Strategic framework to minimise information security risks in the UAE

A thesis submitted to the University of Bedfordshire in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the PhD degreeThe transition process to ICT (Information and Communication Technology) has had significant influence on different aspects of society. Although the computerisation process has motivated the alignment of different technical and human factors with the expansion process, the technical pace of the transition surpasses the human adaptation to change. Much research on ICT development has shown that ICT security is essentially a political and a managerial act that must not disregard the importance of the relevant cultural characteristics of a society. Information sharing is a necessary action in society to exchange knowledge and to enable and facilitate communication. However, certain information should be shared only with selected parties or even kept private. Information sharing by humans forms the main obstacle to security measure undertaken by organisations to protect their assets. Moreover, certain cultural traits play a major role in thwarting information security measures. Arab culture of the United Arab Emirates is one of those cultures with strong collectivism featuring strong ties among individuals. Sharing sensitive information including passwords of online accounts can be found in some settings in some cultures, but with reason and generally on a small scale. However, this research includes a study on 3 main Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, namely, Saudi Arabia (KSA), United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman, showing that there is similar a significant level of sensitive information sharing among employees in the region. This is proven to highly contribute to compromising user digital authentication, eventually, putting users’ accounts at risk. The research continued by carrying out a comparison between the United Kingdom (UK) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in terms of attitudes and behaviour towards information sharing. It was evident that there is a significant difference between GCC Arab culture and the UK culture in terms of information sharing. Respondents from the GCC countries were more inclined to share sensitive information with their families and friends than the UK respondents were. However, UK respondents still revealed behaviour in some contexts, which may lead potential threats to the authentication mechanism and consequently to other digital accounts that require a credential pass. It was shown that the lack of awareness and the cultural impact are the main issues for sensitive information sharing among family members and friends in the GCC. The research hence investigated channels and measures of reducing the prevalence of social engineering attacks, such as legislative measures, technological measures, and education and awareness. The found out that cultural change is necessary to remedy sensitive information sharing as a cultural trait. Education and awareness are perhaps the best defence to cultural change and should be designed effectively. Accordingly, the work critically analysed three national cybersecurity strategies of the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (U.S.) and Australia (AUS) in order to identify any information security awareness education designed to educate online users about the risk of sharing sensitive information including passwords. The analysis aimed to assess possible adoption of certain elements, if any, of these strategies by the UAE. The strategies discussed only user awareness to reduce information sharing. However, awareness in itself may not achieve the required result of reducing information sharing among family members and friends. Rather, computer users should be educated about the risks of such behaviour in order to realise and change. As a result, the research conducted an intervention study that proposed a UAE-focused strategy designed to promote information security education for the younger generation to mitigate the risk of sensitive information sharing. The results obtained from the intervention study of school children formed a basis for the information security education framework also proposed in this work

Numerical Modeling of Inertial Flows in Proppant-Reservoir Rock Interfaces

Predicting accurate pressure drops in the reservoirs is essential for estimating the ultimate hydrocarbons recoveries and production rates. In hydraulically fractured wells, inertial flows can cause excessive pressure drops, beyond the predicted values form the Darcy equation. Therefore, predicting these excessive pressure drops through defining non-Darcy factors is of particular significance.;Excessive pressure drops in inertial flows are caused by acceleration/deceleration of fluids, which usually occur when fluids are moving from constricted areas to larger pores and vice versa. In the interface between the propped fracture and the reservoir rock, the pores in the latter are in connection with the former that can generate eddies and thus fluid acceleration/deceleration.;In this work, two-dimensional geometries are generated by combining coarse and tight porous media and their hydraulic properties, i.e., absolute permeability and non-Darcy factors, are calculated using lattice Boltzmann simulations. Based on the simulation results, calculated absolute permeability of generated porous media follows the harmonic averaging theory for flow through series of constituting porous media. However, the non-Darcy factor for the generated geometries are higher than the constituting geometries, which does not conform to any averaging approach. This affirms the common knowledge that non-Darcy factor is a property that cannot be upscaled. The results in this study broadens our knowledge of fluid flow in hydraulic fractures

