Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Creativity and AI abilities can improve project management for better project outcomes.(University Of Bridgeport, 2025-01-29) Alsaid, Maram; Arthur, McAdamsThis study investigates the evolution of project management practices and explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) enhances project success by addressing traditional challenges. Drawing on historical and modern project management frameworks, the research highlights persistent factors contributing to project failures, such as unclear requirements, lack of user involvement, and poor planning. Utilizing a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of recent studies, the findings demonstrate AI's transformative potential in automating tasks, improving risk identification, supporting data-driven decision-making, and enhancing team collaboration. AI techniques, including supervised and unsupervised learning, predictive analytics, and AI-powered tools like chatbots, have proven to streamline project timelines, reduce costs, and improve overall project outcomes. The study concludes that integrating AI into project management not only mitigates human error but also empowers project managers to focus on strategic decision-making, positioning AI as a critical driver for success in an increasingly complex and globalized environment.35 0Item Restricted Development of a method to capture and quantify emissions from open burning of explosives(Cranfield University, 2024) Alqahtani, Waleed; Wardrop, Josh; Persico, Federica; Temple, TraceyThis thesis presents the development of a method for capturing and quantifying gaseous emissions resulting from the open burning of explosives. The environmental impact of military explosives disposal, particularly through open burning and detonation, necessitates improved emission monitoring techniques to mitigate pollution and health risks. Four commonly used explosives, RDX, TNT, NTO, and nitrocellulose, were selected for this study due to their widespread application in military and industrial settings. A bespoke gas collection system was designed to capture emissions from controlled open burning experiments, with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) employed for real-time gas analysis. The system was validated using inert materials such as cellulose and paraffin wax, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the emission quantification process before analysing explosive samples. The FTIR analysis identified key emissions, including CO₂, CO, N₂O, H₂O, and NOx, which were quantified and compared to theoretical predictions based on the combustion of each explosive. The results revealed significant variations in emission profiles between different explosives, highlighting the environmental hazards posed by traditional disposal methods. The findings from this study underscore the importance of accurate emission capture and analysis to inform safer explosive disposal practices. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the gaseous by-products of open burning, advocating for enhanced monitoring frameworks to reduce the ecological footprint of explosive ordnance disposal operations.13 0Item Restricted Investigating the Correlation between Background Radiation and Weather Conditions: A Predictive Model Employing Machine Learning Techniques.(Oregon State University, 2024-12-06) Alhubaishi, Duaa; Yang, HaoriEnsuring public safety and protecting environmental health rely heavily on dependable radiation monitoring systems. Accurately predicting variations in background radiation levels is paramount, particularly in environments where natural factors such as weather significantly influence these changes. Background radiation is known to be influenced by weather conditions such as temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, and rainfall. These factors interact in intricate ways, making it challenging to discern natural fluctuations from potential radiation hazards. This study investigates the connection between background radiation and weather by analyzing data collected over three months at Oregon State University. Utilizing advanced machine learning techniques, particularly Gradient Boosted Regression Trees (GBRT), a predictive model was developed to estimate background radiation levels. Its performance was compared to a simpler linear regression model to illustrate the advantages of sophisticated techniques in comprehending intricate relationships. The results demonstrated that the GBRT model exhibited superior performance compared with the linear regression model in predicting background radiation levels. The GBRT model effectively captured the nonlinear relationships and interactions among the variables, resulting in enhanced accuracy and improved generalization. Key findings indicated that humidity and temperature exhibited consistent and significant correlations with radiation count rates, while factors such as rainfall and wind speed exhibited limited effects. Despite some challenges in predicting extreme values, the GBRT model demonstrated a robust ability to minimize prediction errors and effectively manage noisy data. This research underscores the significance of integrating environmental data into predictive frameworks and employing sophisticated machine learning algorithms to enhance the accuracy of radiation monitoring systems.38 0Item Restricted Mathematical modeling of plant-herbivore interactions: Stability analysis and period-doubling bifurcation in a modified Nicholson-Bailey model(Kansas State University, 2024) Albayyadhi, Maram Ibrahim; Douraki, Majid JaberiA Nicholas-Bailey model was initially created with the purpose of examining the dynamics of the population between a parasite and its host. In 1935, Nicholson and Bailey proposed a model for predicting the interactions between Encarsia Formosa parasites and Trialeurodes vaporariorum hosts that focused on the interaction between parasites and hosts1. In the study of biological systems, these types of models, such as discrete-time equations, can be considered invaluable tools