Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/10
Browse
9789 results
Search Results
Item Restricted The Mediating Role of Curiosity and Mimetic Desire in the Relationship Between Influencer Source Characteristics and Purchase Intention toward Beauty Products among Saudi Women(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Almeshari, Reem; Marta, Cano; Courtney, ChrimesAbstract Influencer source characteristics have emerged as one of the most salient persuasive criteria shaping consumers’ product evaluations and purchase intentions. (Iqbal et al., 2023; Schouten et al., 2020; Ferreira et al., 2024). Despite the acknowledged efficacy of social media influencers, beauty products are still predominantly purchased offline, particularly in Saudi Arabia one of the largest beauty markets in the Middle East, where offline purchasing persists despite high digital engagement (Al Taasis, 2024; Bizmark, 2025).This is primarily due to the failure to fully exploit the holistic power of influencer source characteristics, particularly through cognitive persuasion. The lack of such persuasion, which delivers rational, judgmental, and reasoned cues about product quality and suit- ability, makes it difficult for consumers to evaluate sensitive items, like beauty products (Park et al., 2021). This suggests that when consumers search for beauty products online, influencers often fail to provide sufficiently cognitively persuasive communication regarding marketed products. To reduce consumers’ concerns about beauty products in social media contexts, it is therefore crucial to strengthen cognitive persuasion mechanisms derived from influencers’ source characteristics. Accordingly, this thesis examines how different cognitive mechanisms specifically curiosity and mimetic desire mediate the relationship between holistic influencer source credibility (expertise, trustworthiness, and physical attractiveness) and source attractiveness (similarity, likeability, and familiarity) in shaping Saudi women’s purchase intentions toward beauty products. This study employs a quantitative two-phase survey design. Phase One is grounded in Source Credibility Theory (SCT), investigating the direct and indirect effects of influencer characteristics on purchase intention. Using survey data from 400 participants, this phase examines the mediating role of consumer curiosity. Phase Two employs the Stimulus- Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework to elucidate the direct and indirect effects mechanisms underlying these associations. This phase conceptualises the other attractive non-physical influencer characteristics (source attractiveness dimensions) as external stimuli to which consumers are exposed. Using survey data from 400 participants, this phase examines the mediating role of consumer mimetic desire on purchase intention. Findings reveal that although credible influencer characteristics increased purchase intentions through curiosity, physical attractiveness did not have a direct effect on purchase intentions. Conversely, influencer source attractiveness characteristics as external stimuli increased purchase intentions through mimetic desire, similarity with did not have a direct stimulating effect on purchase intentions. This research proposes a comprehensive framework to address gaps in the literature regarding the role of influencer attractiveness whether physical (as part of source credibility) or non-physical (reflected in source attractiveness) by conceptualising influencer characteristics as external stimuli. By integrating SCT and S- O-R, this framework offers a novel and holistic perspective of influencer characteristics. Furthermore, the study expands both SCT and S-O-R by identifying the circumstances under which cognitive factors mediate the relationships between influencer characteristics and purchase intentions. These findings provide theoretical and practical implications by clarifying the role of cognitive persuasion in marketing sensitive products, such as beauty items, through influencer characteristics within visual social media contexts like Snapchat. They also offer practical guidance for marketers to design influencer-based strategies that reduce consumer uncertainty and enhance purchase intentions.5 0Item Embargo Rethinking Walkways as Public Open Space in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia: A Spatial Equity and Quality Assessment Framework(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Alhasni, Abdulrahman; Larissa, LarsenUrban development in Saudi Arabia has traditionally prioritized vehicular mobility while downplaying the importance of pedestrian activity. Contributing factors to the prioritization of the vehicle over the pedestrian include low-density development, auto-centric urban streets, inexpensive fuel, pervasive air conditioning, and an ingrained dependence on private vehicles. This has often made walking in Saudi Arabian cities inconvenient, unsafe, and limited to indoor environments. In cities throughout Saudi Arabia, the development of walkways was initiated primarily as an urban intervention to provide space for residents to walk for exercise and recreation. Walkways have