Manufacturing Strategy: An Analysis of the Saudi Manufacturing Private Sector

This study is motivated by the desire to develop an understanding of the manufacturing strategy concept within the Saudi business environment. More specifically the objectives of the study are to detect the existing type of manufacturing strategies in Saudi plants in the last two years (i.e., 1987 and 1988) as well as in the next two years (i.e., 1990 and 1991); to use SWOT analysis to find out strengths and weaknesses within the plants surveyed as well as opportunities and threats in the environment; and finally to test six hypotheses of the model of manufacturing strategy. The model consists of eight factors: organisational environment, corporate and business strategies, manufacturing task statement, manufacturing task, the role of the production manager, structural category of decisions, infrastructural category of decisions, and finally organisational performance

Optically Driven PH Gradient Generator Based on Self-Assembled Proton Pumps for Activating Hydrogel Microactuators

This dissertation presents a new approach for developing a biologically inspired photo-electro-chemo-mechanical microactuator by exploiting the ion pumping characteristics of bacteriorhodopsin (bR) proton pumps and the pH sensitivity of smart hydrogels. The ultimate goal of this project is to prove the viability of integrating bR monolayer into novel actuation applications using molecular level architectures. To accomplish this, the bR proton pumps are molecularly labelled, organized, and directionally immobilized on Au-coated substrate, and then integrated with pH sensitive hydrogel. When responding to an incident light beams, the internal proton pumping mechanism is mathematically modeled for quantifying the processing of the photonic energy into electro-chemical potential. Experimental and theoretical findings indicate that the photo-electric response of the dry bR is attributed to charge displacement and recombination; whereas, the response of the aqueous bR measured is a real proton pumping mechanism. The photo-electric properties, light source conditions all have influence on the observed photo-electric response characteristics. The presented technology is proven both experimentally and analytically through simulation. Experiments are conducted using acrylic acid (AA) monomer linked to 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) monomer and the developed bR monolayer forming this hybrid microactuator. The light detecting part of the actuator is the bR monolayer. In this part the incident light beams are processed in the bR proton pumps through their photo-cycle to transport protons from the cytoplasmic side to the extracellular side of the bR protein. The bR monolayer is fabricated with molecular level recognition, labelling, and adsorption leading to a novel architecture able to transport protons through a porous substrate. Once protons are transported from one side to the other side of the membrane, the concentration of the hydrogen ions is changed. The change in the hydrogen ions concentration is expected theoretically and has been proved by monitoring pH changes in the ionic solution as pH gives direct indication on the hydrogen ions concentration. The change in the pH is exploited by integrating the light detecting part of the actuator to the pH-sensitive hydrogel which acts as the actuator shell that receives the pH changes and treat it as an input signal and then process it to undergo in an electric phase transition that leads to volume transition and associated mechanical work. The generated mechanical work is exploited in microactuation techniques with interest in microfluidic valves to control the flow in the microchannels. Based on the presented work the bR monolayer shows great potential for becoming a viable biomaterial for use in optical sensing and actuation. Many industrial and biomedical applications may benefit from the presented advances in generating higher performance micro-systems

Employees training programmes of the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) in Kuwait : an evaluation of current activities and assessment of future needs

This study aims to examine critically the employees training programmes currently provided by Kuwait's Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) in order to assess their effectiveness and identify problems. PAAET's history and development are outlined, and theories related to training (including computer applications) are presented. To ascertain current practice and the attitudes of concerned parties, questionnaires have been administered and interviews held with senior officials in the Training Co-ordination Department and other associated departments, as well as academic staff and trainees.The results, together with the review of relevant theory, reveal various problems including unclear objectives, lack of Training Need Assessment, duplication of responsibilities, failures of communication, and inadequate evaluation and follow-up. Finally, recommendations are made to address these problems and enhance the effectiveness of PAAET's employees training programmes

Biotic and abiotic factors influencing initial swimbladder inflation of the blue-finned sea bream Acanthopagrus cuvieri (Sparidae), with particular reference to aquaculture in Kuwait

Acanthopagrus cuvieri is a sparid fish local to Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf. It is highly valued fish with low landings from local waters and is of great inference for mariculture. Larval rearing and on—growing procedures have already been established by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. The species is prone to non development of swimbladders, and this is a common problem world wide among sparids and some other species. This abnormality can have a strong economic impact on the development of the industry for luxury species. The swimbladder in A. cuvieri larvae originates as an outgrowth of the dorsal wall of the foregut on the second day after hatching at 25*C. It appears to become functional when the larvae are 4 or 5 days old. The pneumatic duct, gas gland, and rete mirabile have already been developed by that time. The pneumatic duct atrophies and becomes no longer patent on day 10-12, thus ending the outside communication via the oesophagus. The larvae clearly require access to atmospheric air to initially inflate their swimbladders. The data from the vertical migration, larval aggregation, buoyancy and length ¡weight studies support and give details on how the initial swimbladder inflation takes place. The effects of selected biotic and abiotic factors on the success of swimbladder inflation were tested. Temperature, light intensity, photoperiod, aeration rate, egg batch, and rotifer:larva ratio all showed a strong effect on initial swimbladder inflation. By contrast, salinity, water- exchange and type of rotifer used did not show any clear effect on initial swimbladder inflation, the optimum rearing conditions that appear to maximize the success of initial swimbladder inflation are; 25*C, 40 ppt, 1000 lux, 24- hr illumination, 50-70 ml/mln of aeration, 8-hr water-exchange at 250 ml/min flow, 100-200 rotifer: larva, L-type rotifer and early egg batch. Based upon the data generated in this work, the nine abiotic and biotic factors can be grouped into three major strategies, namely: reduction of water surface tension, enhancement of larval fitness, and management of the vertical aggregation of larvae. In combination, these factors contribute to successful initial swimbladder inflation and good survival of larvae. Overall, this work summarises the development of the swimbladder in A. cuvierl larvae and clearly indicate how this first inflation may be maximised through careful husbandry and understanding of the biological processes involved

