Life event ontology based e-government service integration with privacy awareness

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.The advancement of information and communications technology (ICT) and web services offers a promising opportunity for e-government service integration, which can improve the availability and quality of e-government services. One of the key challenges in electronic government (e-government) is the composition of standalone e-government services to achieve complex services. In recent years, the life event model as ontology has been introduced as the core element of integrating complexity of service delivery to improve the efficiency and reusability of e-government services, and web-based information management systems. Despite the conceptual emergence of life event ontology, the question as to how ontology can be used to effectively model life events to support e-government government to citizen service integration remains. Furthermore, privacy concerns represents a major barrier for citizens to accept e-government services, and the question of how to address these privacy issues is becoming increasingly important as the government moves to push service delivery online. Although solutions have been recently suggested in the literature to deal with privacy concerns, there are few practical approaches for helping citizens to create their preferences for privacy protection based on various aspects of privacy policy. These preferences include purpose, retention, consent and the protection of personal information in the context of using e-government services. As a step forward to satisfy the above requirements and to address some of the current challenges, this thesis presents a new framework for supporting e-government service integration based on a life event model. More specifically, the framework enables the system to automatically discover, select, compose and execute correct service across multiple web applications for appropriate life events and to allow a citizen to set up their privacy preferences and to support computerisation of these preferences so that these preferences can be guaranteed. The main contributions are fivefold: (i) the proposal of a conceptual framework of e-government service integration based on life events, (ii) the development of a new life-event model using ontology technique and the methodology to model life events as an ontology model for e-government service integration, (iii) the development of a novel citizen personal information sensitivity model with privacy awareness for supporting citizens in expressing their privacy preferences and for granting the protection of citizens’ personal information, (iv) the development of a suite of techniques to implement the framework including a practical solution to enforce the privacy policies in relation to citizens’ personal information during e-government service integration, and (v) the manifestation of the validity of the proposed framework, models and techniques through the creation of a working prototype of an integrated e-government service system in a specific e-government domain in Saudi Arabia. The significance of this study can be seen from the fact that it: (i) enables the domain expert to model effective life-events based on the use of ontology building methodology, (ii) enables effective modeling of citizens’ personal information, (iii) enables citizens to specify their privacy preferences, (iv) ensures that citizens can be well informed in terms of what information is used, what purpose is it used for, where and how it is stored and who will handle the information, and (v) enforces privacy policies which correspond to the citizens’ privacy preferences so that their privacy concerns can be properly addressed and that citizens’ personal information will be protected and guaranteed against unauthorized access, loss, misuse or alterations based on their privacy preferences. Based on the outcomes of this study, the integrated e-government systems can significantly improve the accessibility of e-government services and enhance the citizens' trust toward the integrated government e-service systems

First Confirmed Case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection in the Kingdom of Bahrain: In a Saudi Gentleman after Cardiac Bypass Surgery

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is well known to cause severe respiratory infection and was first reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2012. We report here the first confirmed MERS-CoV infection in the Kingdom of Bahrain in a Saudi gentleman who was admitted electively for coronary bypass surgery, postoperatively developed an acute respiratory illness, and tested positive for MERS-CoV. 40 close contacts, all healthcare workers, were traced and followed with no documented secondary cases

Relationships between intercultural contact and L2 motivation for a group of undergraduate Saudi students during their first year in the UK

Using the L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei (2005), this mixed methods approach study aimed to investigate two key issues. First, to investigate the possible relationships between prior levels of ICC and self-reported motivation to learn English among newly arrived (during their first month of arrival) undergraduate (pre-foundation) Saudi students in the United Kingdom. Second, to explore whether the reported motivational profiles (high Ideal L2 Self and strong Ought to L2 Self) on arrival help to explain the behaviour of a sample of new arrivals (4 participants) during their first year of study in terms of recognising and responding to ICC opportunities and L2 learning. The study began with a quantitative phase, using an online survey distributed to 257 new Saudi pre-foundation students across the UK in October 2012 to investigate their prior ICC and reported motivation to learn English (n = 257: 36 females and 221 males). Correlation analysis of the data revealed a relationship between the new Saudi arrivals' ICC and aspects of their L2 motivation. Regression analysis revealed that one construct of the L2MSS in particular (the Ideal L2 Self) had the strongest association with ICC, which suggested that prior ICC might have promoted the participants’ Ideal L2 Self. Furthermore, regression analysis revealed that Language Learning Attitudes were better predictor of the reported L2 learning effort than Ideal L2 Self and Ought to L2 Self, which may have indicated that the positive attitudes of the participants towards the L2 learning environment was based on their realisation of the importance attached to English for their future. Finally, Ought to L2 Self was a stronger predictor of the reported L2 learning effort than Ideal L2 Self, which may have underscored the importance of the collective nature of Saudi society where family expectations serve as a powerful source of motivation. A qualitative phase followed the quantitative phase when four study participants (males) were selected based on their representation of distinct motivational profiles: strong Ideal L2 Self and strong Ought to L2 Self (two participants for each). These were to be interviewed three times (November 2012, February 2013, and May 2013). Their distinct motivational profiles did not help to explain the behaviour of the participants as they all showed similar ICC behaviour and similar L2 learning behaviour. Instead, the analysis of the qualitative data suggested that a number of social, cultural, and personal issues may have had a stronger impact on the behaviour of the new Saudi sojourners than their Ideal L2 Self or Ought to L2 Self. In conclusion, the study strongly suggests the significance of being involved in ICC (direct or indirect) to give Saudi L2 learners reasons to study English and create a vision of themselves as future L2 users, which is likely to help them to establish and maintain their L2 motivation. Given the collective nature of Saudi society, English teachers and parents play a crucial role in encouraging and supporting L2 learners in such a process. Finally, the study suggested a number of cultural, social and personal issues that stakeholders and policymakers in study abroad programmes and in international universities need to pay close attention to in order to understand and help visiting students to make the most of their stay abroad