been implemented across Saudi cities under municipal urban campaigns, reinforced by several ambitious policies, programs, and initiatives, such as the “Humanizing the City” initiative—a recent effort by Riyadh Municipality to promote more people-centered environments and activate the public realm to improve residents’ quality of life. These walkways are wide, longitudinal spaces intended to provide secure, comfortable, and attractive pedestrian environments. They are often built over street medians or along major arterials and are supported with sidewalk furniture such as benches, lighting, and landscape elements. Although these walkways offer relatively safe spaces for pedestrians, they are often disconnected from sidewalk networks and face accessibility barriers, raising questions about their sustainability, usability, and quality, particularly within the constraints posed by car dependency and a hot-arid climate. Despite case studies examining public spaces in Saudi Arabia—primarily focusing on design attributes or per capita availability— assessing the distribution and design quality of walkways remains a potential gap. This thesis addresses this gap by examining walkways as part of the public open space and evaluating their spatial equity and quality, using Al Khobar as a case study. Al Khobar, a mid-sized city in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province with over 650,000 residents, continues to expand its network of walkways across neighborhoods despite rapid urban growth, the lack of sidewalks on local streets, and car dependency. However, there is limited research on whether these walkways effectively attract and serve residents from diverse socioeconomic groups and backgrounds, and whether they create attractive and comfortable public spaces despite climatic extremes. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach, including GIS-based spatial analysis, site observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, to assess their relative success. The thesis is divided into two main parts: (I) assess the spatial equity of walkways across Al Khobar’s districts, and (II) evaluate the design quality of walkways, guided by William H. Whyte’s principles of social urban spaces. Finally, the research develops recommendations and future strategies intended to advance the discourse on walkways in Saudi Arabia and enhance their spatial equity and quality as essential public open spaces.8 0Item Restricted اثر اليات تحسين جودة بيئة العمل على تعزيز السلوك الابداعي للعاملين بالقطاع المصرفي بالمملكة العربية السعودية دراسة تطبيقية في البنك الاهلي السعودي(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) الرشيدي, موسى; الخطيب, نهىاثر اليات تحسين جودة بيئة العمل على تعزيز السلوك الابداعي للعاملين بالقطاع المصرفي بالمملكة العربية السعودية دراسة تطبيقية في البنك الاهلي السعودي0 0Item Restricted قياس تأثيرات ممارسات التمكين الوظيفي على جودة الفعالية التنظيمية والادارية من منظور تجربة الموظف بشركات الاستثمار والتطوير العقاري بمنطقة مكة المكرمة دراسة تطبيقية(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) المحيسني, فراس; عبدالله, ايمنقياس تأثيرات ممارسات التمكين الوظيفي على جودة الفعالية التنظيمية والادارية من منظور تجربة الموظف بشركات الاستثمار والتطوير العقاري بمنطقة مكة المكرمة دراسة تطبيقية0 0Item Embargo Evaluating Salivary Iodide Concentration as a Potential Non-Invasive Biomarker of Iodine Status: Assessment of Accuracy, Reproducibility, and Acceptability(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Alsaeedi, Eatedal; Welham, SimonIodine is an essential micronutrient required for thyroid hormone synthesis and normal metabolic regulation. Although urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and 24-hour urinary iodine excretion (24 h UIE) are established biomarkers of iodine status, their use at the individual level is constrained by substantial intra-individual variability and practical limitations associated with urine collection. These challenges have prompted interest in alternative, non- invasive biomarkers. Salivary iodide concentration (SIC), reflecting active iodide transport in the salivary glands, has therefore been proposed as a potential biomarker of iodine exposure; however, evidence supporting its suitability remains limited. This thesis evaluated the reliability, feasibility, and potential utility of SIC as a biomarker of iodine status through four interrelated studies. A scoping review first synthesised existing literature examining associations between salivary and urinary iodine measures and dietary intake, identifying generally positive correlations but considerable methodological heterogeneity. Building on these findings, a proof-of-concept observational study assessed whether salivary iodide, particularly when adjusted for salivary protein concentration (SI/P), could distinguish between individuals with divergent iodine status defined by 24 h UIE, and whether it demonstrated short-term stability under habitual and low-iodine dietary conditions. A methodological study then evaluated the impact of saliva collection technique (stimulated versus unstimulated) on iodide concentration, secretion rate, and repeatability across multiple sampling days, and assessed