. Furthermore, the authors document the existence of long-term relationship between financial development and nonhydrocarbon sector. However, there is a lack of evidence on the long-run relationship between financial development and the hydrocarbon sector. Notwithstanding, Islamic banking contributes to overall economic development, as well as to the nonhydrocarbon sector. Practical implications: This paper offers policymakers with insights to evaluate measures to diversify the economy. It also assists decision-makers in promoting Islamic finance, particularly to the banking sector as a vital contributor to economic growth. Originality/value: To the best of the author's knowledge, this paper is the first to evaluate financial development and economic growth for the case of Qatar in light of recent developments in Islamic finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qatar's transition from a hydrocarbon-based to a knowledge-based economy spurred the development of Education City, which houses several International Branch Campuses and one home-grown university, Hamad bin Khalifa University. Through the case study of EC, this paper seeks to improve our understanding of higher education policy borrowing and the complex process of indigenisation. Using secondary data from prior studies, it offers a discussion on the key stages and challenges in Qatar's effort to indigenise higher education and outlines areas for further research. This paper uses Phillips and Ochs four-stage Model of Policy Borrowing in Education, as a guiding conceptual model. The paper is constructed as follows: first, a discussion on international branch campuses in Education City; second, outlining the conceptual model; third, a discussion on Education City through the conceptual model; and finally, the case of the home-grown university, Hamad bin Khalifa University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport and authoritarianism have long been bedfellows, especially during the Cold War era. 'Traditional' authoritarian regimes—most notably the Soviet Union and its satellite states—learnt the art of instrumentalizing sport for political ends from each other. Motives for this included garnering international prestige via excellence in elite sport and showcasing communism as a viable alternative to capitalism. This paper shows how the 'new' authoritarian states are now beginning to impact global elite sport through similar sports investment strategies in an array of sports teams, sports sponsorship and sports leagues. Whereas 'traditional' authoritarian states sought sporting excellence on the playing field and the recognition this brought with it, the 'new' authoritarian states seek to buy into the cultural power and prestige of global elite sport for economic gain, to improve the health of their citizens and for global recognition. We draw on recent examples from Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia to understand why and how 'new' authoritarian states pursue sport policies and why this is contested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qatar is caught in the struggle between reformation of its educational system to create a dynamic, local workforce and prepare their citizens for the competitive global market for higher education and jobs, whilst preserving the country's values, tradition and language. This paper examines the recent policy shifts, hitherto underexplored, analysing the intended and unexpected impacts that influenced subsequent policy reform. It begins with a background on neoliberal educational policies followed by a historical account of the education system, with a focus on post-2011 where the government introduced a voucher system to further privatization. Using quantitative longitudinal analyses based on tabulating detailed government educational reports from 2010 onwards, it aims to investigate the impact of these post-2011 policies on the number of schools, students, gender and demographic composition in the government and private schooling sector. The data illustrates how a simple, linear trend of privatization has not occurred and that significant demographic changes have begun to surface between government and private schools. If these trends continue at the same rate across the next decade, this will likely result in transformative social changes and divisions in relation to identity, language, gender, cultural values, socio-economic status, higher education choices and job opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to document Qatar's recent contribution of humanitarian, development, and peace-related efforts to the Sudanese in Darfur. It delves deeply into Qatar's involvement in Darfur by tracing the flow of foreign assistance provided between 2011 and 2018, while analysing the relevant mediation efforts to settle the conflict in the region. The paper calls for adopting the Triple Nexus approach – or humanitarian development-peace nexus in dealing with Qatar's role as a third party in Darfur both as a donor and mediator. Contextualising Qatar's role in this context necessitates considering its foreign assistance and peace-related efforts in conflict-affected contexts and its positioning in relation to the Triple Nexus. While Qatar has not publicly committed itself to the Triple Nexus reforms directed to OECD-DAC donor countries, the paper argues that adopting the Triple Nexus approach might develop the prevailing humanitarian and development and peace-related assistance practices in Qatar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2022 FIFA World Cup hosted in Qatar was mired in controversy. From the corrupt bidding process to the sub-standard working and living conditions, Qatar was heavily criticized for its management of the World Cup. This paper explores two of the main critiques levied against the host nation: its exploitation of migrant labor and the harsh and restrictive policies against women and the LGBT community. Concerning migrant labor, the kafala system is the primary cause of hardship. It is a labor