Planning and Building Regulations in Saudi Arabia in Relation to Privacy and Islamic Tradition

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Measuring Nonlinear Properties of Graphene Thin Films Using Z-Scan Technique

The nonlinear studies of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, specifically graphene, are very significant since graphene is finding its usefulness in handling the enormous heat in nanoscale high-density power electronics. Graphene has emerged to be a promising nanomaterial as an excellent heat spreader due to its high thermal conductivity. However, the experimental nonlinear study of graphene materials and their application in developing future optoelectronic devices demands for more developed research. The research objective is first to build a precise, and sensitive technique to investigate and understand the thermal nonlinear properties, including nonlinear refractive index (n2), nonlinear absorption coefficient (β), and thermo-optic coefficient (dn/dT), which are dependent on the laser power and temperature of graphene thin film materials. Many techniques have been used for measuring the nonlinear parameters, and the Z-scan method has been considered the standard approach due to its simplicity and sensitivity. The main goal of this research was to investigate the thermal nonlinearities of nonfunctionlaized and functionalized graphene thin films without and with gold nanorods (NFG, AuNFG, FG, and AuFG) on glass substrates as well as gold nanorods (AuNRs) in deionized water through using the built Z-scan system. Then finally, the effects of gold nanorods on enhancing the thermal nonlinearity of graphene were studied. In the Z-scan system, a continuous wave (cw) of an argon ion (Ar+) laser beam was used as the excitation source at wavelengths of 457 and 514 nm. The sample was fixed on a micrometer translation stage and moved in the propagation direction (z) of a narrowly focused Gaussian beam. After that, the transmitted signal, passing through the material, was recorded using a photo detector in the far field. In this dissertation work, the beta-barium borate (BBO) crystal was chosen as an excellent candidate to calibrate and test the accuracy of the built Z-scan system and to investigate the thermal nonlinearities, which was important due to the fact that the BBO crystal has remarkably high thermal and optical properties. In the linear regime, the morphology and physical properties of all the research graphene samples were investigated using different optical and structural analytical techniques, including Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), and UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The Z-scan experimental study indicated that graphene had a negative value of the nonlinear refractive index with a self-defocusing performance. These results also concluded that gold nanorods enhance the nonlinear thermal properties of graphene materials. Gold nanorods were proved to enhance the thermal nonlinear absorption of graphene by 50%. Also, there was a large enhancement on the thermal refraction and the change of refractive index with temperature (dn/dT) due to the presence of gold nanorods. Therefore, using a variety of nanostructures for the ability to control the thermal-optical behaviors not only increases but also opens the doors for new application areas, including biomolecular and chemical sensing, cooling systems, photo-thermal therapy, thermal storage in solar cells, and other thermal nonlinear devices. This research contributes to increasing not only the physics, but also chemistry, knowledge about the relation between the graphene nonlinear properties, functionalization- gold nanorods and oxygen groups which, as a sequence, helps scientists and engineers to understand and improve the optical technologies in general

GCC Economic Integration: Fiction or Reality?

The GCC states boast high per capita incomes and a voracious appetite for showcase construction projects, which symbolise their drive to transform finite oil resources into modern economies. During the past decade, significant strides were made in integrating their economies through establishing a customs union, common market and monetary council to study prospects for a shared currency. Underlying fundamentals, however, point at a different direction as the movement of goods, capital and labour has not been as fluid as anticipated. This policy brief evaluates the challenges, successes and future opportunities of economic integration in the GCC. Only through eliminating nominal and structural barriers in the movement of goods, capital and labour – along with institutional efforts at unifying fiscal and monetary policy – can the region benefit from integration

A New Slope Index for Solving NxM Flow Shop Sequencing Problems with Minimum Makespan

A flow shop sequencing problem is one of the classical problems in the production scheduling. In a flow shop, a particular case of manufacturing process follows a fixed linear structure. The purpose of this paper is to find the minimum total processing time (makespan) of sequencing ‘n’ jobs on ‘m’ machines for a flow shop problem in a static workshop. The proposed approach is based on the slope of each job on its journey from the first to the last machine. This approach is compared with five well-known heuristics (Palmer, Gupta, CDS, Dannenbring, Hundal) and one more recent technique that is based on the harmonic triangle. The results obtained from this study for different sizes of ‘n’x’m’ flow shop sequencing problems ranging from 4x4 to 50x20 indicate that the proposed approach is efficient with an encouraging percentage of improvements compared with all other six heuristic techniques

Application of Sustainable City Logistics in Saudi Arabia

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has advantages in trade and logistics services that other countries do not have. By 2020 there was a significant increase in logistics market revenue with reach almost SAR 94 billion (USD $ 25 billion), which, in this case, opens up opportunities for FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) that must be exploited. Components and logistics services are a series of activities planning, organizing, and controlling all activities in the flow of materials, from raw materials to final consumption and the return flow of manufactured products, with the aim of satisfying the needs and desires of customers and other interested parties. city. Therefore, the sustainability of city logistics requires synergy between policy makers (government) and also the community (public) with the private sector (private) with steps such as simplification of regulations, provision of urban infrastructure, low carbon emissions in transportation means of delivery of logistics services, network governance. modern traffic so that this public-private partnership is the key to the effectiveness and efficiency of a sustainable urban logistics chain