the influence of protein adjustment on biomarker performance. Finally, a survey study explored participant acceptability and practical feasibility of saliva sampling compared with urine collection for iodine assessment in research settings. Collectively, the findings indicate that SIC correlates positively with established urinary iodine biomarkers and, when adjusted for protein concentration, shows improved ability to distinguish between iodine-deficient and iodine-adequate individuals. Under controlled conditions, salivary measures exhibited short-term variability comparable to, and in some contexts lower than, urinary indices. Methodological evaluation indicated that collection protocol influences concentration measures, whereas total iodide secretion rates were broadly comparable across stimulation conditions. Survey results revealed a clear preference for saliva sampling, with greater perceived comfort and willingness for repeated collection compared with urine. Overall, the four components of this thesis suggest that salivary iodide has potential as a complementary, non-invasive biomarker of iodine status, particularly for research applications requiring repeated sampling. However, further work is required to standardise collection protocols, establish appropriate reference thresholds, and clarify its role in population-level versus individual assessment. Additional research should also examine the influence of factors such as diet, hydration status, circadian variation, and glandular physiology on SIC. Addressing these gaps will be critical for translating salivary iodide into routine application in public health monitoring and clinical contexts.5 0Item Restricted تقييم تأثير إعادة الهيكلة على الفاعلية التنظيمية لممارسات ادارة الموارد البشرية في الإدارات التعليمية التابعة للوزارات السعودية في ضوء رؤية المملكة 2030 دراسة تطبيقية على منطقة الاحساء التعليمية(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) الدوسري, رفعه; احمد, خالدتقييم تأثير إعادة الهيكلة على الفاعلية التنظيمية لممارسات ادارة الموارد البشرية في الإدارات التعليمية التابعة للوزارات السعودية في ضوء رؤية المملكة 2030 دراسة تطبيقية على منطقة الاحساء التعليمية1 0Item Restricted Evaluating Thermal Performance of Modular Prefabricated Educational Building Construction Materials in Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Mahjoob, Anas; Mohamed, GadiThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) faces a significant problem of high energy consumption driven by its hot climate, which gives rise to heavy reliance on cooling systems. Globally, KSA ranks among the countries with the highest electricity use per capita, having reached 11.91 megawatt-hours (MWh)/capita, compared to the world average of 3.47 MWh/capita, in 2023. To address the issue of high energy consumption, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 includes a target of improving building energy performance by 30% and a commitment to achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2060. Additionally, KSA’s rapid population growth (projected to rise from 34 million to 55 million by 2030) will drive higher energy demand following the anticipated increase in housing and associated infrastructures. Modular prefabricated buildings offer a promising way forward to address this issue, given their shorter construction time and lower costs. However, their energy performance remains underexplored in KSA, particularly in the education sector. Attention to building envelope thermal performance in hot and humid climates, in particular, has been limited. This study contributes to addressing a research gap where limited studies have examined the thermal performance of modular educational buildings in KSA, particularly their envelope performance in hot and humid climates. Therefore, the study aims to evaluate and improve the building thermal performance of modular buildings in Jeddah city, with a focus on improving building envelope materials to improve Indoor Air Temperature (IAT) and reduce energy consumption. The study is based on a real case at Jeddah University campus, with the entire performance evaluation conducted under free-run conditions. It comprised two methodological phases: First, field measurements were conducted during winter and summer 2023 to record indoor and outdoor air temperatures, solar radiation and surface temperatures; second, an energy simulation model was developed in DB and validated against the measured IAT. Statistical metrics, including CVRMSE and RMSE were applied to ensure model accuracy and establish a reliable baseline. Several envelope improvement strategies were then tested including (thermal insulation, wall material upgrades, phase change materials, glazing types, window-to-wall ratios and external shading), with each measure assessed based on its impact on IAT and total energy consumption. The findings showed that Phase change materials had the strongest impact, reducing mean-IAT by 5.1°C in summer and 2.3°C in winter. When all measures were combined with an 18°C cooling setpoint, total energy use decreased by 24%, and cooling loads by 28%. Further optimisation with LED lighting and a 24°C setpoint achieved up to 76% reductions in