Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted (Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Circular Economy for resource efficiency (case study Google(De Montfort University, 2024) Baeisa, Razan Ali; Oladejo, OyeAbstract This dissertation investigates how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be integrated into the Circular Economy (CE) to improve resource efficiency, with Google as a case study. As companies increasingly prioritize sustainability, this research examines how AI can enhance waste management, optimize product design, and support better decision-making in CE practices. The study highlights several benefits, including improved operational efficiency and reduced environmental impact, while addressing challenges like data management and the potential ecological effects of AI technologies. Using the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory, the research demonstrates how companies can gain competitive advantages through effective AI integration in CE. Ultimately, this dissertation aims to provide practical strategies for overcoming obstacles to AI implementation in CE, bridging the gap between theory and real world applications.15 0Item Restricted The Impact of Work-Related Factors on the Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Dentists in Saudi Arabia(University of Birmingham, 2024) Alshaya, Saleh; Ali, BayanMusculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have become one of the serious work-related health issues in dentistry. Additionally, its prevalence has been growing among dentists globally. Like other counties, this growing prevalence of MSDs among dentists in Saudi Arabia has also seen. Different work-related factors including higher workload, long working hours, lack of dental ergonomics, body posture and positioning, psychological stress and physical fitness are responsible for this growing MSD prevalence. Therefore, this study is aimed at comprehending the impact of work-related factors on the MSD prevalence among dentists in Saudi Arabia. This study followed the quantitative research method to investigate the impact of work-related factors on the MSD prevalence. Data was collected from Saudi dentists who are practicing in different dental hospitals and centres in Saudi Arabia using an online survey questionnaire. Descriptive statistic was used to analysis demographic data of the participants. An independent t-test was used to understand how the work-related factors like work-ergonomics impact on the MSD prevalence between groups. Regression and correlation analysis were used to understand association and correlation between the work-related factors and the MSD prevalence among Saudi dentists. This study’s findings highlight the MSD prevalence is more among dentists those who were not aware of ergonomic practices, and involved in physical exercise, compared to dentists who were aware and involved. Similarly, the higher MSD prevalence was also found among dentists those who had psychological stress and higher workload compared to others. The findings also reveal a strong association between work-related factors and the higher MSD prevalence among dentists. Therefore, this study suggests that incorporating ergonomic dental practices, proper body posture and positioning, involving physical exercise like yoga, managing psychological stress, and reducing workload through strategic scheduling, dentists in Saudi Arabia can reduce the MSD prevalence among them. Further research should focus on the examination of MSD prevalence between dentists of private and government hospitals, impact of gender, age and other personal factors on the MSD prevalence among dentists.13 0Item Restricted How social media influencers' expertise and transparency of sponsorship disclosures affect destination visit intentions(king's college london, 2022) Alkatheri, Alanoud Abduallah; Bernritter, StefanAbstract The use of influencer marketing has become increasingly prevalent among marketers and organizations in order to reach potential customers across a wide range of industries. This study aims to fill the gap of previous studies by investigating the effects of transparency in sponsorship disclosures and determining whether influencer expertise has a moderating effect on perceived trustworthiness and measuring the impact on destination visit intentions in the travel and tourism industry. This research uses a 2 (low transparency sponsorship disclosure vs. high transparency sponsorship disclosure) x 2 (low expertise vs. high expertise) in the form of an online experiment design conducted on social media users. This study applied a quantitative approach and a total of 227 participants completed an online questionnaire which was applied to test the framework for the study The analytical results show that high transparency has a significant effect on visit intention, however, it has a negative effect on the influencer’s perceived trustworthiness. Moreover, perceived trustworthiness from influencers significantly affects consumers’ visit intention. However, the results of the study show that there is no moderation effect for expertise in the relationship between transparency and perceived trustworthiness, nor mediation effect of perceived trustworthiness in the relationship between transparency and visit intention. This series of findings not only enrich the existing research on influencer marketing in the field of travel and tourism but also have meaningful practical implications for marketers, which they can use to boost the intention of visits and buying behavior among social media users.18 0Item Restricted Explaining Machine Learning Classifiers For Android Malware Detection(King's College London, 2024-08-03) Bin Hazzaa, Zaid; Pierazzi, FabioThe prevalence of Android malware continues to rise, and traditional approaches are proving ineffective against the evolving tactics of direct attacks. Manually inspecting applications is