for studying the interactions between two species. This dissertation presents a re ned iteration of the Nicholson-Bailey discrete host-parasite model in the first chapter 1. The research unfolds in several chapters. The initial chapter provides a comprehensive background and reviews pertinent literature. Subsequently, fundamental definitions of ordinary differential equations are expounded upon, elucidating key concepts in dynamical systems such as stability analysis, manifold theory and bifurcations. Moreover, essential results and theorems pertinent to the study are delineated. In the second chapter, an investigation scrutinizes the dynamics of the newly formulated host-parasite model, featuring three essential parameters con ned to the rst quadrant. A rescaling technique is employed to condense the model into a two-parameter format, capturing its dynamics. Notably, the model consistently manifests two boundary steady states, with the potential emergence of a third interior steady state under speci c parameter conditions. Utilizing linearized stability analysis, thresholds for system stability are identi ed, distinguishing between stable and unstable regimes. Further exploration delves into the long-term stability of steady states and center manifold theory, particularly focusing on non-hyperbolic steady states and transitions from stable to unstable regions. The analysis explores bifurcation scenarios, including two-parameter bifurcations, by varying parameter ranges. It highlights period-doubling bifurcations that lead to chaotic behavior as eigenvalues cross critical thresholds. Numerical simulations support the theoretical results, con rming the conclusions.11 0Item Restricted The Application of the Transit Passage Regime in Straits Used for International Navigation: A Study of the Strait of Hormuz(University of Essex, 2024-04-21) Aldawish, Abdulmalik; Meagan, Wong, Antonio, CocoThe Strait of Hormuz is of great importance as it is the gateway for the Gulf States maritime activities and in particular their oil and liquified natural gas exports to the rest of the world. About one fifth of the global oil supply passes through the Strait. Thus, the Strait is a potential source of violent conflict, and this was evident during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Therefore, the significance of establishing a sustainable and peaceful legal framework for navigating through such straits cannot be over-emphasised. This study examines the applicable transit passage regime in straits used for international navigation, with a special focus on the Strait of Hormuz. Most straits used for international navigation, which are choke points, are prone to generating conflicts and the Strait of Hormuz is a notable example. There are competing claims on the applicable legal regime of passage through the Strait among some stakeholders in the use of the Strait including notably Iran, the United States, and Oman. The problem of the rights of passage through the Strait is of paramount importance for the Middle East States, since its unresolved issues may result in conflicts. Considering the strategic importance of the Strait for international trade and security, resolving the competing claims on the applicable legal regime is in the interest of user States and, indeed, the entire international community. This research is a critical examination of applicable transit passage regime for instituting a peaceful and sustainable passage through the Strait of Hormuz. This thesis adopts a formalist, doctrinal approach, to set out the need for a sustainable regime of passage through the Strait. The issue of transit passage through this strait gains’ greater significance in light of Iran’s repeated threats to block the passageway. Hence, the significance of establishing a sustainable and peaceful legal framework for navigating through such straits cannot be over-emphasised. Yet, the critical issue of the legal regime of the Strait of Hormuz remains largely under-researched. Despite its relevance to coastal States, there appears to be a lack of contemporary research on this issue, either in English or in Arabic. There is a gap in literature/scholarship and this thesis addresses this gap and makes a scholarly contribution. This thesis aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the legal regulation of the transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Considering the strategic importance of the Strait for international trade, finding solutions for the problem is in the interest of other States and of the entire international community. The research shall be practically important for the national authorities, politicians, economic decision-makers, as well as for the scholars working over the problem of legal regime of transit passage through international straits.6 0Item Restricted Evaluation of Prefabricated Construction Systems and Materials' Thermal Performance with Reference to Housing Construction in Saudi Arabia.(University of Nottingham, 2025) Alkelani, Abdulaziz; Gadi, MohamedIn light of recent revisions to international standards, such as those advocated by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the prioritisation of improved air circulation to support more energy-efficient ventilation systems has become evident. These systems simultaneously enhance occupant satisfaction and thermal comfort. Within this framework, the current research systematically examines the thermal performance and comfort of prefabricated houses in Saudi Arabia, a subject of increasing importance given the rise in summertime temperatures, consistent with the global increase in temperatures. The investigation distinctly outlines the implications of individual components of prefabricated buildings, particularly building envelope components, on the comprehensive thermal performance in the extreme climate conditions prevalent in Saudi Arabia. It ventures to shape innovative prospects in the Saudi prefabricated construction industry, emphasising the reduction of energy expenses while elevating the quality of the indoor environment through the introduction