Behavioral Economics and Its Positive Impact on Overcoming the Corona Pandemic Among Owners of Small and Medium Enterprises

In this study, we investigate the role of behavioral economics in assisting small and medium enterprise (SME) owners in overcoming the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. By understanding the psychological factors that influence decision-making, behavioral economics provides insights into biases and heuristics that can cloud judgment during times of uncertainty and stress. This understanding helps SME owners make more rational choices and offers practical strategies to promote positive behaviors and mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic. Clear and timely communication is essential, enabling SME owners to access vital information about government support programs, safety protocols, and financial assistance. Behavioral economics also addresses the psychological barriers that hinder compliance with health and safety measures, leading to the development of effective interventions that appeal to social norms, use positive framing, and provide incentives. The importance of social support networks and community engagement is emphasized, as they provide emotional support, shared knowledge, and learning opportunities for SME owners. Overall, behavioral economics offers valuable insights and strategies for SME owners to navigate the challenges of the pandemic and develop resilience

Power savings analysis of clipping and filtering method in OFDM systems

The clipping and filtering method is analyzed in terms of power savings. The analysis takes account of the gain in the amplifier efficiency due to peak-to-average-power-ratio (PAPR) reduction. Assuming a linear amplifier and a typical digital signal processor, the power savings is shown to be in the order of Watts

Contrastive Rhetoric Study of Arabic and English Research Article Introductions

There were three main purposes of this study. First, the study was to find whether writers with diverse educational backgrounds would perform the same written task differently. Second, it was designed to identify the macrostructure/rhetorical organization of research article (RA) introductions written in Arabic by Arab scholars. The third purpose was to explore differences and similarities between Arabic RA introductions and English RA introductions produced by Americans who were native speakers of English. The corpus used in this study consisted of 15 research article introductions divided into three groups: Arab-educated Arabs (A-Ed-A, authors who earned their graduate degrees in the Arab World), US-educated Arabs (US-Ed-A, authors who earned their degrees in the United States, and US-Native English speaking group (US-N). Swales's (1990) CARS model was used as a tool of analysis. Comparisons were made among the three groups at two levels of analysis: the macrostructure level and the move-step level. The two Arabic groups were found different at the two levels of analysis: the macrostructure level and the move-step level. This result signified that there were two models of rhetorical organization of Arabic RA introductions: a homegrown model and a hybrid model. The homegrown exhibited features which were more distant from the US-N group than the US-Ed-A group which shared some US writing norms. In addition, both of the Arabic groups were different from their American counterpart. Arab authors claimed the importance of their research in the real world rather than in existing research tradition as was the case in the American group. Thus, educational background of Arab RA writers could account for the preference of the rhetorical organization model of RA introductions as the US-Ed-A writers employed a hybrid rhetorical organization and the A-Ed-A writers employed the homegrown model. In spite of the differences in the Arabic context, the norms of Arabic writing tolerate/embrace such diversity.English Departmen

On the spectral efficiency for selection combiner diversity (SCD) over slow fading

In this paper we derive closed-form expressions for the single-user capacity of selection combining diversity (SCD) system, taking into account the effect of imperfect channel estimation at the receiver. The channel considered is a slowly varying spatially independent flat Rayleigh fading channel. The complex channel estimate and the actual channel are modelled as jointly Gaussian random variables with a correlation that depends on the estimation quality. Two adaptive transmission schemes are analyzed: 1) optimal power and rate adaptation; and 2) constant power with optimal rate adaptation. Our numerical results show the effect of Gaussian channel estimation error on the achievable spectral efficiency

Magnetic and Optical properties of strained films of multiferroic GdMnO3

The effects of strain on a film of mulitferroic GdMnO3 are investigated using both magnetometry and magneto-optic spectroscopy. Optical spectra, in the energy range 1.5eV - 3.5eV, were taken in Faraday geometry in an applied magnetic field and also at remanence. This yielded rich information on the effects of strain on the spin ordering in these films. Epitaxial films of GdMnO3 were grown on SrTiO3 and LaAlO3 substrates. The LaAlO3 was twinned and so produced a highly strained film whereas the strain was less for the film grown on SrTiO3. The Ne\'el temperatures and coercive fields were measured using zero field data and hysteresis loops obtained using a SQUID magnetometer. Optical absorption data agreed with earlier work on bulk materials. The two well known features in the optical spectrum, the charge transfer transition between Mn d states at ~2eV and the band edge transition from the oxygen p band to the d states at ~3eV are observed in the magnetic circular dichroism; however they behaved very differently both as a function of magnetic field and temperature. This is interpreted in terms of the magnetic ordering of the Mn spins.Comment: 9 pages of text including figure

Late Diagnosis of 5-α-Reductase Type 2 Deficiency in an Adolescent Girl with Primary Amenorrhoea : Case report

Deficiency of the 5-α-reductase enzyme has been found to affect male sexual development. We report an 18-year-old patient who was referred to an endocrinology clinic in Jizan, Saudi Arabia, in April 2014 with primary amenorrhoea, virilisation and a lack of secondary sex characteristics. As female external genitalia were present at birth, she had been raised as a female. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed no uterine or ovarian tissue in the pelvis and the presence of a scrotal sac. She was diagnosed with 5-α-reductase type 2 deficiency, a 46,XY disorder of sexual development. Typically, affected males have pseudovaginal perineoscrotal hypospadias and ambiguous genitalia at birth. Individuals who have been raised as female manifest characteristics of virilisation at puberty, including deepening of the vocal tone, phallus enlargement, scrotal hyperpigmentation and increased muscle mass