energy use and CO2 emissions. The optimised model was also tested across five Saudi cities, i.e. Riyadh, Dharan, Jazan, Tabuk and Abha, with energy savings ranging from 69% (in Jazan) to 83% (in Abha). This study supports KSA’s Vision 2030 by offering validated strategies for improving the building thermal performance of modular educational buildings in hot and humid climates. The findings demonstrate that combining multiple building-envelope improvement measures is essential for improving energy efficiency and indoor air temperature. The research also offers scalable, climate-responsive solutions to reduce energy demand and CO2 emissions across the Kingdom’s diverse climate zones. Overall, This study contributes new insights into the design and practical application of integrated envelope strategies for new and existing modular prefabricated educational buildings, supporting the advancement of energy-efficient, scalable, and sustainable prefabricated construction solutions in KSA.6 0Item Restricted أثر ممارسات القيادة الإبتكارية على رضا المستفيدين (دراسة ميدانية بمستشفى الملك المركزي بجيزان)(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) ابوعمرين, اسامة عمودي عبده; داود, علي سعد محمدهدفت هذه الدراسة إلى التعرف على أثر ممارسات القيادة الابتكارية في تحقيق رضا المستفيدين بمستشفى الملك المركزي بجازان، من خلال قياس مستوى تطبيق ممارسات القيادة الابتكارية لدى القيادات الإدارية والصحية، والكشف عن طبيعة العلاقة بين تلك الممارسات ومستوى رضا المستفيدين عن الخدمات المقدمة. وتنبع أهمية الدراسة من أهمية القيادة الابتكارية في تطوير الأداء المؤسسي وتحسين جودة الخدمات الصحية بما يتوافق مع مستهدفات رؤية المملكة العربية السعودية 2030 في تطوير القطاع الصحي ورفع كفاءة الخدمات. اعتمدت الدراسة على المنهج الوصفي التحليلي، وتم استخدام الاستبانة أداةً لجمع البيانات من عينة من العاملين والمستفيدين بمستشفى الملك المركزي بجازان. وشملت ممارسات القيادة الابتكارية عدة أبعاد، أبرزها: تشجيع الإبداع، ودعم المبادرات، والمرونة التنظيمية، واستخدام التقنيات الحديثة، وتحفيز العاملين على الابتكار. كما تم قياس رضا المستفيدين من خلال أبعاد جودة الخدمة، وسرعة الاستجابة، وكفاءة الأداء، والتعامل الإنساني. وتوصلت نتائج الدراسة إلى وجود مستوى مرتفع نسبيًا من تطبيق ممارسات القيادة الابتكارية بالمستشفى، إضافة إلى وجود علاقة إيجابية ذات دلالة إحصائية بين ممارسات القيادة الابتكارية ورضا المستفيدين. كما أظهرت النتائج أن دعم الابتكار وتحفيز العاملين من أكثر الأبعاد تأثيرًا في تعزيز رضا المستفيدين عن الخدمات الصحية المقدمة. وأوصت الدراسة بضرورة تعزيز ثقافة الابتكار داخل المؤسسات الصحية، وتطوير البرامج التدريبية للقيادات الإدارية والصحية، وتشجيع تبني الأفكار الإبداعية، إضافة إلى تحسين قنوات التواصل مع المستفيدين بما يسهم في رفع مستوى الرضا وتحسين جودة الخدمات الصحية.0 0Item Embargo Understanding Ransomware and Enhancing Their Detection Using Machine Learning(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Alzahrani, Saleh; Xiao, YangRansomware attacks have escalated significantly in recent years, causing substantial financial losses and operational disruptions to individuals, organizations, and critical infrastructure worldwide. According to The Chainalysis 2024 Crypto Crime Report, ransomware attacks have imposed increasing financial burdens on victims over recent years. The total value received by ransomware attackers reached $1.1 billion in 2023, representing a significant rise from $567 million in 2022. This trend highlights the evolving threat posed by ransomware as attackers continue to refine their methods. Compared to $220 million in 2019. Despite the proliferation of detection methods, contemporary ransomware continues to evade traditional security measures through increasingly sophisticated evasion techniques. This dissertation addresses critical gaps in ransomware detection research through a investigation that combines in-depth malware analysis, evolutionary tracking, systematic literature review, novel detection methodology, and dataset development. The research begins with a detailed examination of Conti ransomware, one of the most notorious Ransomware-as-a-Service operations that caused approximately $45 million in damages and significantly impacted healthcare systems. Through analysis of leaked source code and controlled environment testing, this study reveals advanced evasion mechanisms including API disguise techniques, anti-hook mechanisms, and multithreaded encryption for rapid file encryption. Building upon this foundation, the research tracks Conti's evolution from its beta version through multiple iterations, categorizing samples into seven distinct versions. This longitudinal analysis demonstrates that modern ransomware success stems from continuous development and delivery practices, with features such as API hashing and runtime API loading being progressively integrated over time. To contextualize these findings within the broader detection landscape, a survey of existing ransomware detection methods was conducted, examining both machine learning and non-machine learning approaches alongside available datasets. This survey identifies critical limitations in current research, specifically that non-machine learning methods fail to identify new samples from known variants, while machine learning approaches suffer from inadequate model design and the