WIMAX Basics from PHY Layer to Scheduling and Multicasting Approaches

WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is an emerging broadband wireless technology for providing Last mile solutions for supporting higher bandwidth and multiple service classes with various quality of service requirement. The unique architecture of the WiMAX MAC and PHY layers that uses OFDMA to allocate multiple channels with different modulation schema and multiple time slots for each channel allows better adaptation of heterogeneous user’s requirements. The main architecture in WiMAX uses PMP (Point to Multipoint), Mesh mode or the new MMR (Mobile Multi hop Mode) deployments where scheduling and multicasting have different approaches. In PMP SS (Subscriber Station) connects directly to BS (Base Station) in a single hop route so channel conditions adaptations and supporting QoS for classes of services is the key points in scheduling, admission control or multicasting, while in Mesh networks SS connects to other SS Stations or to the BS in a multi hop routes, the MMR mode extends the PMP mode in which the SS connects to either a relay station (RS) or to Bs. Both MMR and Mesh uses centralized or distributed scheduling with multicasting schemas based on scheduling trees for routing. In this paper a broad study is conducted About WiMAX technology PMP and Mesh deployments from main physical layers features with differentiation of MAC layer features to scheduling and multicasting approaches in both modes of operations

Immunomodulatory effect of anise (Pimpinella anisum) in BALB/c mice

Purpose: The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of anise decoction consumption on lymphocytes activity, complete blood count (CBC) and nitric oxide (NO) production in BALB/c mice.Methods: BALB/c mice were given anise tea instead of drinking water and the effect on selected immune parameters was analyzed after 1 and 2 weeks of treatment.Results: Cell activity of anise treated mice was significantly higher than control group at week 2 as revealed by mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR2. The spleen cells of anise treated mice showed a significant higher lymphocyte proliferative response to in vitro challenge with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA).compared to controls at week two of treatment. The increase in mouse foot thickness as indicator of delayed type of hypersensitivity (DTH) was less in anise treated mice compared to control group. Nitric oxide production by peritoneal macrophages in response to activation with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) was reduced by anise treatment after 1 and 2 weeks of treatment andno significant changes in CD4 and CD8 were noticed either at week 1 or 2 of treatment.Conclusion: This study provides preclinical evidence that anise possesses immunomodulatory activity when administered orally in mice and selectively activates cell-mediated immune mechanismsKeywords: Immunomodulatory, Anise, Traditional medicin

Optimization of chloroxylenol degradation by Aspergillus niger using Plackett-Burman design and response surface methodology

Chloroxylenol is a very toxic phenolic derivative and it represents potential hazard towards human health and to the environment. Aspergillus niger, local isolate, is an efficient fungus to degrade 99.72% of 2 mg/L of chloroxylenol after 7 days of fermentation. It also has a high capacity to degrade 91.83% of higher chloroxylenol concentration of 20 mg/L after 6 days of incubation on mineral medium amended with 2 g/L of glucose. Statistical experimental designs were used to optimize the process of chloroxylenol degradation by the fungus. The most important factors influencing chloroxylenol degradation, as identified by a two-level Plackett-Burman design with 11 variables, were NaCl, (NH4)2SO4, and inoculums size. Response surface analysis was adopted to further investigate the mutual interactions between these variables and to identify their optimal values that would generate maximum chloroxylenol degradation. Under the optimized medium compositions and culture conditions, A. niger was able to degrade completely (100%) chloroxylenol (20 mg/L) after 134.6 h of fermentation. The predicted values of Plackett-Burman conditions and response surface methodology were further verified by validation experiments. The excellent correlation between predicted and experimental values confirmed the validity and practicability of this statistical optimum strategy. Optimal conditions obtained in this work laid to a solid foundation for further use of A. niger in treatment of high strength chloroxylenol polluted effluents. So, the optimized conditions were applied to bioremediate crude sewage containing 27.8 mg/L of chloroxylenol by A. niger. The fungus efficiently degraded chloroxylenol after 8 days of fermentation.Key words: Chloroxylenol degradation, Aspergillus niger, Plackett-Burman design, Response surface methodology

"Toxic pleasures”: A study of eating out behavior in Arab female university students and its associations with psychological distress and disordered eating

University years are a critical period in which young people establish independence and adopt lasting health behaviors. The aim of this study was to estimate the associations between eating out, psychological distress, and disordered eating behaviors among young Arab females in Qatar a rapidly developing small nation. A cross-sectional probability-based survey of 1615 Qatar University's female students assessed the frequency of eating out (main independent variable) and other eating behaviors in relation to two main dependent variables, disordered eating and psychological distress, which were measured using the Eating Attitudes Test and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, respectively. Multivariable logistic-regression analyses were used to estimate these two main associations with and without adjustment for other potential confounding variables, including the main effects of psychological distress and disordered eating on each other. Of the students, 45% reported eating out 3 times or more a week. Furthermore, approximately 18% screened positive for disordered eating and 33% reported high levels of psychological distress in the past 30 days. After adjustment for other variables, eating out 5 times or more a week was not significantly associated with the odds of disordered eating (OR 1.21, p=0.32). However, eating out 5 times or more per week was significantly associated with odds of having psychological distress (OR 1.46, p=0.03). Both psychological distress and disordered eating were strongly associated with each other (OR 2.58, p < 0.001)