Researching Student Motivation

Motivation has been studied by different scientists in different fields of knowledge such as biology, psychology, and education for a long period, which has cultivated a wealth of knowledge in these disciplines. The richness in motivation theories poses complexity in motivation research. Due to these complexities, many researchers focus on using a single motivation theory in their studies. Using multiple motivation theories in a singular study is not a common practice in education research. This study presents a unifying framework for approaching motivation research in education which offers an opportunity to use multiple motivation theories in educational research, and other disciplines.

FACTORS INFLUENCING EMIRATIS’ CHOICES FOR HEALTHCARE CAREERS

The core aim of this study was to determine the factors that influence Emiratis’ choices for healthcare careers as well as propose viable initiatives through which the number of Emiratis pursuing healthcare careers can be increased. In this regard, the research sought to meet three research objectives: (i) to identify the factors that influence Emiratis’ choices for healthcare careers; (ii) to investigate the key challenges encountered by healthcare workers in the UAE; and (iii) to propose viable initiatives through which the number of Emiratis pursuing healthcare careers can be increased. The above-stated research aim was guided by the worrying low number of health workers, particularly doctors and nurses, of UAE origin (UAE nationals account for less than 10% and 20% of the country’s physicians and nurses workforce (Ibrahim et al., 2016; Informa, 2016). Besides the above identified research problem, there was a major literature gap concerning what generally impacts people’s choices for healthcare careers and more so in the Arab/ Muslims setting. In particular, my interest to investigate what influences Emiratis career decision-making, specifically for healthcare professions, was in this thesis cultivated out of the conviction that the current theories of career choice are too broad and they are based on findings made in studies carried out in non-Islamic/ Arabic religious and cultural settings such as the UAE. As a result, I considered their applicability in the UAE context questionable. For the set research objectives to be met, a qualitative research approach was used based on grounded theory principles. In this case, a sample of 36 respondents was purposefully selected, and it comprised of high school students, college medical and nursing students, nurses and doctors, healthcare administrators, as well as officials from the UAE Ministry of health and that of education. The intended data was primarily collected through in-depth interviews and it was analysed using the constant comparative data analysis method. In this case, the data collection and analysis exercises took place simultaneously. With respect to the aspect of factors that influence Emiratis’ choices for healthcare careers, an emergent theory of healthcare career choice was developed, which identifies and explains the several factors that influence Emiratis’ choices for healthcare careers. From the emergent theory, Emiratis’ choices for healthcare careers are influenced by numerous factors that fall under six substantive categories: parental and family influences, personal interest and passion, role models, gender, cultural, and religious factors. Nevertheless, personal interest and passion, as well as parental and family influences have the greatest impact on the Emiratis’ choices for healthcare careers. Low remuneration, lack of benefits (allowances and bonuses), high workload and long working hours, inadequate specialisation and training opportunities in the country, insufficient access to training, as well as poor organisational climate were also found to be the main challenges encountered by UAE healthcare workers. As a result, based on the findings and conclusions derived in this study concerning the challenges encountered by healthcare workers in the UAE, the emergent theory of factors influencing Emiratis’ choices for healthcare careers, as well as the recommendations made by the respondents, the current crisis of low number of healthcare workers of UAE origin may be solved through two main techniques. The techniques include: one, sensitising Emiratis about healthcare careers through outreach programs and any other initiative that can be effective in reaching out to the locals. The second technique may involve addressing the challenges facing the UAE healthcare sector, mainly the issues of poor remuneration, overworking, lack of training facilities, and poor working conditions. This thesis has three core contributions to the previously existing empirical and theoretical literature. The first and the main contribution of this study is that it has enriched the available literature concerning the factors influencing people's choices for careers, specifically in the healthcare context. The second core contribution of this study can be attributed to the research method or approach used in this study. As discussed later in this thesis, employing a grounded theory approach gave room for the introduction of new insights about the research topic since the researcher was open to new ideas based on the primary data collected from the field. The third contribution of this study is the development of a model or framework that clearly explains what influences Emiratis’ choices for healthcare careers and how. The model can be applied in other Arab-dominated countries such as in the Middle East, though there is a need for testing the theory developed in this study using a quantitative or a hybrid of quantitative and qualitative research approach as explained later in this study.UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Researc

