Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Quantitative Research in Evaluating the Perceived Safety and Effectiveness of Women- Only Taxi Services in Reducing Harassment for Female Travelers in Paris(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Ghulman, Sumaya; Mäekinen, TiiaThis quantitative research examines the perceived safety and effectiveness of women-only taxi services in reducing harassment for female travelers in Paris and selected European cities. Using a structured online questionnaire (N ≈ 40–60), the study compares perceived safety levels and self-reported harassment incidents between women-only and standard ride-hailing services. Descriptive and inferential analyses (t-tests, chi-square, correlations, and regression) indicate significantly higher perceived safety and lower non-physical harassment (verbal and behavioral) among users of women-only services, while differences in physical harassment were not statistically significant. Key adoption barriers include limited availability, longer waiting times, higher perceived costs, and ethical/legal concerns regarding gender-exclusive services. The findings suggest that women-only taxi services can serve as a valuable supplementary safety measure but should not replace systemic safety reforms in mainstream ride-hailing platforms. Policy implications include strengthening driver vetting, real-time monitoring, incident reporting mechanisms, and targeted pilots or subsidies to improve availability without reinforcing segregation.6 0Item Restricted Effectiveness of Immersive Virtual Environments in Learning 3D Transformations in Computer Graphics and Impact on Spatial Skills(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Alobaid, Maha Abdulaziz; Manzke, MichaelWith the rapid advancements in virtual reality technology, new opportunities are emerging for enhancing learning experiences, particularly in disciplines that require strong spatial reasoning. However, it remains unclear to what extent immersive virtual environments can influence students' spatial skills, especially in complex subjects such as 3D transformations in computer graphics. This study explores the role of immersive virtual reality in improving spatial skills by evaluating its effectiveness in teaching 3D transformations through visual and interactive experiences. Over the course of several studies, our research has gradually honed in on the impact of immersive virtual environments on students' understanding of spatial concepts. Initially, the focus was on user engagement and satisfaction with virtual systems. As the research progressed, it became evident that the immersive nature of virtual reality and its interactive capabilities played a crucial role in improving spatial reasoning. Through a combination of pilot studies, one-group pretest-posttest designs, and expert evaluations, this work identifies how immersive virtual systems provide significant affordances for visual learning and interaction with 3D transformations. This thesis presents findings that suggest immersive virtual environments, by allowing students to manipulate and visualize 3D objects from multiple perspectives, enhance their spatial skills more effectively than traditional methods. Furthermore, the study investigates how expert evaluations of virtual effectiveness align with user experiences, ultimately highlighting the value of immersive virtual reality as a tool for teaching spatial reasoning in computer graphics. The results point to the potential of virtual reality not just as an educational tool but as a platform to reshape the way spatial learning is approached, particularly in STEM education.3 0Item Open Access Stability of three-dimensional rotating boundary layers(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Alshahrani, Maha; Alberto, Paganini; Zahir, HussainThis thesis investigates the effects of surface roughness on disturbances in the rotating disk boundary-layer. The stability of stationary and traveling waves using the YHP and MW models in the flow over a rotating disc was examined through linear stability analysis.The YHP modle imposes a specific roughness pattern (concentric grooves) as a surface shape function depending on the radial position but MW model allows some slippage, simulating the effect of distributed roughness. The roughness of the surface was simulated with no-slip (YHP) and slip boundary conditions which characterise concentric grooves, radial grooves and isotropic roughness. The impact on stationary crossflow and Coriolis instabilities was examined by applying slip conditions to undisturbed flow and linear disturbance based on the research of Cooper et al. (2015). This study examined how stationary and traveling disturbances impact stability. Traveling disturbances can induce instability at lower Reynolds numbers, potentially resulting in turbulence, a phenomenon first analyzed by Balakumar and Malik (1990) for flat disks. This study has built upon earlier linear stability studies on YHP by Garrett et al. (2016) for stationary disturbances. This study extends this analysis to include traveling wave instabilities. The Navier-Stokes equations are used to obtain the steady mean flow system, and linear stability equations are then formulated to obtain neutral stability curves. The