Colloquialising modern standard Arabic text for improved speech recognition

Modern standard Arabic (MSA) is the official language of spoken and written Arabic media. Colloquial Arabic (CA) is the set of spoken variants of modern Arabic that exist in the form of regional dialects. CA is used in informal and everyday conversations while MSA is formal communication. An Arabic speaker switches between the two variants according to the situation. Developing an automatic speech recognition system always requires a large collection of transcribed speech or text, and for CA dialects this is an issue. CA has limited textual resources because it exists only as a spoken language, without a standardised written form unlike MSA. This paper focuses on the data sparsity issue in CA textual resources and proposes a strategy to emulate a native speaker in colloquialising MSA to be used in CA language models (LMs) by use of a machine translation (MT) framework. The empirical results in Levantine CA show that using LMs estimated from colloquialised MSA data outperformed MSA LMs with a perplexity reduction up to 68% relative. In addition, interpolating colloquialised MSA LMs with a CA LMs improved speech recognition performance by 4% relative

Examining the influence of intermediaries in facilitating e-government adoption: an empirical investigation

YesThe adoption and diffusion of electronic government is often impeded by many social and individual factors relating to citizens. In this respect, intermediaries have emerged as a new model for delivering e-government services to overcome such obstacles. This study aims to examine the role of intermediaries in facilitating e-government adoption and diffusion using a survey based empirical study of 502 participants in Madinah City in Saudi Arabia. An extended UTAUT model is used as the theoretical basis utlising trust in the Internet and Intermediaries. The results of this study show that there are significant relationships among the factors that influence intention to use e-government, namely, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and trust of intermediary. In addition, the findings show that there is a significant relationship between facilitating conditions and usage behaviour proving that intermediaries can influence adoption of e-government services

Wetting kinetics in forced spreading

Under dynamic conditions, the dynamic contact angle (the angle that the liquid makes with the solid) of a liquid on a solid surface varies dramatically with substrate velocity from its equilibrium value. Experimental data of the dynamic contact angles for polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS or silicone oil) under air on a glass substrate coated with teflon, for water under PDMS, for solutions of the polymer polyethylene oxide (PEO) under air, for solutions of PEO under PDMS, were obtained to simulate and understand the systems of brine or brine containing a polymer displacing viscous crude. A variety of solid substrates were used other than above to displace oil with the object that the equilibrium contact angles ~ 90⁰. The method used was that of a plate immersed or withdrawn from a pool of liquid, and the machine (Cahn-Thermo) calculates for us the dynamic advancing and receding contact angles. The dynamic contact angles determine the basic driving forces such as capillary pressures. The data were correlated with a number of available models. In most cases, the models were developed further to fit the requirements of various cases. In general, it is necessary for the model to include fluid flow, interfacial phenomena, and rheology. Photography was used to verify cases of entrainment and instability. One object of the present work was to determine the contribution of the non-Newtonian nature of the PEO solution. For the PEO solution under oil (PDMS) no obvious signs are observed although solutions at high polymer concentrations, that is, high elasticity, show some anomalous effects. However, it is not possible to conclude that shear thinning effects will be absent in all cases since a criterion is established here that shows under what condition the above may not hold --Abstract, page iv

Non-Linear Buckling Analysis of Non-Prismatic Steel Columns Subjected to Axial Compression Loads

This study investigates the effect of non-uniform cross-section on the behavior of steel columns subjected to axial compression load. A nonlinear finite element model using ANSYS 12.0 has been adopted to investigate the behavior of square and circular steel columns. The steel is assumed to behave as an elastic-plastic material with strain hardening in compression. The type of elements have been used to model the steel; SOLID45. The axial- load displacement curves and the deformation shapes were predicted. A parametric study on columns with square and circular section has been done. All the analyzed columns have the same value of cross-section volume for the column, yielding strength, and boundary conditions with different length of column. The results show that the behavior of non-prismatic column is always by the tapering ratio and the slenderness ratio on the elastic buckling. As the taper ratio increases, the elastic buckling load increases, in the main while the maximum ultimate load occurs in the (prismatic column) comparing with the non-prismatic column. Keywords: Non-uniform cross-section, Steel columns, nonlinear finite element, Elastic buckling load