sponsorship system, and it requires migrant workers to invest time and resources to acquire a job in Qatar, a sunk cost that then prevents them from leaving upon discovering that the working and living conditions are not what was promised. Women suffer from a similar sponsorship system, except instead of sponsorship by employers, they are sponsored by male relatives. Lastly, LGBT rights are nonexistent in Qatar, and anecdotes about the LGBT experience and struggle for freedom and safety are noted below. Qatar and FIFA did work together to try to alleviate some of these problems. Qatar created a new wage protection system and labor dispute mechanisms to ensure timely payment for migrant workers and provide them with legal recourse if it was denied. Furthermore, FIFA created the “Supreme Committee” which oversaw construction efforts undertaken by FIFA and attempted to set labor standards. These programs had marginal success, but they at least displayed an intent for improvement. Lastly, this paper also compares the treatment of migrant workers, women, and the LGBT community in Qatar with their treatment in the United States of America. The United States is the next host of the World Cup and will face similar inquiries into its treatment of these groups. The United States is not above criticism concerning its protection of migrant laborers, women, and the LGBT community. Therefore, it should learn from the lesson of Qatar and ensure that the rights of these groups are safeguarded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kafala (a labor sponsorship) system, a legal framework for regulating foreign migrant workers through local recruitment agents/agencies, exists in Arab Nations, including the GCC, Jordan, and Lebanon, where the recruitment agent (Kafeel) plays a key role. After the Arab Uprising (2011), the system has come under severe public criticism due to issues such as exclusion of migrant workers from the purview of various domestic humanitarian workers' laws and the hegemony (monopoly) of the Kafeel in the recruitment of the workers under exploitative terms and conditions. Following intense international criticism, the Gulf regimes were forced to seriously consider reforms concerning the Kafala system. Qatar's monarchy took the initiative in this regard in 2016. Thereafter, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, and Saudi Arabia followed suit. This paper critically evaluates the Kafala system and the reforms introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant aspect of corrosion failures and catastrophes originate from trivial mistakes in either the choice or connection of different materials, as well as from inaccurate evaluation of the compatibility between materials and the environment. The example shown in the present paper summarizes several wrong solutions due to a lack of knowledge of the basic rules of corrosion control. By chance, the consequences of these errors already appeared during construction; therefore, they were not able to cause damage during operation. This paper is the third in a series devoted to enhancing the need for professional corrosion control design for infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: For children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (CWNDs), early diagnosis that leads to early intervention with regular targeted therapies is critical. In Qatar, private therapy centres that address this demand often have highly exclusive prices restricting families from availing them. This paper examines the challenges faced by families with CWNDs, as well as various financial and systemic obstacles, from the vantage point of these centres, all of which culminate in an extraordinarily high disability price tag for disability families in Qatar. Methods: This study is based on qualitative, semi-structured, and in-depth interviews with private therapy centres and developmental paediatricians. Results: Therapy centre representatives expressed common struggles in lengthy and cumbersome administration and licencing procedures, difficulty in hiring and retaining high quality staff, and expenses that need to be paid to the state. From their experience, families largely struggle with delayed diagnoses that significantly slow down intervention plans and therapies as well as staggeringly high financial costs with a dearth of funding options. Conclusions: We recommend sincere engagement, dialogue, and cooperation between multiple stakeholders; a supportive ecosystem to balance and distribute the demand that includes schools and parents; as well more efficient administrative procedures and recruitment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qatar's economic growth and improvements in living standards have been underpinned by a state-led, hydrocarbon-intensive growth model. More recently, Qatar has been undergoing an economic transformation toward a growth model that is more dynamic, knowledge-based, sustainable, and led by the private sector. It will be guided by the recently published Third National Development Strategy, which aims to achieve the National Vision 2030. This paper suggests key reforms to achieve this goal, quantifying their potential impact on the real economy using a semi-structural, general equilibrium model that includes Qatar. Model simulations suggest substantial benefits from labor market reforms, particularly those that would increase the participation of skilled expatriate workers. They also suggest large growth gains from reforms for the business environment, including those that improve access to finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document discusses the preparation and legacy aspects of domestic and international sporting events, with a focus on social and environmental impacts. It highlights controversies surrounding recent mega-events, such as the Winter Olympics in China and the World Cup in Qatar, and the criticism of their return on investment and social welfare. The document also addresses the political controversy surrounding international sporting events, particularly in countries with questionable human rights records. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of sustainability and community engagement in all types of sporting organizations. [Extracted from the article]