absence of comprehensive, standardized datasets. These deficiencies severely limit their effectiveness against emerging ransomware variants. Addressing these identified gaps, this dissertation introduces RansomFormer, a Transformer-based detection model that leverages cross-attention mechanisms to fuse Portable Executable byte data with Application Programming Interface information, including both static imports and dynamic sequence calls. Unlike existing single-feature approaches that ransomware developers can circumvent, RansomFormer's multi-modal architecture achieves exceptional accuracy of 99.25% on static datasets and 99.50% on combined static-dynamic datasets across more than 150 ransomware families. Furthermore, recognizing the fundamental need for comprehensive training data, this dissertation presents RanDS, a rigorously curated dataset comprising a large collection of ransomware samples spanning hundreds of families alongside a substantial set of benign samples, collected and verified over multiple years from an initial corpus of millions of malware files. RanDS includes several processed feature extraction datasets encompassing static raw strings, English strings, imported and exported APIs, demangled APIs, and dynamic behavioral activities, all made publicly available. This dissertation makes contributions to cybersecurity by providing deep insights into modern ransomware operations, demonstrating the importance of evolutionary analysis in understanding threat progression, and delivering both an detection methodology and a foundational dataset that addresses longstanding research limitations in the field.59 0Item Restricted METABOLIC AND EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF HERPESVIRUS INFECTION IN ORAL EPITHELIAL CELLS(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Alfaez, Abdulkarim Mohammed; timothy, J GarrettKaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is an oncogenic double-stranded DNA virus. There are no vaccines or antiviral therapies for KSHV. KSHV establishes a lifelong infection via a biphasic life cycle comprising a latent and a lytic phase. Although KSHV establishes long-term latency in most infected cell types, oral epithelial cells support sustained lytic infection, contributing to viral shedding and transmission. Lytic infection and viral replication place high energetic and biosynthetic demands on host cells, promoting extensive reprogramming of host metabolic and regulatory pathways. However, the host metabolic adaptations that support KSHV lytic infection in oral epithelial cells remain incompletely defined. In this dissertation, we investigated the metabolic and epigenetic mechanisms that facilitate KSHV lytic infection in telomerase-immortalized gingival keratinocyte (TIGK) cells by performing untargeted metabolomic profiling using liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-MS). We characterized early metabolic alterations following KSHV infection. At 4 hours post-infection, KSHV induced rapid reprogramming of the cellular metabolism by dysregulating metabolites involved in the urea cycle, polyamine biosynthesis, dimethylarginine metabolism, and de novo pyrimidine synthesis. These early metabolic changes suggest that KSHV rapidly hijacks host metabolic pathways to support viral gene expression and replication. Furthermore, we assess the metabolic changes at 24 post-infections to complement our previous study. Combined untargeted metabolomic and lipidomic analyses were performed at 24 14 hours post-infection. At this point, KSHV infection led to pathway-specific alterations in lipid and amino acid metabolism, including increased triglyceride accumulation and depletion of several amino acids. Triglyceride enrichment is known to induce lipid droplet biogenesis, which may serve as an energy reservoir to support the elevated energetic and biosynthetic demands of viral replication. Concurrent depletion of amino acids likely reflects increased utilization to support viral protein synthesis and central carbon metabolism, indicating sustained host metabolic reprogramming during early lytic infection. In addition to metabolic remodeling, we examined the role of the host epigenetic regulator lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) during KSHV infection. KSHV infection was associated with reduced LSD1 protein levels in TIGK cells, and both LSD1 knockdown and pharmacological inhibition enhanced KSHV lytic gene expression and viral protein accumulation. Mechanistically, LSD1 inhibition increased the enrichment of the activating histone modification H3K4 dimethylation at viral lytic gene promoters. These results show that host metabolic reprogramming events and epigenetic regulation support KSHV lytic infection in oral epithelial cells. Our work increases understanding of the interaction between KSHV and its host and highlights host metabolic and chromatin-modifying pathways as crucial regulators that support lytic infection. Identifying the cellular metabolic pathways that KSHV manipulates can broaden the knowledge of how these pathways contribute to sustaining lytic infection, which can be targeted in future therapies to prevent viral spread.4 0