results of the stability analysis are validated using linear growth rates and numerical analysis. Studies show that streamwise-aligned radial grooves significantly destabilize type II (viscous) instabilities, while concentric grooves and isotropic surface roughness stabilize boundary-layer flow against type I (inviscid or crossflow) instabilities. The asymptotic analysis of Hall(1986) has been extended to the YHP rough-wall model for the upper branch instability modes. By solving the neutral stability equations and determining the critical settings for linear instability, neutral stability curves were generated for a range of radial and azimuthal slip length values. The boundary layer profile has been investigated asymptotically in particular for the non-stationary perturbations. It has been found that, at very large Reynolds numbers, the upper branch for all waves tends asymptotically to the same wave number calculated by the linear stability method. The MW model applies slip to both base flow and perturbations, built upon the earlier work of Cooper et al. (2015) and Thomas et al. (2023). For the numerical analysis, we found that parameters that result in an increase or decrease in the critical Reynolds number led to a stabilization or destabilization of the flow, respectively. Finally, we compared the asymptotic and numerical stability results for both type I (inviscid or cross-flow) instabilities and type II (viscous) instabilities, followed by the critical Reynolds number comparisons, which were found to be consistent, in general, with results in the literature.7 0Item Restricted Between Perception and Praxis: Sartrean Existentialism and the Responsibility of International Lawyers in the Context of Gaza(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Bahamdain, Lora; Gerry, SimpsonThis dissertation examines the widening gap between public perception and the practice of international law in the context of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. It argues that this rupture reflects not merely institutional failure, but a deeper crisis of moral agency within the discipline. Drawing on International Court of Justice rulings on Israel’s illegal occupation and provisional measures in South Africa v Israel, alongside Francesca Albanese’s 2025 report, From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide, the dissertation situates Gaza within broader critiques of proceduralism, spectacle, and structural bias in international law. It contends that international law’s formalism, crisis-orientation, and historical entanglement with colonial and imperial power—particularly in its reluctance to confront Zionism as racism—undermine its universalist claims and erode public trust. To address this impasse, the dissertation advances Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialism as a normative and methodological lens for rethinking the role of international lawyers and academics. Sartre’s principle that “existence precedes essence” reframes legal actors as radically free and therefore responsible agents whose interpretive choices shape legal meaning. Concepts of freedom, bad faith, and praxis illuminate how procedural neutrality can function as self-deception, masking political and moral commitments embedded in legal reasoning. Engaging Martti Koskenniemi’s critique of indeterminacy and the “invisible college,” the dissertation proposes an existentially committed formalism: one that acknowledges the political nature of legal interpretation while strategically mobilizing legal language for emancipatory ends. The study further draws on the history of Arab existentialism and the concept of iltizam (commitment) to demonstrate a regional precedent for politically engaged intellectual practice. By foregrounding critical self-reflexivity and moral responsibility, the dissertation argues that international lawyers must move beyond technocratic detachment and confront the structural conditions that enable mass violence. While existential agency cannot dissolve geopolitical asymmetries, it reconstitutes the lawyer as a conscious actor who resists complicity within constraint. Ultimately, the dissertation contends that a Sartrean, human-centred ethos offers a path toward restoring credibility to international law by aligning legal praxis with liberationist commitments and by responding authentically to the moral demands posed by Gaza.Item Restricted The Impacts of Western Theories: Application to Professional Social Work Practice in Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Barasayn, Nouf; Clark, JulieThis study examines the impact of western social work education on decision-making among Saudi Arabian social workers within an Islamic context. Specifically, it investigates the integration of theoretical frameworks learned at university into practical social work, exploring factors such as professional experience, religious beliefs, and cultural influences that may shape decision-making. Research questions address whether social workers recall and utilize theories from their studies, the influence of practicing in an Islamic society, and potential conflicts between Western theories and Islamic values. Findings reveal that while social work education has significantly shaped professional practices—particularly through problem-solving skills and systematic approaches—many social workers are also guided by religious values in their practice. The research highlights that, for the majority, Western social work principles, including client dignity, respect, and autonomy, align with Islamic values, suggesting successful integration of these frameworks into their professional identity. Approximately twenty percent of participants did experience some tension between academic education and real-world practice but those social workers with longer experience in the field felt more confident in their interventions and decision-making. The study underscores the universal applicability of social work values and professional processes and how they transcend cultural circumstances and world views. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how non-western cultural and religious values intersect with Western social work-oriented education in a manner which leads to a selection of interventions by social workers which adhere to principles of competent practice. At the same time these values are deeply rooted in the culture of the society in which they are practiced and are adapted to fit within context specific agency policies. The findings provide a basis for curriculum enhancements that support culturally competent practice in Saudi Arabia and similar settings.Item Restricted Developing an Evidence-Based Intervention to Improve Influenza Vaccination Rate Among Care Homes Staff(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Alsaif, Faisal; Twigg, Michael; Patel, AmrishBackground Influenza poses a significant health risk to older people in care homes, who are particularly vulnerable to severe complications. Vaccination is an effective way to prevent influenza outbreaks in care homes. However, influenza vaccination rates among care home staff remain low. To address this public health issue, this thesis, as part of the FluCare study, explores the development and evaluation of an intervention designed to improve influenza vaccination uptake among care home staff. Methods This thesis includes three studies, all conducted within the context of the FluCare study. The first study was a systematic review conducted to identify barriers and enablers affecting influenza vaccine uptake among care home staff. The second study was a survey of local authorities (LAs) to identify current practices and interventions used to improve influenza vaccination rates among care home staff. The third study involved interviews with vaccine providers to identify the barriers and enablers related to implementing in-care home influenza vaccination clinics for care home staff. Results The systematic review identified key barriers and enablers to influenza vaccine uptake, such as doubts about the effectiveness of the vaccine, concerns about side effects, and lack of accessibility to the influenza vaccine. Enablers included free onsite vaccination, management encouragement, and reminder systems. These findings informed the FluCare intervention by highlighting the need to address both individual and organizational barriers. The cross-sectional survey of local authorities showed that most interventions aimed at enhancing influenza vaccination among care home staff focused on education (91.4%) and improving access to the influenza vaccine (63.8%), with fewer local authorities offering incentives to care homes or staff. Regression analysis suggested that certain interventions may be associated with higher vaccination rates, including informing staff about vaccination goals and policies (p = 0.063), sending email or text reminders (p = 0.080), and the availability of interventions to enhance access to the vaccine (p = 0.065). The interviews with vaccine providers identified barriers and enablers to delivering in-care home vaccination clinics. Key barriers included late timing of the clinics, lack of staff awareness about the clinics, and poor communication and coordination with care home managers. Key enablers included financial incentives for vaccine providers and effective communication and coordination with care home managers. Conclusion This thesis identifies the barriers and enablers to influenza vaccine uptake and the implementation of vaccination clinics in care homes, establishing a baseline for Behaviour Change Techniques (BCTs) to effectively enhance influenza vaccine uptake and improve the implementation of vaccination clinics within care homes. The findings emphasize the need for continuous evaluation to refine interventions. The thesis also highlights areas warranting further investigation, such as identifying and selecting the most appropriate BCTs with key stakeholders to improve the implementation and adoption of vaccination clinics.Item Restricted The Role of School Nutrition Policy in the Prevention of Dental Caries and Obesity in Public Primary School Children, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alsiwat, Areej; Goodwin, Michaela; Kitsaras, Georgios; Alayadi, Haya; Glenny, Anne-MarieBackground: School wellness programs aim to provide children with the knowledge and skills they need to make favorable lifestyle choices. The aim of this research was to provide further evidence on the impact of Saudi nutrition policy in schools on dental caries and