National Culture: Understanding the Impact of Cross-culture on Airline Pilots\u27 Safety Performance in the Middle-East and North Africa (MENA) Region

The continuous expansion of Middle Eastern airlines has created a pilot shortage. Since the local pilot population in the Middle East is relatively small, airlines have been relying on foreign pilots to satisfy their operational requirements. Consequently, pilots with diverse cultural perspectives have been operating together. In order to manage this cultural diversity and ensure safe operations, airlines have been applying a number of training and operational strategies such as Crew Resource Management (CRM) with emphasis on adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). However, CRM was designed and implemented by North Americans as a solution for human factor intricacies among North American pilots, and thus, CRM is not culturally calibrated to accommodate pilots from other regions in the world. The analyses of Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) information acquired from a Middle Eastern airline aided in understanding the influences of cultural diversity on airline operations. This analysis helped in understanding the impact of cross-culture among airline pilots on three relevant unsafe performance events: hard landings, unstable approaches, and pilot deviations. The study was conducted using a descriptive comparative method to analyze the relationship between unsafe performance events and captain / first officer nationality combinations during flights where performance events were recorded. The flight data were retrieved from an unchanged flight data-recording environment yielding robust detailed data that was combined with administrative demographic data. Tests of associations were used to understand the relationship between unsafe performance events and nationality combinations. These associations were illustrated through multi-dimensional chi-square tests. A comparison of cross-cultural and homogeneous flight deck crew combinations from unsafe performance events was examined. Additional analyses were conducted to predict group membership through discriminant analysis and multinomial logistic regression. Several Spearman\u27s r correlation tests were conducted to assess the influence of intervening demographic variables on the association between nationality combinations and unsafe performance events. While cause-and-effect relationships between variables could not be determined in this research design, association variations between variables were made evident. ANCOVA statistical tests were conducted to control for the effect of: age of captains / first officers, airport destinations, and eligibility to command the flight on the relationship between nationality combination and unsafe performance events. The Spearman\u27s rank correlation test indicated significant weak correlation between destination airport and unsafe performance events, as well as, eligibility to command the flight and unsafe performance events. A 7 by 7 multi-dimensional chi-square test indicated that there was a relationship between certain pilot nationality combinations and unsafe performance events categories for pilot deviations and all unsafe performance events together. Moreover, the discriminant analysis test results showed that there was a significant effect of some nationality combinations on unsafe performance events. Results obtained from the analyses buttress the literature that certain cultural traits and beliefs influence pilots\u27 behavior and attitudes and may jeopardize safety levels. CRM skills may be weakened as a result of heterogeneous nationality combinations. It is recommended to conduct further research on current CRM training concepts in order to improve its effectiveness among cross-cultural crewmembers

Surface topography of hydroxyapatite affects ROS17/2.8 cells response

Hydroxyapatite (HA) has been used in orthopedic, dental, and maxillofacial surgery as a bone substitute. The aim of this investigation was to study the effect of surface topography produced by the presence of microporosity on cell response, evaluating: cell attachment, cell morphology, cell proliferation, total protein content, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. HA discs with different percentages of microporosity (< 5%, 15%, and 30%) were confected by means of the combination of uniaxial powder pressing and different sintering conditions. ROS17/2.8 cells were cultured on HA discs. For the evaluation of attachment, cells were cultured for two hours. Cell morphology was evaluated after seven days. After seven and fourteen days, cell proliferation, total protein content, and ALP activity were measured. Data were compared by means of ANOVA and Duncan’s multiple range test, when appropriate. Cell attachment (p = 0.11) and total protein content (p = 0.31) were not affected by surface topography. Proliferation after 7 and 14 days (p = 0.0007 and p = 0.003, respectively), and ALP activity (p = 0.0007) were both significantly decreased by the most irregular surface (HA30). These results suggest that initial cell events were not affected by surface topography, while surfaces with more regular topography, as those present in HA with 15% or less of microporosity, favored intermediary and final events such as cell proliferation and ALP activity