Smart cities represent an emerging trend that may have policy and regulatory implications for telecoms regulators in many countries including Qatar. This paper draws on a review of interdisciplinary literature on regulatory governance and smart cities besides primary data collected from interviews with telecom and urban planning experts as well as regulatory members of staff to offer illustrations of the regulatory challenges and policy implications facing the development of smart cities with special focus on the state of Qatar. The paper emphasizes that regulatory policy-makers are required to go beyond the obvious and immediate benefits of smart cities to capture the full picture of potential impacts on regulatory and policy processes. For the transition towards smart cities to be handled successfully, regulatory policy-makers are required to address the new regulatory challenges by developing proactive rather than reactive approaches in dealing with the implementation of smart city initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing online services and assistance to library users has become the standard practice of many libraries worldwide. It has prompted many institutions to develop strategic actions to remain relevant in the absence of physical services. Although there are numerous initiatives among public libraries for teens, there is limited literature about the provision of online services and assistance for teens during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this study seeks to highlight the services, efforts, and initiatives of Qatar National Library, specifically its Young Adult (YA) Section, in planning and implementing virtual services to address the information needs of teens during a pandemic. Additionally, this study will present information that might help library professionals design their own library plans and programs to serve young adults virtually. This paper takes a quantitative approach to share the library's experience organizing various online events and reference services for youth development amid limited access to physical services. This case study includes information about user feedback, highlighting the teens' experience with the library's virtual programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study focuses on issues related to living organ donation for transplantation in Bangladesh. The policy and practice of living organ donation for transplantation in Bangladesh is family-oriented: close relatives (legal and genetic) are the only ones allowed to be living donors. Unrelated donors, altruistic donors (directed and non-directed), and paired/pooled or non-directed altruistic living donor chains—as many of these are implemented in other countries—are not legally allowed to serve as living donors in Bangladesh. This paper presents normative arguments explaining why the family-oriented nature of regulations and practices surrounding living organ donation for transplantation is essential for Bangladesh. In this article, I specifically argue that if the Bangladesh government revises the current biomedical policy robustly beyond relatives and allows unrelated donors to donate organs legally, this may foster organ selling due to the poverty and corruption problems in Bangladesh. The family-oriented requirement of the living organ donation policy and practice is defensible and morally justifiable as it preserves common notions of the family unit and family bonding in Bangladesh. Maintaining the current living-donation regulations and promoting deceased donation is the way forward, as this safely preserves the family values, protects against organ selling, and increases access to organ transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanitarian diplomacy emerged as a concept in the 2000s to describe the vital work effected by non-State humanitarian organizations to negotiate access, protect civilians and uphold humanitarian principles. This paper charts the rise of State-led humanitarian diplomacy in the Middle East, arguing for the need to expand the conventional lens that is focused on non-State actors. It does so through a detailed examination of Qatar, a case study that has emerged over the last two decades as a significant State actor engaging in a range of forms of humanitarian diplomacy. Following a brief theoretical examination of the concept of humanitarian diplomacy, the paper describes Qatar's role in humanitarian diplomacy in relation to the changing context of armed conflict and humanitarian response in the Middle East. It then presents a categorization of Qatar's humanitarian diplomacy, employing a framework structured around multiple levels including practice, policy and normative/ideational, carried out by both non-State and State actors. Finally, the paper reflects on the significance of Qatar's experience and the implications it may have on the conduct of humanitarian diplomacy in the region, and in particular what a niche small State can do to contribute to the protection of the humanitarian sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Qatar has emerged as a key actor in humanitarian diplomacy (HD), which has received limited academic attention. This paper provides an analysis of Qatar's engagement with HD, drawing on a literature review and extensive interviews with officials and humanitarian workers in Qatar, observations of state activities and humanitarian agencies, and personal interviews with international humanitarian aid workers. The study reveals Qatar's unique strategy, characterised by its diplomatic stance and the integrated efforts of its governmental and non-governmental sectors, as foundational to its HD efforts. The study also reports challenges hindering those efforts, namely the impacts of the political tensions, the lack of