Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Scalable Distributed Ledger Paradigms for Secure IoT-Driven Data Management in Smart Cities(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alruwaill, Musharraf; Mohanty, Saraju P; Kougianos, EliasBlockchain has become a cornerstone of trustworthy, decentralised information governance. Consensus protocols and cryptographic linkages guarantee data integrity, immutability, and verifiable provenance, eliminating reliance on a single trusted authority and mitigating data fragmentation. Within smart‑healthcare ecosystems, these capabilities enable the shift from siloed, centralised repositories to distributed, patient‑centric infrastructures. Because clinical data are highly sensitive and strictly regulated, robust assurances of integrity, confidentiality, and fine‑grained authorisation are essential. Integrating blockchain and smart contracts with technologies such as distributed off‑chain storage and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) creates a resilient, scalable, and interoperable foundation for next‑generation healthcare data management. This research introduces hChain, a four‑generation family of distributed‑ledger frameworks that progressively strengthen security, intelligence, and scalability in smart‑healthcare environments. hChain 1.0 lays the groundwork with a blockchain architecture that safeguards patient data, supports real‑time clinical telemetry, and enables seamless inter‑institutional exchange. Building on this foundation, hChain 2.0 integrates InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) storage and smart‑contract enforcement to deliver tamper‑proof, fine‑grained access control. hChain 3.0 embeds on‑chain deep‑learning analytics, providing proactive, automated decision support across the care continuum while preserving data integrity. Finally, hChain 4.0 introduces a highly scalable, permissioned ledger augmented by an Attribute‑Based Access Control (ABAC) layer, ensuring dynamic, context‑aware authorisation in complex organisational settings. The results demonstrate practical solutions for transforming data infrastructures from centralised to decentralised architectures, providing techniques that facilitate seamless integration with existing systems while enhancing blockchain scalability and privacy.31 0Item Restricted CYBERSECURITY OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE’S MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS A NOVEL FRAMEWORK AND APPROACH FOR PREDICTING CYBERATTACKS BASED ON ATTACKER MOTIVATIONS(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alqudhaibi, Adel; Sandeep, JagtapIndustry 4.0 signifies a transformative shift in industrial operations, powered by the integration of automation, connectivity, and digital technologies. This shift enhances diagnostics, autonomous decision-making, automation, and data analysis by machinery and networking equipment, revolutionizing the manufacturing and critical infrastructure sectors. However, the increased reliance on such technologies raises significant cybersecurity concerns. These vulnerabilities are particularly acute in Industrial Control Systems (ICS) , which are commonly used in critical infrastructure (CI) for operational and supervisory control. Industry 4.0 manufacturing systems face increasing cybersecurity threats due to the lack of predictive threat detection, inadequate security frameworks, and growing system complexity. Existing approaches are reactive, failing to incorporate attacker motivations and proactive risk mitigation. As a result, manufacturing systems are exposed to numerous cyber-attacks that can have catastrophic concerns for critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, transportation, and water. Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive and systematic approach to cybersecurity that is specifically tailored to the nature of these systems. This research introduces a novel cybersecurity approach that predicts potential cyberattacks by considering attacker motivations and the specific characteristics of CI systems. Machine learning (ML) models are employed to predict potential attack methods, offering a proactive solution to prevent cyber threats before they occur. This approach demonstrates a substantial improvement in predictive accuracy, as confirmed by initial evaluation results. Cybersecurity in CI manufacturing systems remains reactive, relying on post-attack mitigation rather than proactive threat prevention. This research addresses the gap by developing a predictive cybersecurity approach Predicting Cyberattacks in Critical Infrastructures (PCCI) which anticipates cyber threats based on attacker motivations and CI system vulnerabilities. Using machine learning (ML) models, this approach enhances attack method prediction, significantly reducing false positives and improving detection accuracy. The proposed framework shifts cybersecurity from a reactive to a proactive stance, contributing to enhanced resilience in Industry 4.0 environments. Initial tests demonstrate notable improvements in prediction accuracy, validating its potential for real-world application. Beyond the implementation of predictive cybersecurity models, this research presents a comprehensive cybersecurity framework that emphasises sustainability within the