no longer a practical solution. Machine learning has demonstrated success in various domains, and its high performance in Android malware detection positions it to be effectively deployed in real-world scenarios. However, real-world results have yet to align with experimental findings, and the unique requirements of the security field have led to a lack of trust in its practical application. This research aims to address this issue by utilizing best practices for conducting experiments to eliminate experimental bias and employing explanation methods to enhance the transparency and robustness of the classifier. These measures are critical for building trust among security experts, with transparent, learning-based malware detection being a paramount necessity in the security system. Providing thorough explanations is key to informed decision- making. The research utilizes activities, services and receivers feature sets from Drebin feature extraction to explore the significance of feature sets and employs explanation methods to gain deeper insights into the model.4 0Item Restricted Immune-instructive polymers for modulating macrophage phenotype(University of Nottingham, 2024-03) Alromaihi, Reem; Ghaemmaghami, AmirBackground Medical devices, from implants to gene/drug delivery systems and biosensors, often elicit immune reactions ranging from transient inflammation to chronic inflammation and fibrosis, known as the foreign body reaction (FBR). These immune responses can lead to device failure and tissue damage, highlighting the need for biomaterials that not only avoid these reactions but actively guide positive immune interactions for tissue integration and healing. The role of macrophages, with their highly plastic nature, is critical in the orchestration of these immune responses, making them a focal point for biomaterial design aimed at minimising FBR and enhancing implant integration. High-throughput screening using polymer microarrays has been increasingly utilised to accelerate the discovery of new biomaterials. Previously, this strategy has identified acrylate and acrylamide polymers that can modulate the polarisation state of macrophages based on their expression of surface markers using fluorescent labels and microscopy. Unlike the macrophage ‘secretome’, surface marker expression only provides a partial insight into the macrophage functional phenotype. However, since conventional polymer microarrays do not have defined cell culture chambers for individual polymer spots, investigating the secretome in this format is not feasible.7 0Item Restricted A Translation and Critical Analysis of an Excerpt of Finlay Christie’s Stand-up Comedy Special “OK, Zoomer”(University of Manchester, 2024) Alharthi, Hanouf; Jones, HenryThis dissertation consists of the subtitling of a stand-up comedy special, and an accompanying critical analysis. The stand-up comedy presents a humorous perspective on the lives of young people. This dissertation focuses on humor translation. The first chapter introduces the chosen source text and discusses details of the translation brief that have been followed in subtitling this clip. The second chapter is divided into three major subsections. First, it introduces the theoretical framework that has provided a detailed view of humor analysis that has anchored this translation. The second subsection focuses on translating culture-based humor. It considers the difficulty in recognizing cultural references made in humorous jokes and explores how humor can be manipulated to fit a certain context. The final subsection focuses on translating language-based humor and examines the different ways in which it has manifested in wordplays and taboos. It looks at how the degree of difference between two languages and cultures can pose issues in translation.7 0Item Restricted COMPOSITES FOR SPACE TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS: HYPERVELOCITY IMPACT RESISTANCE OF COMPOSITE MATERIAL FOR POTENTIAL USE IN SPACE SATELLITE(Cranfield University, 2024-09) Almutairi, Thamer; Rahatekar, SameerThe growing danger of space debris and meteoroids poses significant risks to satellites operating in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Debris in LEO travels at hypervelocity speeds exceeding 2 km/s, which can cause severe damage to structure of satellites upon collision. While there has been extensive research into mitigating these risks, there is still a need to investigate how composite materials behave when impacted by very small, non-metal debris and possibly increase their impact resistance upon hypervelocity impacts with minimal delamination. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring a manufacturing method to improve composite materials for better impact resistance in potential space satellite applications. Four composite configurations were developed and tested under hypervelocity impact conditions using a 1.955 diameter projectile made of composite to simulate space debris impacts. The results showed that incorporating Aramid Weave (AW) reduced delamination by 93.25% compared to CFRP baseline sample, with minimal damage observed through Thermography, Optical scanning, and X-ray CT scanning techniques. These analyses not only showed the reduction in delamination but also provided valuable insights into materials behaviour under such impacts. For example, the use of Aramid Veil (A-Veil) was effective in arresting the projectile entirely yet was less effective in containing the damage. These findings suggest that incorporating AW in composite materials can significantly enhance their resilience in space environments, making it an ideal material for integration into satellite structural components to provide protection. This, in turn, enhances the durability of the components, extends the satellite's operational lifespan, and ensures greater safety and longevity for satellite missions.13 0Item Restricted Comparative Clinical Outcomes of Mini Implants Retained Mandibular Overdenture vs. Standard Diameter Implants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials(University of Manchester, 2024) Alsaleh, Mohammed; Satterthwaite, JulianBackground: Mini dental implants (MDIs) have emerged as a promising solution for retaining mandibular overdentures, particularly when standard-diameter implants (SDIs) are not viable due to anatomical limitations. Despite their increasing use, a comprehensive evaluation of their effectiveness, patient satisfaction, and prosthetic complications compared to SDIs is essential. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the survival rates, patient satisfaction, and complications associated with MDIs in comparison to SDIs for retaining mandibular overdentures. Methods: A systematic search across five electronic databases and handsearching identified 576 records. Statistical analyses were conducted using mean differences (MD) and risk ratios (RR) to assess continuous and dichotomous outcomes, including survival rate, patient satisfaction, prosthetic complications, and peri-implant marginal bone loss. Subgroup analyses explored the impact of the number and distribution of implants on these outcomes. Results: With eight randomised controlled trials meeting the inclusion criteria, the analysis revealed no statistically significant difference in survival rates between MDIs and SDIs. However, MDIs demonstrated superior patient satisfaction scores (MD:9.12,95%CI:6.51– 11.74,p<0.00001) and statistically significant result of 2MDI vs 2SDI peri-implant marginal bone loss (MD:-0.92,95%CI [-1.15, -0.70],p<0.00001). Additionally, the results implied that prosthetic complications had lower frequency for intervention compare to control group. Conclusion: MDIs represent a viable alternative to SDIs for retaining mandibular overdentures, offering comparable survival rates and improved patient satisfaction. Their use is particularly advantageous in patients with limited alveolar bone. However, further long- term research is warranted to confirm these findings and refine clinical guidelines for implant selection.4 0Item Restricted EFL teachers’ attitudes on the use of Literary Dialogues in Developing Spoken Language Awareness in Saudi Arabia(University of Liverpool, 2024-09-02) Alamrani, Sarah; Jones, ChristianThe role of literature in English Language Teaching (ELT) classrooms in Saudi Arabia has not been extensively examined. Thus, this study aims to gauge the attitudes of English as a Foreign language (EFL) teachers in Saudi universities on the role of literature to raise learners’ awareness on spoken English features. The study employed an open-ended questionnaire to measure the effectiveness of a set of pre-used materials designed using a literary text. A total of 18 EFL teachers took part in evaluating the materials. A thematic analysis was applied to examine the qualitative data. The finding revealed that overall, the attitude of EFL teachers in Saudi universities towards utilizing literature in ELT materials was mostly positive. Additionally, the participants expressed several issues they could foresee if they applied this method regardless of their positive attitude. Finally, the attributes of EFL teachers (e.g. gender, teaching experience) did not seem to necessarily affect their attitudes.3 0Item Restricted Effectiveness of Pre-Operative Smoking Cessation Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis(University of Birmingham, 2023-08) Alhabdan, Sultan Abdulaziz; Farley, AmandaIntroduction: Smoking is a significant risk factor for postoperative complications, including cardiovascular, pulmonary, and wound-related issues. Pre-operative smoking cessation is widely recommended to mitigate these risks, but the effectiveness of different interventions remains uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to evaluate the effectiveness of pre-operative smoking cessation interventions in reducing smoking rates and postoperative complications across various surgical settings. Method: A comprehensive search was conducted across databases including Medline/PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and CENTRAL, up to July 2024, following PRISMA guidelines. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effectiveness of pre-operative smoking cessation interventions were included. Data were extracted on intervention types, smoking cessation outcomes, and postoperative complications. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was used to assess the risk of bias, and a random-effects meta-analysis was performed to pool the results. Result: Out of 9,188 studies identified, 24 met the inclusion criteria, encompassing 4,712 patients. The pooled analysis revealed that pre-operative smoking cessation interventions significantly increased the likelihood of smoking cessation before surgery, with a pooled risk ratio (RR) of 1.93 (95% CI: 1.56–2.37). However, there was substantial heterogeneity among the studies (I² = 77.14%), indicating variability in the effectiveness of the interventions. Postoperative complication outcomes varied, with some studies showing significant reductions in wound-related complications and overall postoperative risks, while others showed minimal effects. The risk of bias was generally low across studies, although variability in blinding practices and other biases was noted. Conclusion: Pre-operative smoking cessation interventions are effective in increasing smoking cessation rates and, in some cases, reducing postoperative complications. The effectiveness varies depending on the type and intensity of the intervention. Despite some methodological limitations in the included studies, the findings support the integration of structured smoking cessation programs into pre-operative care to improve surgical outcomes. Further research is needed to optimize these interventions and assess their impact on specific types of postoperative complications6 0