diplomatic immunity for humanitarian workers, and a scarcity of specialised expertise in HD. These are explored in terms of their implications for the effectiveness of Qatar's efforts, emphasising the critical need for enhanced supportive frameworks, targeted capacity-building initiatives, and well-defined protocols for HD engagement. To add to the dialogue on HD, this paper reflects on Qatar's engagement in HD, suggesting that smaller nations can meaningfully contribute when leveraging their strengths and international relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During research in Qatar with practitioners in assisted reproduction and infertility medicine, I found that across the broad range of views they expressed about their approaches to consulting with patients, there was something shared: that their work with assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) entailed taking up moral and ethical positions. In this paper, I draw on interviews with medical professionals to analyse the local moral worlds which shape the practice of assisted reproduction. I provide an analysis of how professionals position themselves amid the complex ethical, moral, and cultural landscape in which ARTs in Qatar are situated. In developing my analysis of how these positionings involve a striving to be virtuous, I contribute to anthropological understandings of the complexities of everyday negotiations of moral practice. This is a process, I argue, that reveals both the interplay between self-construction and professional practice and the multidimensionality of the underexplored ART context in Qatar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This quantitative study used Teacher Leadership Inventory (TLI) to survey the views and perceptions of public (government-funded) school teachers on factors that influence teacher leadership in Qatar. The survey sample was 2,969 participants in public (government) schools in Qatar. The results revealed significant differences for TLI in four factors (sharing expertise, sharing leadership, supra-practitioner, and principal selection). Thus, whereas teachers' qualification and nationality emerged as significant for sharing expertise, the leadership position and nationality were significant for sharing leadership. The results further revealed the significance of years of experience, gender, degree level, and nationality for supra-practitioner and leadership position, nationality, and years of experience for principal selection. The paper concludes with relevant recommendations for policy makers and educators and suggestions for further research to explore salient aspects of teacher leadership in further detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Travel medicine is an emerging branch of medicine concerned with the well-beings of travellers before, during, and after travel. Pre-travel health advice and medical services are important to keep travellers healthy and ensure a safe and pleasant journey by minimising impact of illness and accidents. Objective: This paper serves as a literature review paper on the pre-travel health advice seeking behaviours amongst travellers as well as the pre-travel health advice and medical services provided by the health professionals. Methodology: An extensive online literature search using the search terms of "pre-travel", "health advice", "medical services", and "health professionals" was done on electronic bibliographic databases including PubMed and Scopus supplemented by Google Scholar. Results: Twenty original studies as retrieved from the online databases which fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included in the review. Prevalence of pre-travel advice seeking behaviour is reportedly low in Malaysia (36.8% - 40.5%). Studies done amongst pharmacists in Malaysia revealed that the Malaysian pharmacists have been actively involved in providing pre-travel health advice and medical services (76.6% - 85%). High percentages of healthcare professionals in Europe and American (68% - 94.7%) provide pretravel advice and medical services, followed by 79.5% in Saudi and 44.7% in Qatar. The top 5 topics of health advice most frequently cited were on malaria, travel insurance, sexually transmitted disease/HIV, vaccinations and first aid kit. The average duration spent for pre-travel consultation range from 5 to 30 minutes. Conclusion: Travellers should be educated on the importance of seeking pre-travel advice and vaccinations to raise their awareness. Healthcare practitioners should be well-trained and informed to provide good pre-travel advice and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how the 2022 World Cup has transformed national and cultural identity in Qatar, and residents' responses to such change. Our discussion draws on interviews with Qatari citizens and those working within Qatar's cultural, education, policy, and sports sectors, as well as document analysis. The paper is in four parts. First, we present background information on Qatar, before discussing our chosen methods. Third, we discuss four themes generated from the data. The first focuses on changes to the built environment and how this has impacted perceptions of cultural life in Qatar; second relates to how World Cup infrastructure is also seen as a continued expression of Qatar's heritage; third centred on the perspectives of Qataris as a cultural minority in their country; and fourth shed light on how certain everyday cultural practices of Qataris has survived modernization attempts, albeit, in hybrid forms. We conclude by suggesting that though Qatar's World Cup has brought challenges to Qataris, they actively maintain celebratory heritage customs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper unpacks the factors likely to influence students' use of supplementary private tutoring in Qatar. Drawing on insights from Ajzen's theory of planned behavior (TPB), the current study seeks to understand the main predictors of private tutoring usage in the context of Qatar. This study used survey questionnaire