of high-performance prefabricated building components and systems. In Saudi Arabia, characterised by a harsh and hot climate, the residential sector accounts for nearly 50% of national energy consumption. With energy demand expected to rise further, this research investigates the thermal performance and thermal comfort potential of prefabricated housing as a sustainable alternative. The study prioritises optimising building envelope components, developing high-performance precast systems, and providing design guidelines to reduce energy consumption and enhance indoor thermal comfort. It is evident that the study centred its investigation on natural ventilation from the initial stage. Consequently, it revealed a significant reduction in total discomfort hours across various cities in Saudi Arabia. Optimal performance, characterised by minimal total discomfort hours, was observed in cities characterised by lower humidity levels. This suggests that cities with higher relative humidity, exemplified by Jeddah, exhibit extended discomfort hours and encounter challenges in achieving markedly low discomfort hours compared to drier cities like Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. The research employs field observations of existing prefabricated houses in Saudi Arabia and simulation tools to evaluate and optimise thermal performance. Findings reveal substantial reductions in total discomfort hours across various zones, with optimisations achieving up to 32% reductions in specific zones. Key innovations include the use of phase change materials (PCMs) with a melting point of 23°C, improved insulation strategies, and optimised window-to-wall ratios, achieving reductions of up to 48% in cooling loads, 99.95% in heating loads, and 51.6% in annual energy consumption for air conditioning. The study culminates in a tangible design product: a high-performance precast system tailored for extreme climates, offering transformative solutions for sustainable construction practices in Saudi Arabia.5 0Item Restricted Enhancing the effectiveness of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) mechanism in cross-border e-commerce transactions: A Comparative Analysis of Legal Frameworks. Challenges, and Opportunities(University of East Anglia, 2025) Almobarak, Madwi Abdullah; Hancock, HollyThis study examines the key legal and regulatory challenges affecting the enforcement and effectiveness of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) mechanisms on peer-to-peer (P2P) e-commerce platforms in the United States (US), European Union (EU), and United Kingdom (UK). These jurisdictions were selected due to their significant roles in global e-commerce, distinct legal approaches to ODR, and varied regulatory environments, providing a comprehensive basis for comparative analysis. To achieve a deep understanding of these challenges, this research adopts a functionalist comparative methodology. This approach is particularly suited for this study because it enables an analysis of how different jurisdictions’ legal systems function in practice to support or hinder the resolution of disputes on P2P e-commerce platforms. Rather than merely comparing legal rules or doctrines, the functionalist approach focuses on how legal norms and institutions perform similar societal functions or address common problems. In the context of ODR, this allows for the identification of common challenges and effective solutions across different legal systems. Employing a functionalist comparative methodology, the research focuses on three primary comparators: the enforceability of ODR agreements and awards, data protection and privacy laws, and accessibility and user trust. The analysis reveals that while ODR mechanisms are essential for resolving disputes in P2P e-commerce, their effectiveness is significantly influenced by jurisdiction-specific legal frameworks. In the US, the Federal Arbitration Act supports the enforceability of arbitration agreements, facilitating ODR but raising concerns over consumer rights. The EU’s emphasis on consumer protection through directives and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enhances user trust but may hinder ODR efficiency due to stringent compliance requirements. The UK’s post-Brexit landscape strives to balance consumer protection with business flexibility, creating unique challenges and opportunities for ODR implementation. The study concludes that harmonizing ODR standards across jurisdictions and integrating emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and blockchain can enhance the effectiveness, fairness, and accessibility of ODR mechanisms globally. Recommendations include adopting international standards such as the UNCITRAL Technical Notes on ODR, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations, and educating users about ODR processes and their rights. These measures aim to strengthen user trust, improve dispute resolution outcomes, and support the sustainable growth of P2P e-commerce platforms worldwide.7 0Item Restricted Scalable Network Fingerprinting for IoT Devices(University of Southampton, 2024) Alyahya ,Tadani Nasser; Aniello, Leonardo; Sassone, VladimiroRecognising IoT devices through network fingerprinting contributes to enhancing the security of IoT networks and supporting forensic activities. Network fingerprinting for IoT devices involves analysing the traffic from these devices to accurately identify them without relying on explicit identifiers within the transmitted packets, which can be spoofed. Machine learning techniques have been extensively utilised in the literature to optimise IoT fingerprinting accuracy. Given the rapid proliferation of new IoT devices, a current challenge in this field is around how to make IoT fingerprinting scalable, which involves efficiently updating the used machine learning model to enable the recognition of new IoT devices. Some approaches have been proposed to achieve scalability, but they all suffer from limitations like large memory requirements to store training data and accuracy decrease for older devices. In this research, we