manufacturing sector. The framework is structured to protect critical resources by ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data, while simultaneously enhancing operational resilience. It incorporates proactive strategies for anticipating cyber threats and underscores the importance of comprehensive employee education at all organisational levels. This framework seeks not only to mitigate immediate security risks but also to integrate long-term resilience into cybersecurity strategies, thereby promoting the sustainability of manufacturing operations. A key finding of this research is the significant gap in robust security standards and proactive measures within the manufacturing sector concerning cybersecurity. Despite the growing adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, many systems remain vulnerable to cyberattacks due to the absence of sufficient security protocols during the early stages of implementation. The absence of standardized guidelines contributes to insufficient employee knowledge and preparedness, leaving them vulnerable to cybersecurity risks. Addressing these gaps is essential for the manufacturing sector to fully capitalize on Industry 4.0 advancements while ensuring the protection of critical systems from emerging cyber threats. The study concludes by recommending a redirection of security resources and procedures to the manufacturing industry. It emphasises the need for increased investment in employee awareness, training programs, and more robust cybersecurity protocols specifically tailored to the needs of industrial systems. By implementing these recommendations, organisations can better mitigate risks, enhance their cybersecurity posture, and ensure the continuity of critical manufacturing and infrastructure operations in the face of progressing cyberattacks.3 0Item Restricted Healthcare Professionals' Understanding of Children's Rights: Development and Psychometric Testing of the Children's Rights Questionnaire(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alshammari, Sahar Mazied N; Noble, Helen; Linden, MarkThe United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) emphasises the active participation of children in matters related to their well-being. While numerous studies highlight the significance of understanding children’s rights, there is a notable lack of validated and reliable tools to assess healthcare professionals' (HCPs) comprehension of these rights. This gap poses challenges for consistent evaluation and progress tracking in both research and clinical practice. To date, studies have relied on invalid and unreliable measures, limiting their generalisability and underscoring the urgent need for the development of robust assessment tools. HCPs play a crucial role in advocating for and implementing children’s rights; however, their understanding of these rights vary significantly. Addressing this gap is essential for enhancing advocacy efforts among HCPs. Aim: This study aimed to develop and psychometrically test the Children’s Rights for Healthcare Professionals Questionnaire (CRHPQ) to assess HCPs’ understanding of children’s rights. The study pursued four key objectives: (a) to establish and test the CRHPQ for face and content validity, (b) to determine its construct validity and internal consistency, (c) to examine its test-retest reliability, and (d) to utilise the CRHPQ in comparing the understanding of children's rights between HCPs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Kingdom (UK). Methods: A systematic review was conducted to critically appraise and synthesise the existing literature on HCPs’ understanding of children’s rights. The questionnaire was developed following a rigorous multi-phase process, including expert validation, pilot testing, and ii psychometric evaluation with a diverse sample of HCPs. The scale development methodology comprised two phases. Phase 1: focused on the development of the CRHPQ, detailing the steps involved in constructing the scale, including item generation, format selection, expert review for content validity, and pilot testing. The role of both the Children’s Project Advisory Group (CPAG) and the Adult Project Advisory Group (APAG) in refining the scale was also highlighted. The research team collaborated with advisory groups to assess the clarity, importance, and relevance of the questionnaire items, ensuring alignment with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) seven standards of children’s rights based on the UNCRC. The CRHPQ was piloted with 26 students to evaluate content validity. Phase 2: addressed the validation of the CRHPQ, involving scale administration and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to examine its construct validity. Reliability assessment, including internal consistency and test-retest reliability, was conducted to evaluate the scale’s stability and consistency. To test the psychometric properties of the CRHPQ, an exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency tests were performed. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 272 HCPs to assess the construct validity of the CRHPQ. Participants were recruited from three major hospitals using a convenience sampling strategy. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including reliability testing and factor analysis. Test-retest reliability was assessed with postgraduate healthcare students at Queen’s University Belfast. Participants completed the questionnaire twice, with a two-week interval. Recruitment was conducted via module coordinators, and data were collected online. A minimum of 30 paired responses was required, but 40 participants were recruited to ensure sufficient data. iii A cross-sectional online questionnaire study compared HCPs’ understanding of children’s rights in KSA and the UK. Primary data from 40 randomly selected HCPs in KSA were compared with responses from 40 postgraduate healthcare students in the UK. In KSA, participants were drawn from the larger sample of 272 HCPs, while in the UK, postgraduate students were recruited for accessibility and relevant clinical training. Results: The systematic review identified three main themes: (1) barriers to implementing children’s rights in healthcare, (2) factors facilitating implementation, and (3) study instruments used to measure outcomes. Several barriers hindered the implementation of children’s rights, including limited knowledge, misconceptions about legal and ethical principles, time constraints, resource shortages, and workforce pressures. Parental dominance in decision-making and a lack of formal training further exacerbated these challenges. Despite these challenges, certain factors facilitated the implementation of children’s rights. HCPs with specialist training demonstrated a stronger understanding and application of these rights. Effective communication strategies, such as age-appropriate explanations and trust-building, were crucial in encouraging children’s participation in decision-making. Institutional policies and legal frameworks also played a role in promoting consistent rights- based practices. Statistical analyses confirmed the CRHPQ’s validity and reliability, establishing it as a robust tool for measuring HCPs' awareness and comprehension of children’s rights. The EFA revealed a seven-factor solution consisting of 53 items. Internal consistency, assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, demonstrated excellent reliability (α = 0.979). Test-retest reliability analysis, completed by 40 HCPs, indicated moderate reliability, with four out of seven subscales exhibiting poor test-retest reliability. In its first application, iv the CRHPQ was employed to compare HCPs' understanding of children’s rights in the UK and KSA. An independent t-test revealed a statistically significant difference in total scores between the two groups, t(50.529) = 2.034, p = .047 (two-tailed), suggesting that HCPs in the UK had a higher understanding of children’s rights than those in KSA. Conclusions: The CRHPQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing HCPs’ understanding of children’s rights. This research underscores the importance of equipping HCPs with the knowledge necessary to provide rights-respecting care in line with global frameworks such as the UNCRC. Findings indicate significant variations in understanding across different contexts, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to enhance HCPs’ awareness of children’s rights. The CRHPQ not only identifies understanding gaps but can also be utilised to support the development of educational programmes to improve HCPs’ understanding and application of children’s rights. Integrating rights-based approaches into healthcare is crucial, necessitating training, policy development, and practical application. Ultimately, the CRHPQ has the potential to drive systemic change in healthcare practices globally, ensuring that children’s rights are consistently upheld.3 0Item Restricted التحديات القانونية للفساد والتنمية المستدامة دراسة مقارنه(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) العوذه, مساعد نزال مساعد; الشمايلة, غالببحث في التحديات القانونية للفساد والتنمية المستدامة رساله مقدمه لانها درجه دواسة الماجستير القانون دراسة مقارنة بين القانون السعودي والقانون الاردني .9 0Item Restricted Evaluating the Impact of Vision 2030's Legal Reforms on Attracting Foreign Investment to Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alshehri, Amani; Austin, NwaforOver the years, Saudi Arabia has relied heavily on oil exports, making it one of the world’s largest oil exporters. Oil accounted for over 42% of Saudi Arabia’s GDP, 90% of export revenue, and 87% of budget revenues. However, this dependence on oil creates significant vulnerabilities which impact the economy negatively. This includes the decrease in oil prices, demographic changes, the world’s transition towards renewable energy and concerns about the long-term sustainability of oil-based economies. These challenges led to the transformation plan Vision 2030 Launched in 2016 to diversify the economy. Vision 2030 aims to diversify the economy into non-oil sectors such as tourism, technology, and renewable energy. 