data to ascertain key predictors of participation in private tutoring, as perceived by students in preparatory schools (grades 8 and 9) and secondary schools (grades 11 and 12). The regression analysis revealed that upper-grade students were more likely to use private tutoring than their lower-grade counterparts. Additionally, parental attributes, particularly their educational levels, employment status, and involvement in their children's schooling, were strong determinants of household decisions to hire private tutors. The results also indicated that the demand for private tutoring is strongly associated with the quality of teaching. The paper offers relevant recommendations for policymaking and calls for future study and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on data from a 4-year longitudinal study of literacy development at an English-medium university in Qatar, this paper aims to document the challenges and development of multilingual students' literacy skills in their transition to college. Interviews reveal students' challenges during the first semester in terms of reading comprehension difficulties stemming from limited vocabulary knowledge, background knowledge, and reading stamina; in addition, students describe difficulties understanding the genre expectations and style of English academic writing. Despite these challenges, interviews also reveal development in students' academic reading and writing as their understanding of college writing expectations and their use of learning strategies and resources increase. In addition, analysis of student writing using corpus-based text analysis software reveals indicators of academic writing development such as increase in the use of academic register, elaboration, and reasoning. Together, these findings contribute to an understanding of challenges and academic development of students in English-medium universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the findings of a scoping review that maps exploratory evidence and gaps in research on information and communication technology (ICT) access and use among older persons in the Arab region. This review is part of a larger project that studies ICT access and use and related challenges faced by older adults in Qatar. A search was conducted in eleven scientific databases and search engines covering empirical studies published in English and Arabic between January 2016 and June 2021. Eleven studies were retrieved in the final corpus. A thematic analysis alongside the PRISMA for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) was used to retrieve the findings. Our analysis identifies smartphones and social media applications for communication and information sharing as the most accessed and used technologies by older persons in the region. Moreover, our review highlighted the importance of the sociocultural factors in shaping ICT access and use by older persons in the region. The functional limitations of older persons in interaction with certain technology factors such as usability, functionality, and accessibility were also highlighted as major challenges inhibiting ICT access and use by this population segment. This scoping review provides a comprehensive overview of ICT access and use, and the factors affecting them among older persons in the Arab region. It highlights the scarcity of research on the subject in the region. It also stresses the fact that there is a need for more research on older persons and their caregivers in the context of the Arab world. More culturally appropriate need-based and adapted technologies are also recommended. Our review is a comprehensive source for researchers and technology developers interested in targeting and engaging older adults in the Arab region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural assessment is critical for designing asphalt pavement overlays, estimating the remaining life of pavements, and selecting an appropriate rehabilitation strategy for existing pavements. The falling weight deflectometer (FWD) serves as the primary nondestructive test used for evaluating the in situ properties and structural capacity of asphalt pavements. The current procedure involves analyzing the FWD response and estimating layer moduli by assuming an elastic response. However, the response of asphalt layers is viscoelastic (i.e., temperature- and frequency-dependent). This study proposes an approach that combines FWD data with laboratory measurements of the dynamic moduli of field cores to determine the in situ viscoelastic properties of asphalt layers. This approach is implemented by analyzing FWD data from four pavement sections in Qatar. Furthermore, the paper includes a comparative analysis of the response of pavement sections in which the asphalt layers are modeled using dynamic modulus master curves obtained from laboratory tests and those obtained using the approach presented in this study. It was found that using the laboratory-based master curves overestimated pavement performance (i.e., underestimated pavement distresses). It is recommended to use the dynamic moduli from the method presented in this paper for a more accurate estimation of pavement response and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The food security challenge continues to be one of the main issues that currently face the world despite improved economic development in many countries. The challenge is particularly unique in one of the world's arid regions, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This paper analyses the food security strategies of Qatar (one of the six countries that make up the GCC), especially since 2017 when the blockade of the country by its neighbors began. Qatar's current food sufficiency was made possible by the country's swift and profound changes in its food production strategies to ensure food security for its population. In order to provide locally sourced foods to the population, private and public initiatives were activated to support small farmers to distribute and supply their farm produce to local markets. The results show that Qatar has shifted from importing some food commodities to locally producing a high proportion of its foods to the extent of becoming an exporter of some farm produce. However, this increase in the local food production was achieved at the cost of depleting the local groundwater at a rate higher than the natural recharge. This paper thus critically assesses the specific situation of food security in Qatar that could be used as an example for other countries aiming to strengthen their food security, especially during transnational crises when international food supply chains suffer from unavoidable disruption (e.g., COVID-19 crisis). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the healthcare provisions for migrants in Qatar. Migration and health are intricately entwined in the GCC states, with ramifications for both migrants and their host countries in the Gulf. The GCC states are home to nearly 30 million non-national residents or migrants, constituting the largest concentration of temporary migrants in the world. The provision of healthcare services to such a large migrant population presents a tremendous challenge for most Gulf states. It is worth pointing out that migration to the GCC states is inherently transient in nature, which further compounds the healthcare challenge. This paper explores how the GCC states respond to the rising demand for migrant healthcare by focusing on healthcare infrastructure and healthcare provisions for migrants in Qatar. The study reveals that Qatar has invested heavily in the expansion of healthcare infrastructure in tandem with its growing migrant population. Qatar offers healthcare services to the increasing migrant population through the Hamad health card, which allows its holders to access public healthcare services. This study suggests that there is a need for more expansion of public healthcare facilities to meet the expanding healthcare needs in coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper makes an original contribution to knowledge in three ways. First, through interviews with experts in Qatar, we uncover the role major sports events seek to play in the development of Qatar's indigenous population. Our findings show that, alongside seeking to achieve various international objectives, these events are also intended to have a positive impact on the state's human capital development at home. Specifically, in this regard, there is a desire to use sports events to address issues related to the health of Qataris, and to try to engage citizens in a process of maturity, whereby they are encouraged to confront the outside world, and become less reliant on the state. Second, our paper adds to understanding the role of aspirations, motivation and ambition in the human capital development process, which, as we show, is an area to which a growing literature is devoted. Third, the paper is the first academic analysis to provide insight into how sports events can be used in an attempt to overcome the 'resource curse', referring to the evidential long-term human capital development deficiencies that are commonly experienced by natural resource-rich states across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate strategies today are shaped by the increased importance given by companies, investors, and regulators to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities. This paper empirically investigated the impact of ESG on the performance of banks in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region by collecting and analyzing the data of 29 banks located in the six GCC countries — namely the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. It studies data for the period 2010–2022 collected from the Refinitiv Eikon platform. Applying the ordinary least squares (OLS) and panel regression (fixed and random effect) techniques, it examines the impact of ESG on the performance of these banks. The significant Hausman test favored using the fixed effect results. The results suggest that a bank‘s size positively influences its performance. The larger the bank the more diverse its ESG activities and the better its performance. Additionally, ESG and asset quality have a significant negative correlation to performance, implying a lower asset quality indicates higher loan loss provision and leads to lower financial performance. Finally, the results also suggest banks are overinvesting in ESG to comply with the latest standards set by investors and regulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authors of 4 papers that were recently published from under‐represented regions of the world offer their advice on how to get started in an effort to facilitate similar success for others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies the econometric Chow test to determine the impact of the recent oil price decline on the GCC banking system for the period 2011–2017. Structural breaks in the performance of selected sample GCC banks, Saudi, UAE, and Qatar banks, are tested upon the occurrence of the recent oil price decline in 2014 for different aspects of bank performance: profitability, liquidity, credit quality, and capitalization. While Qatar banks are found to be resilient showing continuous performance over time, the Saudi banks are found to be significantly impacted by the decline experiencing negative structural breaks at the credit quality level but positive breaks at the capitalization level. However, UAE banks are found to have experienced negative breaks at the profitability, credit quality, and capitalization levels. The paper provides GCC banks with valuable insights about what bank aspects could be negatively impacted in the event of negative oil price shocks and what aspects could help mitigate the impact. This helps banks introduce necessary changes and preventive actions to better absorb future shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study draws on the theory of 'migrant optimism' and anticipated discrimination to examine whether a