How Have Policy Makers Responded to the Current State of ICT in Schools in Saudi Arabia? A Qualitative Investigation

Previous research into Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Saudi schools has not considered the role of the Ministry of Education or the Education Authority (EA). As a researcher, I decided to study their role in an attempt to understand the current state of ICT in Saudi schools from the perspectives of policy makers from both bodies. The aim of the study resulted in the generation of the following research question: What are the policy makers’ views about the current state of ICT in education in Saudi Arabia? As this research aims to discover and understand the current state of ICT in schools from the views and perspectives of policy makers, a qualitative methodology has been employed and interviews were used to collect the data. In total, five policy makers from both the Ministry of Education in KSA and the local education authority in Ar-Rass city participated. The findings show that the Ministry of Education and the education authority are significant factors in the failure of ICT in schools. The study concludes that, in order to handle issues that affect the successful use of ICT in education, departments of education need to develop their policies, strategies, plans and frameworks

Improving Deep Learning Image Recognition Performance Using Region of Interest Localization Networks

Deep Learning has been gaining momentum and achieving the state-of-the-art results on many visual recognition problems. The roots of this field can be traced back to the 1940s of the 20th century. The field has recently started delivering some interesting results on many image understanding problems. This is mainly due to the availability of powerful hardware that can accelerate the training process. In addition, the growth of the Internet and imaging devices such as mobile phones and cameras has contributed to the increase in the amount of data that can be used to train neural networks. All of these factors have contributed to the success of deep learning on large scale image understanding tasks. Many image understanding problems do not have large training data. This is especially true in many special purpose datasets such as medical images, astronomical images, and environmental images. These application do not have large training datasets because unlike natural images, users do not typically take these images and upload them to the web. In addition, some of these applications, such as medical imaging, have many restrictions on sharing the data in order to protect the privacy of the patients. Finally, the labeling process needed for training natural images can be done by any person, unlike special purpose datasets. For example, in medical imaging, the images must be labeled by medical or clinical experts in the field. This results in datasets that are normally much smaller than natural images datasets as these experts have limited time to invest in the creation of the training sets. Luckily, in many of these applications, the most discriminative features may be present in a small region of interest. In this work, we present a method of training deep learning models on problems with low number of training images. We will do that by localizing a region of interest in these images, which will help reduce the problem of overfitting. In this thesis, two localization architectures are introduced, namely: the naive localization network and the wide localization network (wide net). The latter has several advantages which we explain thoroughly. The first problem we will introduce is the Right whale recognition problem. The problem involves recognizing whales from aerial images by analyzing the callosities pattern on their heads. We will study how localizing the region of interest can be used to make deep learning work on such a small dataset. The second problem we will study is the estimation of the ejection fraction and left ventricle volume by analyzing cardiac MRI images. Automatically estimating the ejection fraction and volume of the heart can help in identifying and diagnosing several cardiac health issues. Similarly, this dataset contains only a small number of training subjects

A Perspective Study of Islamic Tourism for Muslims in Asian and Western Countries of Halal Growth

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of halal tourism practices in Islamic countries, and the demand for halal products in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries. The study also aims to identify strategies to enhance the competitiveness of halal tourists in global markets.   Theoretical Framework: The framework of this study is grounded on the understanding of the prevalent halal practices in tourism, and the cultural and heritage aspects of the Muslim community that influence these practices.   Design/Methodology/Approach: This study adopts a qualitative research approach, employing interviews as the primary data collection method. The study is also informed by a review of the current literature on halal tourism practices.   Findings: The results of this study shed light on the demand for halal products in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries, and identify various proposals to enhance halal tourism practices in Muslim countries in the future. The study also reveals the potential for a boost in halal product packaging in Islamic countries through the assessment of the Muslim's cultural heritage.   Research, Practical & Social implications: This study contributes to the understanding of halal tourism, offering strategies for the improvement of halal tourism competitiveness worldwide. It emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and protecting the interests of Muslims, particularly in Middle East countries, within the global tourism industry.   Originality/Value: The value of this study lies in its focus on a relatively unexplored aspect of global tourism – halal tourism practices in Islamic countries. It addresses a significant gap in the current literature, providing fresh insights into halal product demand and the influence of Muslim cultural heritage