Nanoscale modelling of point and extended defects in mc-Si solar cell

PhD ThesisMulti-crystalline silicon (mc-Si) based photovoltaic cells are generally accepted to be cost-effective for large scale production techniques. However, it contains a relatively high concentration of point and extended defects (EDs), both of which act as recombination centres limiting the cell efficiency. EDs such as dislocations, stacking faults, grain boundaries (GBs) and voids interact with mobile point defects, such as iron which is a common contaminant in some grades of silicon. Fe is a problem since interstitial iron (Fei) diffuses rapidly, is electrically active, and is a non-radiative recombination centre. Different processing techniques are used to getter Fe to improve solar cell efficiency; internal gettering by EDs is one possibility. Fe-Si interactions are complex and not fully understood, particularly when they are associated with EDs; there is relatively little atomistic-level data for the mechanism of the segregation of iron and its complexes at EDs, partly because modelling of the EDs is challenging in terms of the system size, and partly because GB structure is a matter of debate. In this work, density functional theory was used to investigate Fe behaviour in bulk Si and at EDs. Trends in the energetics, magnetic, geometric, electronic and electrical properties of substitutional, Fe–vacancy, interstitial and interstitial-pair structures have been studied. Of particular note, the formation of Fei–pairs in bulk Si is energetically favourable, with the equilibrium spin states being sensitive to the Fe inter-nuclear separation. Overall, the third-neighbour pair structure in an antiferromagnetic form is the most stable, bound relative to two isolated Fei by 0.2 to 0.6 eV, depending upon charge state and inter-nuclear distances. Furthermore, the migration barrier for Fei- pairs is lower than that of individual interstitials, suggesting pairs may be key contributors to Fe diffusion and precipitation. Fe-defects are also modelled in intrinsic stacking faults, Σ3-(110), Σ5-(001) twist GBs and voids, and it is concluded that all forms of EDs represent binding sites for Fei. Although Fei binds relatively weakly at fully bonded GBs, it is strongly trapped by vacancies at the GB, for example and, perhaps more critically, by Fe already trapped there: the binding energy of a Fei–vacancy pair at a Σ5-(001) twist GBs is 1.6 eV, and the binding of a second Fei atom to the GB is found to be greater than the first (also by around 1.6 eV). The results showed that the most stable site for iron lies just outside the modelled void (bound by 2 eV), which may explain the experimental observations that only a single layer of iron forms at voids. Finally, quantum-chemical simulations were combined with TCAD device modelling to examine the properties of the EDs before and after segregating iron impurities, in an attempt to balance the interoperation of the advantageous and disadvantageous properties of these defects and impurities on the performance of Si solar cells. The results show that reasonable efficiency gains were obtained and the overall efficiency of the cell is improved by segregating iron from the grains to the GBs.Higher Committee of Education Development in Iraq

An Airline Ab Initio Flight Training Program in the United Arab Emirates (UAE): An Analytical Approach toward Emiratization

The continuous establishment and expansion of UAE airlines has led to a demand for qualified pilots in the region of the Persian Gulf. The shortage of UAE national pilots has compelled the local airlines to employ pilots with foreign nationalities. Though the UAE government has implemented a program within the Emirates to increase the number of nationals in the work force (referred to as Emiratization), there has been little headway within the aviation sector. As a result, this thesis was undertaken to develop an ab initio training program that would increase the percentage of UAE nationals among the UAE airline pilots’ population. The project has fallen within the guidelines of some US voluntary programs, such as the Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) and the FAA/lndustry Training Standards (FITS). The analysis of data acquired from an airline\u27s ab initio program has aided in a new proposal for flight training in the UAE