gap in educational expectations and achievement exists between immigrant and native students in Qatar and explores whether the impact of educational expectations on educational achievement is contingent upon the migratory status of students (migrant or native students). It utilizes data on students aged 15–16 obtained from the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). The results show that migrant students have higher educational expectations and achievement than Qatari students, while female students in all groups enjoy better performance and hold higher educational expectations. The results also show that the gender gap among Qatari students is bigger than the gender gap among migrant students. Educational expectations have a significant and positive impact on achievement among Qatari and migrant students alike. These results and their theoretical implications are further discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The emergence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been well documented in recent literature which constitute a significant global burden of disease. Qatar which has a significantly high prevalence of NCDs with early on set. Epidemiological and health service utilization information plays a central role in facilitating informed decision making and application of the fundamental principles of PHC in planning and delivery of healthcare with aim to prevent and control NCDs. To enable this, the Department of Clinical Research at Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), Qatar's publicly funded and largest primary care provider designed the Health Assessment Linking Trends in Health Status, Risks, and Healthcare Utilization (HEALTHSIGHT) study. This paper describes the HEALTHSIGHT study protocol. Methods: The proposed study will use a cross sectional study design involving a random sample of participants enrolled across all 31 PHCC health centers. Individuals aged 18 and above years old registered with PHCC and hold a valid health card and contact information on PHCC's electronic medical records (EMR) will be eligible for inclusion. A stratified random sample not proportional to size sampling technique will be employed to obtain a representative sample size of the PHCC population (N = 6000). Participants will be scheduled for an appointment at a PHCC health centre where a data collector will obtain informed consent, collect vital sign information and administer a questionnaire. A phlebotomist will collect a blood sample. Health service utilization data will be extracted from PHCC's EMR. Discussion: Epidemiological and health service utilization information is essential to plan and monitor primary care and public health services. The HEALTHSIGHT study, with the help of a randomly selected representative sample from Qatar's primary healthcare settings, provides a unique opportunity to capture this information. This study design will closely represent a real-world understanding of the health risk, status and utilisation and is likely to provide important data to guide primary care planning and delivery in Qatar. The proposed protocol provides an example of a robust nationwide study that be undertaken in short duration using limited resource which can be undertaken in other similar settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper discusses the critical importance of epidemic preparedness and innovations in digital health care by examining the transformative impact on speech-language pathology (SLP) services in a specialist outpatient child and adolescent service (CAMHS). Method: This retrospective review analyzes referral data from three periods: pre-pandemic (15 March 2019–14 March 2020), pandemic (15 March 2020–14 March 2021), and post-pandemic (15 March 2021–14 March 2022). Statistical analyses assess trends in referrals and diagnoses during these periods. Feedback was also obtained from Parents of children who received virtual consultations during the pandemic. Results: The results reveal an increase in the demand for SLP services during and after the pandemic, with a surge in referrals (increased from 9.7 to 12.9% when compared pre-pandemic to post-pandemic periods; Chi-Square value 3.33, P = 0.068) for children with social communication challenges and autism spectrum disorder. Phone and video consultations were effectively adopted. Feedback from families shows a positive response (69%–98% of participants responded as strongly agreed and agreed on various items listed in feedback form specifically designed in line with the service objectives) to telehealth interventions, with many parents finding virtual consultations effective and helpful. Conclusions: The study emphasizes the importance of telehealth SLP services in meeting the increasing demand for mental health interventions among children and adolescents. It suggests integrating telehealth into clinical practice beyond the pandemic and highlights the need for long-term evaluation and addressing potential barriers to access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The World Mental Health Qatar (WMHQ) study, the first national general population mental health survey in Qatar, was conducted as part of the World Health Organization (WHO) World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative. It was one of the few WMH survey conducted during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This paper presents the methodological advances and challenges encountered while conducting the survey by telephone during the pandemic. Methods: Disproportionate stratified sampling using a national‐level cellular telephone frame selected a representative sample of Arabic‐speaking adults. Participants were initially contacted via Short Message Service text, followed by telephone interviews. WMH training materials supported a comprehensive training program, and data quality was ensured through a quality control indicator system and extensive monitoring. Results: Over 234 days, 5195 interviews in Arabic were completed, averaging 77 min each. In line