5 Some of the indicators include Increase KSA's share of non-oil exports, Raise private sector contribution to 65% of GDP, Increase FDI contribution to GDP to 5.7% among others. To achieve this, different economic, social, and legal reforms were instituted while improving the foreign investment positioning of the country. The legal reforms remain one of the significant initiatives to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) by creating a more transparent, efficient, and business-friendly regulatory environment. Hence, this research aims to analyse critically the Impact of Vision 2030's Legal Reforms on Attracting Foreign Investment to Saudi Arabia.13 0Item Restricted Sustainable Wildlife Tourism in Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2024) Aldughaishem, Abdulrhman; Philip, RylandThis study explores the opportunities and challenges of developing sustainable wildlife tourism in Saudi Arabia, a country known for its rich biodiversity and unique ecosystems. The research underscores the importance of economic benefits such as job creation and revenue generation in enhancing tourist satisfaction, aligning with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 objectives of economic diversification. However, the study also highlights significant environmental concerns, including habitat disruption and pollution, which pose challenges to the long-term sustainability of wildlife tourism. The effectiveness of current regulatory frameworks is questioned, suggesting a need for stronger enforcement and policy refinement. Community involvement emerges as a crucial factor, positively influencing both economic and social benefits. The study concludes with recommendations for enhancing environmental regulations, promoting community-based tourism, and fostering public-private partnerships. Additionally, it calls for future research to focus on the long-term impacts of tourism, broader geographic studies, and the effects of climate change on wildlife tourism in Saudi Arabia. These insights aim to guide policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers in developing a sustainable wildlife tourism sector that supports economic growth while preserving natural resources and enhancing community well-being.5 0Item Restricted Exploring the Exponential Harmonic Index in QSPR Modelling and Extremal Graph Theory(Sungkyunkwan University, 2025) Alharbi, Manar Sadaq; Das, Kinkar ChandraAbstract Exploring the Exponential Harmonic Index in QSPR Modelling and Extremal Graph Theory Topological indices, invariant under symmetry transformations that preserve a graph’s connectivity, are fundamental tools in mathematical chemistry. By capturing intrinsic symmetries and connectivity patterns, these indices provide insightful analyses of molecular stability, reactivity, and other fundamental properties, making them indispensable in cheminformatics and theoretical chemistry. Among these, the harmonic index is significant in both chemistry and mathematics. It is a variant of the Randi´c index, which is widely recognized as one of the most effective molecular descriptors in investigations of structure-property and structure-activity relationships. In comparison to the Randi´c index, the harmonic index exhibits slightly stronger correlations with the physicochemical properties of molecules. The harmonic index of a graph G, denoted by H(G), is formulated as: H = H(G) = ∑ vi vj ∈ E(G) 2 / (di + dj) , where di and dj represent the degrees of the vertices vi and vj, respectively. In recent years, various exponential vertex-degree-based topological indices have been reported. In this paper, we define the exponential harmonic index (EH) as follows: EH = EH(G) = ∑ vi vj ∈ E(G) e^(2 / (di + dj)). The exponential harmonic index (EH) is investigated here from both chemical and mathematical perspectives. We examine the EH index’s capability to predict various physicochemical properties through quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) analysis. Furthermore, we describe the maximal and minimal trees with respect to the EH index. Further- more, the maximal tree for EH is characterized in relation to a given maximum degree. Finally, we conclude by summarizing our key insights and outlining potential directions for future research.5 0Item Restricted Personal Values and Attitudes Towards Corporate Sustainability: An Analysis of Saudi Arabian Business School Students(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alabdulwahab, Bashair Sami S; Jun, HannahThis dissertation addresses the urgent need to understand how sustainability education and personal values shape the future workforce in Saudi Arabia, a key player in global business and energy markets. As sustainability becomes increasingly critical for international businesses, it is vital to examine how universities are preparing students and how personal values impact perceptions of sustainability – particularly in a country with massive global operations like Saudi Arabia. From an academic perspective, this research fills a critical gap as (to the best of the author’s knowledge) no previous studies have explored the integration of corporate sustainability (CS) into Saudi Arabian business curricula or analyzed students’ values and attitudes toward CS. This is especially the case when it comes to understanding whether and to what extent gender-based differences in values and attitudes exist. From a practitioner’s standpoint, understanding these dynamics is essential for businesses aiming to align corporate sustainability initiatives with the values of their future employees, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of sustainability programs on a global scale. This study focuses on two sets of analyses. First, this dissertation provides an analysis