obesity among public primary school children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A mixed-method approach was used to address the aim of this thesis. This included a cross-sectional study in which a random selection of public primary schools from Riyadh were assessed using a checklist to determine their adherence to the Ministry of Education school canteen guidelines. This was followed by an assessment of dental caries and overweight/obesity of students in schools who had either average adherence or poor adherence to the guidelines set by the Ministry of Education. In addition, structured questionnaires were used to evaluate children's dental health, as well as the nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and practices of teachers and parents, along with parenting style. The mixed method approach also included a qualitative study, using a semi-structured interview with headteachers and teachers to gather their insights into the school canteen guidelines in public primary schools. Results: The results indicated that school canteens were either average or poor in their alignment with the guidelines set by the Ministry of Education. The study found no evidence of a difference in the severity, prevalence of dental caries, or the prevalence of overweight/obesity with adherence to the Ministry of Education school canteen guidelines. Teachers were found to be limited in their nutritional knowledge, and no evidence was found between nutritional knowledge and sociodemographic factors. For parents, the predominant parenting style was authoritative, and their nutritional knowledge was also found to be limited and showed evidence of a relationship with their education level and family income. However, no evidence was found for the relationship between parenting style or parents' nutritional knowledge with their children's dental caries experience. Conclusion: This study found no evidence of an impact of school nutritional policy on dental caries and overweight/obesity in public primary schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, due to the level of school canteen compliance being either ‘poor’ or ‘average’ and none being found ‘good,’ a clear conclusion cannot be reached.Item Restricted Manin’s conjecture for forms of additive groups(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Alfaraj, Abdulmuhsin; Loughran, DanielThis thesis investigates two topics in the area of arithmetic geometry, particularly in the study of rational points on varieties over global fields. In the first part of the thesis, we study the asymptotic behaviour of rational points of bounded height on a class of equivariant compactifications of commutative unipotent groups over global function fields. More precisely, we prove the Batyrev–Manin conjecture for smooth equivariant compactifications of forms of additive groups, under suitable assumptions on the boundary divisor. To verify that the leading constant agrees with Peyre's prediction, we also show that a commutative unipotent group admitting a smooth equivariant compactification satisfies the Hasse principle for algebraic groups and weak approximation. To illustrate new phenomena appearing in the function field setting, we study in detail the case of projective space of dimension p-1, viewed as a compactification of a certain wound group, where p is the characteristic of the base field. The second part of the thesis concerns the study of Brauer groups of surfaces over a field k of characteristic zero, building towards the study of potential Brauer-Manin obstructions. First, we determine the Brauer group of regular conic bundles over elliptic curves, under the assumption that the singular fibres lie above k-points that are divisible by 2 in E(k), where the associated ramification fields are isomorphic. Second, we study affine surfaces obtained as complements of singular hyperplane sections of smooth cubic surfaces. We compute the transcendental Brauer group for the different possibilities of the hyperplane section. For the case when the hyperplane section is geometrically the union of three lines, we give explicit examples where transcendental elements of order 2 and 3 exist over Q.Item Restricted Deposition and Evaluation of Hydroxyapatite-Containing Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation Coatings on 3D-Printed and Bulk Ti6Al4V Alloys(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alenezi, Fissal; Yerokhin, AlekseyDental and orthopaedic implants are implemented to restore mobility and quality of life on a global scale, but failures and revision surgeries are frequent. The problem is how to develop coating materials that will favour rapid integration of the bone and allow it not to degrade over a prolonged period of time. The standard material used in the implants is titanium alloy Ti6Al4V, but the bioinert surface slows down the bonding of the bone. Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) has been proposed as a viable solution to enhance the bioactivity and osseointegration of Ti6Al4V by producing porous TiO2 layers, which can add calcium and phosphate species to serve as nucleation sites of hydroxyapatite (HAp). AM Ti6Al4V is currently employed extensively in orthopaedic and dental implants to allow patient-specific shapes and porous lattices. As-built surface regulates the process of osseointegration, hence it requires bioactive modification. Its porous and rough topography, along with its unique microstructure, may alter the behaviour of PEO discharge and coating chemistry compared to wrought material. The hypothesis considered during this project was that coating formation and early bioactivity may depend significantly on substrate type (bulk versus AM Ti6Al4V) and particle-assisted electrolytes (NaOH/Na2HPO4; ±2 g/L HAp). The design was a complete factorial 2 x 2 design with a constant current density (1480 A/m²) and treatment time (11 min, 54 s). SEM and EDS analyses were used to examine surface morphology and chemistry, while XRD was used to determine the phase composition. Bioactivity was assessed through immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) over 1, 7, and 14 days. Findings indicated definite substrate effects. Total thickness by eddy current gauge after PEO was comparable on AM and bulk Ti (~26–27 µm). Cross-sectional SEM showed a more developed porous layer on AM surfaces, while bulk oxides were smoother and more uniform. HAp addition to the electrolyte promoted the cross-sectional porous layer thickness on bulk Ti by ~76% (9.27 to 16.36 µm) and increased the addition of Ca and P on both substrates, while the total gauge thickness remained ~26–27 µm. EDS showed that on AM Ti, Ca-P nucleation proceeded rapidly (up to 8 at% Ca and 12 at% P within 1 day), but on bulk Ti, the uptake was slower. The initial, Ca-deficient apatite was also indicated by Ca/P ratios (0.63-0.73, stoichiometric hydroxyapatite = 1.67). SEM showed different bioactivity mechanisms: faceted crystals grew on PEO-coated AM Ti on day 7, whereas bulk Ti developed a fine granular surface with subsequent plate-like outgrowths. XRD revealed weak anatase and rutile shoulders and a broad low-angle peak at 11 -12 2θ, typical of amorphous/nanocrystalline Ca0P; discrete HAp peaks at 31.7-34.1 2θ were not detected with Bragg Brentano geometry. These results indicate that AM substrates promote faster nucleation and coalescence of Ca-P phases, whereas bulk substrates promote slow and uniform deposition. HAp-containing PEO improved the incorporation of Ca and P (Ca–P species) into the porous oxide and surface chemistry consistent with the ~11–12° 2θ nano CaP peak and the absence of sharp HAp peaks at 14 days. It offers comparative information on the influence of substrate state on coating growth, bioactivity, and kinetics of Ca-P structural rearrangements. The broader implication is that AM implants can provide quicker short-term bioactivity when modified with PEO coatings; however, their uniformity and crystallinity must be optimized to make a clinical translation. Further studies are required to evaluate the effects of longer immersion times, mechanical adhesion, corrosion resistance and in vivo behavior. The present research work will help in designing an effective bioactive surface for future patient-specific implants.4 0Item Restricted Closing the MQTT Security Gap: An Assistant Tool for Secure-by-Default Mosquitto Deployments(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Aljabal, Fahad; Cambrun, Martin BarrereThe Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol has become a widely adopted communication standard in Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems, edge computing, and Industry 4.0 applications due to its lightweight design and low network overhead. However, MQTT is secure by design but not by default, leaving the responsibility of implementing security to those deploying it. This has created a significant gap in real-world practice, where the priority of operational ease and rapid deployment often outweighs security considerations, resulting in a large number of insecure, publicly exposed MQTT brokers vulnerable to unauthorized access, data interception and manipulation. This dissertation addresses the gap by introducing the MQTT Secure Assistant Tool, designed for Mosquitto, one of the most popular open-source MQTT brokers. The proposed tool enforces secure configurations by default and from the start of an IoT project by automating and simplifying the configuration process , making MQTT security accessible to non-cybersecurity specialists while ensuring robust protection for advanced users. The MQTT Secure Assistant Tool is a Python-based graphical application that automates the secure setup of Mosquitto brokers, including TLS configuration, password-based authentication, ACL enforcement, and user/topic management. It also features a one-click broker launch function, a validation system to prevent misconfiguration, and most importantly a logging and alerting system that surpasses standard manual secure deployments, which typically lack any built-in log analysis. This system continuously scans through large number of logs entries in real time, automatically detecting and alerting administrators to major security-related events such as brute-force login attempts or unauthorized publish actions. By enforcing secure defaults and automating configuration, the tool helps prevent insecure deployments and reduces exposed brokers, while the integrated logging and alerting system eliminates the operational blind spots common in MQTT environments.4 0