Strategy Plan and Policy Model of Public Transport in Saudi Arabia

GDP of Saudi Arabia has increased from $1 billion US dollar in 1972 to more than$300 billion US dollar in 2011. The increase in population from 10 million in 1950 to 28 million in 2010, urbanization represent about 80%. the country consume about 20-25% of it's own oil production about 2.5 million per/daily. This shows that the Saudi policy have given incentive to cars user for longtime and has done little to manage demand or support public transport. The main objective of this paper is place the Saudi model in public transport in the international context and to draw an international prospective of public transport policy and the rational of government intervention in transport sector. The study gives classification models which characterize the industries and form of intervention. Further more the study highlight some of the approaches which adopted by both developed and developing industry at specific time. The Methods and models use vary from one country and this study had classified intervention in transport sector in five models which are such as models of ownership, regulation, competition, finance system and private public partnership model. In 2011 Saudi Arabia has introduce it First National Transport Strategy, which have adopted many objectives among the most is, to improve efficiency of transport sector, module environmental impact of transport sector, improves safety facilitate the movement of peoples and goods to improve economic activity (MOT 2011). This state shows that no clear objectives to improve public transport policy

Characterization of Ethylene/α-Olefin Copolymers Made with a Single-Site Catalyst Using Crystallization Elution Fractionation

A new analytical technique to measure the chemical composition distribution (CCD) of polyolefins, crystallization elution fractionation (CEF), was introduced in 2006 during the First International Conference on Polyolefin Characterization. CEF is a faster and higher resolution alternative to the previous polyolefin CCD analytical techniques such as temperature rising elution fractionation (TREF) and crystallization elution fractionation (CRYSTAF) (Monrabal et al., 2007). Crystallization elution fractionation is a liquid chromatography technique used to determine the CCD of polyolefins by combining a new separation procedure, dynamic crystallization, and TREF. In a typical CEF experiment, a polymer solution is loaded in the CEF column at high temperature, the polymer is allowed to crystallize by lowering the solution temperature, and then the precipitated polymer is eluted by a solvent flowing through the column as the temperature is raised. CEF needs to be calibrated to provide quantitative CCD results. A CEF calibration curve consists of a mathematical relationship between elution temperature determined by CEF and comonomer fraction in the copolymer that could be estimated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR). Different comonomer types in ethylene/α-olefin copolymers will have distinct calibration curves. The main objective of this thesis is to obtain CEF calibration curves for several different ethylene/α-olefin copolymers and to investigate which factors influence these calibration curves. A series of homogeneous ethylene/α-olefin copolymers (1-hexene, 1-octene and 1-dodecene) with different comonomer fractions were synthesized under controlled conditions to create CEF calibration standards. Their average chemical compositions were determined by 13C NMR and FTIR and then used to establish CEF calibration curves relating elution temperature and comonomer molar fraction in the copolymer

Characterization of Ethylene/1-Octene Copolymers with High-Temperature Thermal Gradient Interaction Chromatography (HT-TGIC)

Chemical composition distribution (CCD) of polyolefins is being measured by well established crystallization techniques, but they are limited to semi-crystalline polyolefins. High-temperature thermal gradient interaction chromatography (HT-TGIC) was recently developed for CCD determination of semi-crystalline and amorphous polyolefins, thus broadening the range of techniques available for the analysis of polyolefin chemical composition distributions. HT-TGIC fractionation relies on the interaction of polyolefin chains with a graphite surface upon a temperature change in an isocratic solvent based on the adsorption/desorption mechanism. The main objective of this research is to understand the fractionation mechanism of HT-TGIC and study factors controlling this mechanism using one series of ethylene/1-octene copolymers having similar molecular weight averages, but a distinct 1-octene fraction (Category I) and six series of ethylene/1-octene copolymers that in each series having a similar 1-octene mole fraction and a wider range of molecular weight averages (Category II). It was found that due to the presence of short chain branches formed via 1-octene incorporation, the shape of the HT-TGIC profile and the position of the peak elution temperature shift to lower and become broader with increasing 1-octene mole fraction. Also, the peak elution temperature is gradually linearly related to comonomer content. 23 experimental factorial design were applied to three individual and blend samples of ethylene/1-octene copolymers (Category I) to regulate which operation parameters (cooling rate, heating rate, and heating flow rate) influence HT-TGIC peak temperatures and profiles. The cooling rate has no significant effect on the peak elution temperature and the broadness of the HT-TGIC chromatograms. On the other hand, the heating rate and the elution flow rate, as well as their interaction, substantially influence the HT-TGIC peak temperature and breadth. Four individual samples and their blend of ethylene/1-octene copolymers having different comonomer fractions and approximately the same molecular weight averages were chosen to investigate how commercial Hypercarb columns with distinct lengths and average particle sizes affected HT-TGIC fractionation. Neither average particle size nor column length plays an important role on the fractionation of polyolefins and their blends. Interestingly, the fraction of the component with high comonomer content in a binary blend could affect the peak position of the fraction with low comonomer content, perhaps because of co-desorption effects. The joint effect of chain length and comonomer fraction on HT-TGIC chromatograms and the position of peak elution temperature were investigated using sets of ethylene/1-octene copolymer samples that each set had different chain length and similar 1-octene fraction (category II). The peak elution temperature decreased exponentially, and the profiles became increasingly broader below a critical number average chain length value that increased linearly with the fraction of comonomer in the copolymer. Stockmayer distribution and Monte Carlo simulation estimating the distribution of average (AESD) and longest (LESD) ethylene sequences were used to explain the observed behavior of HT-TGIC profiles. It was found that no simple correlation exists between ethylene sequences in the copolymers and peak elution temperature, but there is a strong evidence that axial dispersion is responsible for symmetrical broadening of the HT-TGIC profiles. Also, the HT-TGIC of binary blends was studied, finding that components with similar 1-octene contents and dissimilar chain lengths tend to increase co-adsorption/co-desorption effects