of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) curricula in Saudi universities to assess the integration of CS-related courses. Second, this dissertation focuses on a survey of 236 students from King Saud University to investigate personal values and attitudes toward CS. The curriculum analysis revealed that CS-related courses made up 15.73% of BBA major requirements, focusing on business ethics, sustainable business, and environmental studies. The survey results showed a gendered distinction: female students prioritized a broader set of values, such as achievement, hedonism, benevolence, and universalism, while male students emphasized achievement, security, and tradition. These differences shaped their attitudes toward economic and environmental sustainability, with both groups deeming social sustainability less of a priority. This research contributes to academic literature by highlighting the intersection of gender, personal values, and sustainability education in a rapidly developing context. It also provides practical insights for international businesses on how to tailor their sustainability initiatives to align with the diverse values of future graduates. Moreover, it agrees that gender differences in value attitudes toward sustainability tend to be rooted in Gender Socialization Theory, Social Identity Theory, Values Theory, and Moral Foundations Theory.10 0Item Restricted AI Impersonation on social media Analysing Human Characteristics and Ethical Implications(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Almuammar, Eyad; Fahad, AhmadThis study explores the behavioural, ethical, social, and regulatory implications of AI bots that impersonate humans on social media platforms. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into online communication, AI-driven bots are being deployed to mimic human users, influence opinions, and automate engagement. While these technologies offer efficiency, they also raise serious concerns about misinformation, manipulation, transparency, and digital trust. Using a structured online questionnaire distributed via platforms such as Twitter (X), LinkedIn, and WhatsApp, this research gathered responses from 57 participants. The survey examined user perceptions across multiple dimensions, including their confidence in identifying bots, behavioural changes due to bot exposure, ethical concerns, perceived political influence, and expectations for regulation and education. Findings indicate that while many users feel moderately confident in recognizing bots, they also express reduced trust and engagement when bots are suspected. Ethical concerns particularly around privacy and undisclosed AI interaction were prominent, and users widely supported stronger regulation, transparency tools, and public education initiatives. The study concludes that AI bots pose a significant challenge to online authenticity and democratic discourse and highlights the need for multi-stakeholder governance to ensure safe and ethical deployment of such technologies.3 0Item Restricted Improving Feature Selection in Medical Image Segmentation(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) ALABDULWAHAB, Abrar Sami S; Sang, Woong LeeColorectal cancer is considered one of the most common cancers worldwide, representing about one in 10 cancer cases and deaths globally. It starts as small, benign polyps which may turn into cancer. Early detection and removal of polyps is crucial to prevent colorectal cancer and ensure appropriate patient treatment. Due to the polyp features, accurately segmenting it can be challenging. Deep learning methods have been used to detect colorectal polyps by extracting the features. However, most of these approaches have limitations in handling polyp variations and often struggle with generalization when trained on small datasets or when encountering polyps with indistinct boundaries. Therefore, Duck-Net was proposed to segment polyps in colonoscopy images and address these challenges through its architecture, by creating a custom convolutional block and applying a secondary downsampling. However, Duck-Net has some limitations when it comes to polyps that have the same color as the colon, making it challenging for the model to detect these polyps. Therefore, Duck-Net performance needs further enhancement to segment and detect small-size, flat polyps, polyps with unclear edges, and subtle abnormalities, which are clinically significant for proper diagnosis. Attention mechanism, and Conv2DTranspose layer could be used to overcome such problems. Therefore, this thesis proposes a method based on a Duck-Net, integrated with the convolutional block attention module and conv2DTranspse to enhance feature representation, improve interpretability, generate higher-resolution outputs and the ability to capture vital small information from images consistently. This study confirmed that Duck-Net’s performance, when integrated with the convolutional block attention module block and conv2DTranspose layer, further enhanced image segmentation and outperformed the standard method in image segmentation and detection of polyps. It is feasible to segment and detect undetectable small-size, flat-shaped lesion polyps, and polyps with indistinct boundaries, which are considered factors for increased miss rate of colorectal cancer polyp detections.8 0