propose a novel, scalable network fingerprinting method for IoT devices that leverages online stream learning and fixed-size session payloads. This approach enables the model to be updated periodically without needing to retain data, ensuring scalability and maintaining high recognition accuracy. Moreover, our method includes a mechanism for detecting unknown IoT devices. Our contributions are multifaceted, beginning with a comprehensive survey of passive IoT device fingerprinting that leverages machine learning and network characteristics, systematically reviewing the literature and detailing the network traffic features used for device identification. We identify key open research problems and future directions in this domain, highlighting significant challenges and gaps. A notable advancement is the introduction of ScaNeF-IoT, a scalable IoT fingerprinting approach utilising online stream learning and fixed-size traffic payload sessions, demonstrating high accuracy and adaptability. The scalability of the approach lies in its ability to continuously update the machine learning model with minimal resource overhead, allowing for the seamless recognition of new IoT devices without retraining from scratch. We further investigate the feature extraction method, which indicates the instances of interest from network traffic, such as packets, flows, or sessions, for further analysis and feature extraction, finding that fixed-size payload sessions outperform others with an accuracy of over 99.5% and an average false positive rate of 2.25%. Additionally, our scalable system is able to detect unknown IoT devices using online stream learning and z-score analysis, showcasing efficiency and adaptability. Our scalable IoT device fingerprinting approach achieves 100% accuracy in detecting unknown devices and 94% average accuracy in identifying known devices in streaming data.6 0Item Restricted The Perspectives and Practices of Sport Scientists and Sports-Medicine Practitioners in Ballet.(University of Edinburgh, 2024-08-28) Alshawi, Sara Saud; Weston, MatthewPurpose: To explore the current perspectives and practices of Sports scientists and Sports medicine practitioners (SSSMP) in ballet. Methods: An online questionnaire survey evaluated influences in training planning, current training practices, and monitoring. The survey was developed via Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) Online Survey. A web link to the survey and an banner with a QR code was generated and shared across several social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). Results: 26 participants were involved in sports science and sports medicine role in the ballet environment; sports scientists were mostly responsible (2.8 ± 0.8) for training planning, decision to monitor training load (46%), along with analysing and interpreting load data (4.0 ±1.1). Additionally, the collective consensus on the time of the season (4.3 ±1.0), dancers’ performance (4.2 ±1.0), injury prevention (4.2± 0.7) and rehabilitation (4.0 ±0.9) were perceived as very influential for planning training, 96% of the respondents emphasising that injury prevention played an integral role in training ballet dancers. However, opinions diverged on the methods of monitoring; in addition, approximately 53% of the respondents disagreed with the current equipment used for effective load monitoring in ballet. Conclusion: The findings highlight the current perceptions and practices on training load monitoring and help navigate sports scientists and sports medicine practitioners' influences to a certain extent in terms of their role in an interdisciplinary approach and athletic management structure in ballet. Further research is needed to assess the impact of training loading monitoring in ballet.22 0Item Restricted Analysis of the Bax-Bak interaction during SAC-induced apoptosis(University of Leicester, 2024) Alfarteesh, Hajer Ali; Patel, RajnikantTaxol binds to β-tubulin preventing mitotic spindle formation and microtubule attachment to kinetochores. The presences of non-attached kinetochores activates the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) resulting in chronic activation of CDK1, mitotic arrest and apoptosis. Taxol- induced apoptosis occurs via the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. The activation of the key regulators of apoptosis, Bak and Bax, results in the mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) followed by the release of apoptotic factors such as cytochrome c. Recent studies from our lab demonstrated that Taxol- induced apoptosis is Bak and Bax dependent. However, the mechanism by which Bax accumulates at the mitochondrial outer membrane and whether Bak plays a role in this mechanism during SAC activation remain unknown. Therefore, I examined how Bak mediates the recruitment of the pro-apoptotic Bax into the mitochondrial outer membrane. I confirmed that Bak is required for Bax recruitment to mitochondria and subsequent cell death. By isolating the mitochondria from Taxol-arrested cells and Bak immunoprecipitation, I have demonstrated that Bak forms a complex with Bax and MPTP proteins VDAC2 and ANT2 which suggest the contribution of the pro apoptotic proteins in the pore formation during SAC- induced apoptosis. Also, a mitochondrial Bak IP mass spectrometry screen identified a 41 novel Bak interacting proteins. Finally, I examined the interaction between recombinant Bak and Bax to identify the key amino acid residues involved in the binding of the two proteins. My data confirmed the direct interaction between Bak and Bax at the canonical binding site (BH3: hydrophobic groove). My results also identified a novel amino acid responsible of Bak:Bax interaction as Bak Y89. A mutant Bak (Y89F) completely abolished the interaction between both proteins. In conclusion, this study confirmed the important role of pro-apoptotic Bak in recruiting Bax to the mitochondria of SAC activated cells. As Bak and Bax interaction is crucial in Taxol-induced apoptosis, the key amino acid residue that regulates Bak and Bax interaction has been identified.6 0