A Modified of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) from Users' Perspective of Telecentre in Nigeria

Telecentres are physical space that provides public access to information and communication technology to some members of underserved communities. Recent studies have shown that the initiative is spreading among developing countries. A telecentre offers cost-effective means of bridging access to Computer and Internet. Identifying the factors that influence its acceptance represents a fundamental challenge to its successful implementation. Primarily, among numerous benefits of telecentres include digital literacy and employment generation. However, despite these benefits limited studies have been conducted to examine its acceptance in Nigeria. Moreover, it is doubtful whether prior information technology acceptance models can be effectively used to examine its acceptance. Questions also arise if there are other factors that influence its acceptance. The objective of this study was to determine the factors that influence the acceptance of telecentres based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and the Use of Technology (UTAUT). The proposed model of telecentre acceptance consists of nine latent variables, namely, seven exogenous variables and two endogenous variables. A total of 375 questionnaires were distributed through a survey to respondents in six telecentres located in the three zones in Nigeria, out of which 203 questionnaires were returned, representing 54% response rate. A Structural Equation Modelling was used to investigate the causal and moderating relationships between the latent variables. The results showed four core determinants of Performance Expectancy, Social Influence, Management Effectiveness and Program Effectiveness significantly influence intention towards telecentre acceptance. Two core determinants, Behavioural Intention and Facilitating Conditions, were found to significantly determine User Acceptance. Gender, age and ethnicity were found to moderate the relationships between the latent variables. Based on the result obtained, a model of acceptance known as a modified UTAUT based telecentre model is proposed. The findings have implications both for future research and practice of telecentre development and implementation

An assessment of billing electricity consumers via analogue meters in Kano, Nigeria, by Kano electricity distribution plc

This paper assesses the perception of billing consumers via analogue meter in Kano Electricity Distribution Plc, Nigeria. Questionnaire survey was used to collect data from the consumers, frequency counts and percentages were used to analyze the generated data. The result of the study revealed that 38% of the Analogue meters were installed between eleven to twenty one years ago; hence the need for replacement of obsolete meters and periodic inspection of all consumers’ meters at least once in three months for proper reading is vital in order to achieve accurate billing. The study also revealed poor and unreliable power supply and most often the bills issued for the electricity consumption are based on estimates, thus contributing to poor consumers’ response to payments of electricity bills. Some suggestions that can facilitate the improvements of the operation of the Distribution Company were offered. Keywords: Electricity Distribution, Consumers, Analogue Meter, Billing, Nigeri

The Semantic Content of Hausa Collocation

This paper examines the semantic content of Hausa collocation. Collocation refers to the habitual juxtaposition of a particular word with another word with a frequency greater than chance. In other words, collocation alludes to words that generally go together, even though; it is possible to use other word combination. Some of the semantic features found in Hausa collocation include combinations that contain collocators with denotative meanings, exemplified by Bugā }wallō, collocators in which one is denotative the other register, exemplified by hanīnīyar dōki and collocators in which one is denotative the other a taboo, exemplified by }arfe gudā

Improving the Properties of Carbon Steel Using Silication by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)

The silication is one of the surface treatment technologies that can produce silic containing surface layers with high hardness, good corrosion, and wear resistance on the steel matrix.This study aims to add silica to the carbon steel used locally in the manufacture of some elements of the machines in a manner of CVD (deposition steam chemical) and to increase the hardness and stamina and resistance to shock and friction, also earning silica steel high resistance to corrosion and scratching, and soluble in acids, with the application of Asalkna for (2) hours at temperatures 565,1000,1100,1200 oC, using ammonium chloride and ammonium fluoride in a mixture silication.Found that the proportion of silica formed on the surface of steel and its compounds are the best we can when the heat treatment of the degree of 1100oC and use of fluoride of ammonium in a mixture Asalkna, and also increases hardness outer surface of the steel carbon and high summit of silica compared with the top of the iron in the case of sample treatment and the presence of the amount of very little silica compared with the high percentage of iron ore in the case of the sample; and the increasing rate of protection to the surface of the steel from corrosion at the same previous conditions. Keywords: CVD - FeSi (chemical vapor deposited Silicon Iron