Relationships Among Authentic Leadership, Manager Incivility and Trust in the Manager

There have been growing concerns about manager incivility toward new graduate nurses which hinders their adaptation to the workplace environment. Manager incivility impairs the relationship between managers and their staff. Furthermore, nursing managers have a significant responsibility to facilitate new graduate nurses\u27 transition into the nursing profession. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to examine the relationships among authentic leadership of managers and new graduate nurses’ experience of manager incivility and their subsequent degree of trust in their managers. Secondary analysis of the baseline data using a non-experimental, correlational design was conducted. A random sample of 1020 new graduate nurses from all 10 Canadian provinces was obtained. The hypothesized model was tested using hierarchical multiple linear regression. Authentic leadership had a negative relationship with manager incivility which in turn was negatively related to trust in manager and overall, the model accounted for 59.9% of the variance in trust. In addition, authentic leadership was positively associated with trust in the manager. The findings supported that authentic leadership may be an effective approach to enhance manager-nurse interactions and authentic managers are less likely to display uncivil behaviour which diminishes trust. Findings may be useful to inform the development of positive and respectful work environments as well as the everyday practice of nurse managers. Keywords: Authentic leadership, manager incivility, uncivil behaviour, trust in the manager, healthy work environment

GENERATING SYNTHETIC SATELLITE IMAGES OF MARS DUST STORMS BASED ON RADIATIVE TRANSFER MODELS, AS A FOLLOW-ON APPLICATION OF MARSWRF DUST CYCLE SIMULATIONS

Dust is a fundamental component of the Martian atmosphere; it plays a vital role in the planet\u27s climate system and atmospheric variability. For these reasons, it is considered one of the essential keys to understanding the Martian atmosphere\u27s behavior. The dust events on Mars range from local/regional dust storms that occur every Martian year to global dust storms that have only been observed, on average, once every 3-4 Martian years. The large regional and global dust storms have strong thermal and dynamic effects on the atmosphere. MarsWRF is a Mars version of the terrestrial numerical weather and climate model WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting Model) and part of the PlanetWRF models for planetary atmosphere research. This project aims to convert MarsWRF output data into synthetic satellite images of Mars dust storms of different sizes by using the radiative transfer model DISORT. The imagery is generated by passing selected variables from the MarsWRF output through the DISORT model, which is used to compute the top-of-the-atmosphere reflectance for a given band. The main results are synthetic satellite images plotted in 670 nm with a grid resolution of 2°× 2° of different dust events during one year of the MarsWRF model run. The obtained results of this project are consistent with the real cases of satellite images of Mars dust storms

Comparing Different Fault Identification Algorithms in Distributed Power System

A power system is a huge complex system that delivers the electrical power from the generation units to the consumers. As the demand for electrical power increases, distributed power generation was introduced to the power system. Faults may occur in the power system at any time in different locations. These faults cause a huge damage to the system as they might lead to full failure of the power system. Using distributed generation in the power system made it even harder to identify the location of the faults in the system.;The main objective of this work is to test the different fault location identification algorithms while tested on a power system with the different amount of power injected using distributed generators. As faults may lead the system to full failure, this is an important area for research.;In this thesis different fault location identification algorithms have been tested and compared while the different amount of power is injected from distributed generators. The algorithms were tested on IEEE 34 node test feeder using MATLAB and the results were compared to find when these algorithms might fail and the reliability of these methods