with Qatar's population, the majority of participants were non‐Qatari residents living in Qatar (72.2%). Conclusions: A distributed remote Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing system facilitated centralized quality monitoring and data security. However, the pandemic intensified challenges such as remote management of interviewer productivity, low response rates, and rising survey costs. The findings will inform Qatar's mental health policymakers, and the strategies used to address these challenges offer valuable insights for researchers worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Qatar, a wealthy country with an open economy has limited arable land. To meet its domestic food demand, the country heavily relies on food imports. Additionally, the over three year-long economic embargo enforced by regional neighbors and the covariate shock of the COVID-19 pandemic have demonstrated the country's vulnerability to food insecurity and potential for structural breaks in macroeconomic data. The purpose of this paper is to examine short- and long-run determinants of Qatar's imports of aggregate food, meats, dairy and cereals in the presence of structural breaks. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use 24 years of food imports, gross domestic product (GDP) and consumer price index (CPI) data obtained from Qatar's Planning and Statistics Authority. They use the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) cointegration framework and Chambers and Pope's exact nonlinear aggregation approach. Findings: Unit root tests in the presence of structural breaks reveal a mixture of I (1) and I (0) variables for which standard cointegration techniques do not apply. The authors found evidence of a significant long-run relationship between structural changes and food imports in Qatar. Impulse response functions indicate full adjustments within three-quarters of a year in the event of an exogenous shock to imports. Research limitations/implications: An exogenous shock of one standard deviation on this variable would reduce Qatar's food imports by about 2.5% during the first period but recover after the third period. Originality/value: The failure of past aggregate food demand studies to go beyond standard unit root testing creates considerable doubt about the accuracy of their elasticity estimates. The authors avoid that to provide more credible findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Family and school environment play a crucial role across the different developmental stages of adolescence. This paper investigates the potential mediating role of family and school environments in the relationship between the three psychosocial predictors of depression, anxiety, stress, and Internet addiction (IA). Specifically, it focuses on the two stages of early and middle adolescence. Methods: The study involved a survey of 407 adolescents from Qatar, comprising 250 early adolescents and 157 middle adolescents. Inclusion criteria for the study included adolescents between the ages of 10 to 17 years old, residents of Qatar and studying in a Qatar-based school. To assess the constructs of the three psychosocial predictors, IA, family environment, the study utilized the Depression, Stress, and Anxiety Scale (DASS), the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire (IADQ), and the Brief Family Relationship Scale, respectively. School environment was measured using questions from the "Health Behavior in School-aged Children: WHO Collaborative Cross-National survey/study (HBSC) 2013–2014. The study applied standard mediation analysis between the DASS components and IA with family and school environment as the mediators. Results: Results from the mediation analysis reveal insights into the relationships between psychosocial predictors and IA. The findings indicate that family and school environments partially mediated the relationship with regards to depression, stress, and anxiety in early adolescents. In middle adolescents, family environment partially mediated the relationship with depression and stress and fully mediating the relationship with anxiety. Meanwhile, school environment only exhibited partial mediation in the relationship with anxiety in middle adolescence. Conclusions: These results highlight the crucial role parents and schools play in addressing problematic technology usage that develops as a response to depression, anxiety, and stress among adolescents. Moreover, the study reveals nuances in the mediating role of family and school environment in early and middle adolescence. This highlights the evolving nature of these influences across the different stages of development. Notably, this study contributes to the literature by moving beyond the conventional focus on the so-called WEIRD population, and offering valuable insights from a region that is underrepresented in current research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops and applies a methodology of qualitative inquiry that equips researchers to capture how social actors produce and contest accepted forms of knowledge at the margins of mainstream globalizing discourses in times of crisis. Standing at the intersection between conceptual and empirical research, our methodology builds on the common epistemological premises of 'narrative', as stories constructed and enacted in social life, and 'practice', as tasks and projects composed by 'doings' and 'sayings'. Overcoming the dualism between 'action' and 'discourse' in traditional social theory, this methodology integrates narrative theory and practice theory into a joint framework for fieldwork and interviews. The use of the narrative-practice methodology in ethnographic case studies – such as interpreters' experience of the COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar – allows researchers to gain analytical granularity on participants' storied practice and practiced stories of the crisis, to harness 'peripheral' knowledge and refashion public discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]