The Neolithic Archaeology of the South west of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Although the archaeology of Saudi Arabia forms the basic chronological and geographical framework for the archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula as a whole, its later prehistoric sequence is still not well-defined. The aim of this thesis is to start defining this sequence in the southwest of the country by assessing the characteristics of some newly discovered sites, and surveying and sampling them. This research will attempt to designate a function to the sites, date their material culture, and define their relationship with other prehistoric sites in Arabia. The objectives of this thesis are firstly to define the term ‘Neolithic’, to consider the characteristics of its earliest affiliated sites in the Near East, and to outline the research aims, objectives and methodology; secondly, to survey the geographical and environmental background of the Near East and Saudi Arabia; thirdly to summarize the history of archaeology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Additional objectives are to define the Neolithic sequences, to discuss the climate change and sea level and the results on archaeological survey in the region. The core of the thesis presents the results of the archaeological survey and excavation in the Farasan Islands, the coastal plain and interior area and discusses the characteristics of its freshly recovered material culture, its date, and how it supports or refutes models for the spread of the Neolithic in the Near East as a whole. Archaeological survey is also used to introduce the archaeology of the Tihama mountains and the study and analysis of the rock art and to study the interior area with regard to the chronology of the south west of Saudi Arabia. The results demonstrate the significance of the shell middens of the Red Sea islands and coastal plain, and provide evidence for one of the earliest Neolithic sites in Saudi Arabia: Al-Majama

Intersectional employee voice inequalities and culture care theory: the case of migrant palliative care nurses in Saudi Arabia

Purpose: This narrative literature review examines intersectional employee voice inequalities in a non-Western, high power distance context to develop a multilevel conceptual framework. / Design/methodology/approach: The authors use Leininger's (1997, 2002) culture care model to explore multilevel influences on intersectional voice inequalities. The article applies insights from a review of 31 studies to the specific challenges of migrant palliative care (PC) nurses in Saudi Arabia. / Findings: The themes identified in the review indicate how better transcultural communications might mitigate voice inequalities that influence migrant employee wellbeing and intentions to quit which result from cultural incongruities. / Originality/value: The impact of national culture differences and intersectional inequalities on employee voice has largely been ignored in academic research. This paper offers unique insights drawing on culture care theory into intersectional voice challenges from a non-Western perspective in the underresearched setting of Saudi Arabia which is mid-way through a national transformation program. It starkly contrasts policy ambitions for advancing healthcare with discriminatory practices based on conservative attitudes which stifle migrant worker voices

Blue Arabia : Palaeolithic and Underwater Survey in SW Saudi Arabia and the Role of Coasts in Pleistocene Dispersal

The role of coastal regions and coastlines in the dispersal of human populations from Africa and across the globe has been highlighted by the recent polarisation between coastal and interior models. The debate has been clouded by the use of the single term ‘coastal dispersal’ to embrace what is in fact a wide spectrum of possibilities, ranging from seafaring populations who spend most of their time at sea living off marine resources, to land-based populations in coastal regions with little or no reliance on marine foods. An additional complicating factor is the fact of Pleistocene and early Holocene sea-level change, which exposed an extensive coastal region that is now submerged, and may have afforded very different conditions from the modern coastal environment. We examine these factors in the Arabian context and use the term ‘Blue’ to draw attention to the fertile coastal rim of the Arabian Peninsula, and to the now submerged offshore landscape, which is especially extensive in some regions. We further emphasise that the attractions of the coastal rim are a product of two quite different factors, ecological diversity and abundant water on land, which have created persistently ‘Green’ conditions throughout the vagaries of Pleistocene climate change in some coastal regions, especially along parts of the western Arabian escarpment, and potentially productive marine environments around its coastline, which include some of the most fertile in the world. We examine the interplay of these factors in the Southwest region of Saudi Arabia and the southern Red Sea, and summarise some of the results of recent DISPERSE field investigations, including survey for Palaeolithic sites on the mainland, and underwater survey of the continental shelf in the vicinity of the Farasan Islands. We conclude that coastlines are neither uniformly attractive nor uniformly marginal to human dispersal, that they offer diverse opportunities that were spatially and temporally variable at scales from the local to the continental, and that investigating Blue Arabia in relation to its episodically Green interior is a key factor in the fuller understanding of long-term human population dynamics within Arabia and their global implications

Investigating the Palaeolithic Landscapes and Archaeology of the Jizan and Asir Regions, Southwestern Saudi Arabia

The archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula is pivotal to understanding the timing and mode of dispersals of hominin populations from Africa, with growing evidence supporting a Southern Route across the Hanish Sill in the Southern Red Sea. Yet, despite recent key discoveries, our understanding of the hominin occupation of the peninsula remains patchy. This situation is particularly marked in coastal Southwestern Saudi Arabia, a region key in dispersal debates given its proximity to the proposed Southern Route. Identification of the routes and conditions of hominin dispersals from Africa has focussed on reconstructing broad-scale climatic and vegetation zones. Yet physical landscapes are also critical to palaeoenvironmental reconstruction at the local scale. They can moderate or amplify climatic influence, and modify the distribution of plant and animal resources. The DISPERSE project aims to develop systematic methods for reconstructing Palaeolithic landscapes at a variety of geographical scales, and their impact on patterns of human evolution and dispersal. This paper reports the preliminary results of archaeological and geomorphological survey carried out in February-March 2013 in the Jizan and Asir regions, Southwestern Saudi Arabia. Satellite imagery was used to identify areas of potential preservation and visibility of Palaeolithic sites, as well as key geomorphological features to inform landscape reconstruction. ESA, MSA and potentially later artefacts were recorded at a number of locations and geographical settings in the region. These sites are placed within the developing model of landscape evolution, and preliminary hypotheses of hominin landscape use and technological aspects are outlined. These hypotheses will be tested through future survey seasons, ultimately allowing assessment of the factors controlling human occupation and dispersal

An overview root canal treatment, roles of nursing and pharmacist in pain management

Endodontic treatment involves the comprehensive care of symptoms before, during, and after the procedure, including the occurrence of post-operative endodontic discomfort, which can potentially become a chronic consequence. Post-operative pain is a frequent occurrence after surgery and is difficult to prevent. It has multiple causes and may be related to the acute inflammation of the area around the tooth\u27s root, which can be caused by chemical, mechanical, host, or microbial damage during endodontic therapy. The key aspects of nursing during canal obturation encompass the implementation of aseptic technique, proficient coordination, effective instrument management, and clear communication between nurses and patients. Presented here are questions from patients on analgesic pharmacology, along with corresponding responses. The purpose is to educate patients and empower them to be more effective advocates for themselves. This study discusses the various methods by which pharmacists contribute to pain treatment and ensure the safety of prescribed drugs

A Surface Complexation Model of Alkaline-SmartWater Electrokinetic Interactions in Carbonates

Understanding the effect of injection water chemistry is becoming crucial, as it has been recently shown to have a major impact on oil recovery processes in carbonate formations. Various studies have concluded that surface charge alteration is the primary mechanism behind the observed change of wettability towards water-wet due to SmartWater injection in carbonates. Therefore, understanding the surface charges at brine/calcite and brine/crude oil interfaces becomes essential to optimize the injection water compositions for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in carbonate formations. In this work, the physicochemical interactions of different brine recipes with and without alkali in carbonates are evaluated using Surface Complexation Model (SCM). First, the zeta-potential of brine/calcite and brine/crude oil interfaces are determined for Smart Water, NaCl, and Na2SO4 brines at fixed salinity. The high salinity seawater is also included to provide the baseline for comparison. Then, two types of Alkali (NaOH and Na2CO3) are added at 0.1 wt% concentration to the different brine recipes to verify their effects on the computed zeta-potential values in the SCM framework. The SCM results are compared with experimental data of zeta-potentials obtained with calcite in brine and crude oil in brine suspensions using the same brines and the two alkali concentrations. The SCM results follow the same trends observed in experimental data to reasonably match the zeta-potential values at the calcite/brine interface. Generally, the addition of alkaline drives the zeta-potentials towards more negative values. This trend towards negative zeta-potential is confirmed for the Smart Water recipe with the impact being more pronounced for Na2CO3 due to the presence of divalent anion carbonate (CO3)-2. Some discrepancy in the zeta-potential magnitude between the SCM results and experiments is observed at the brine/crude oil interface with the addition of alkali. This discrepancy can be attributed to neglecting the reaction of carboxylic acid groups in the crude oil with strong alkali as NaOH and Na2CO3. The novelty of this work is that it clearly validates the SCM results with experimental zeta-potential data to determine the physicochemical interaction of alkaline chemicals with SmartWater in carbonates. These modeling results provide new insights on defining optimal SmartWater compositions to synergize with alkaline chemicals to further improve oil recovery in carbonate reservoirs