ENHANCING PRODUCED WATER QUALITY USING MODIFIED ACTIVATED CARBON

The formation produced water from natural gas production process in the North field offshore considered largest volume of waste water in Qatar, which could be considered a potential benefits source for the industry as well as for other domestic uses if it was treated properly, taking in to consideration economical cost and conditions aspects. This project aims to study the physical and chemical characterizations of the produced water associated with natural gas from the North field, in the same time examine the removal of major inorganic and organic pollutants and heavy metals from the produced water by using different treatment method such as the use of sand filtration, activated carbon filtration and modified activated carbon filtration. Samples of produced water were collected from the North field offshore gas production platforms and analyzed to examine the physical and chemical characterizations of the produced water, the result were compared with the chemical composition of other field produced water, the concentration were within the range among other field except for sulfide and treatment chemical production (additive chemicals) concentrations. The average results briefly showing that, pH , COD, TOC, BOD, conductivity, sulfide, oil and grease (HEM) and total nitrogen parameters as follows: 4.43 , 10496.6 mg/l , 2405 mg/l , 1034 mg/l 7035 µs/cm ,326.3 mg/l ,40.5 mg/l, 47.4 mg/l respectively. Also the study includes other characterizations such as organic acids, phenolic, B.T.E.X, production Chemicals (Additive Chemicals), inorganic anions, metals and cations and the average values of the B.T.E.X (Benzene, Toluene, Ethyl Benzene and Xylene) were found as the following 11170 ppb, 278.1 ppb, 4648.6 ppb and 1156.8 ppb respectively. After the sand filtration (SF) the removal efficiency of the TSS , COD, acetate, propionate, corrosion inhibitor and TN (total nitrogen) parameters were the following 77.5% ,10.1%, 7.82 %, 4.5%, 94.1% and 63.7 % respectively. Meanwhile, the removal efficiency of the B.T.E.X (Benzene, Ethyl Benzene and Xylene) found as the follows: 93.14%, 99.8% and 96.7% except for Toluene was 27.6%. The highest removal efficiency for the metals and cations was for iron, chromium and manganese were as the follows 99.5%, 97.5% and 95.8% respectively. Activated carbon filtration was found to be more efficient to remove COD and TOC with 23.7% and 30.7% respectively among the three media. Regarding the removal efficiency of the Activated Carbon for the organic acid was the highest for the acetate and propionate with 83.6% and 88.7% respectively and for the inorganic ions- phosphate the removal efficiency was 94.9%. Also the AC showed removal for some metals such as zinc, copper, boron, nickel, iron and chromium and highest removal efficiency more than 97% for the all B.T.E.X compound except for the Ethyl benzene was 76.9%. Modified Activated Carbon was found to be more efficient to reduce the TOC with 31.1% whereas the COD concentration increased by 12.6%. MAC showed also removal efficiency for the inorganic ions phosphate and sulphate with 94.9 and 48.4% respectively. For the metals, MAC was more efficient than the AC to reduce the zinc, molybdenum and boron concentration and less efficient than AC to reduce copper and acetate (Organic acid), Regarding the B.T.E.X removal efficiency is similar to AC more than 98% except for the Ethyl benzene which was 92.3% higher than AC 76.9%.تشكل المياه المصاحبة والناتجة من عمليات إنتاج الغاز الطبيعي في حقل الشمال أكبر كميات المياه الصرف المهدرة في قطر، والتي يمكن اعتبار هذه المياه مصدرا مفيدا لصناعة أو لاستخدامات الأخرى كالري وغيرها إذا تم معالجتها بشكل صحيح مع الأخذ في الاعتبار جوانب تكلفة المعالجة. يهدف هذا المشروع إلى دراسة المواصفات الفيزيائية والكيميائية للمياه المصاحبة والناتجة من عمليات إنتاج الغاز الطبيعي من حقل الشمال في قطر، وفي نفس الوقت دراسة مدى إزالة الملوثات العضوية وغير العضوية الرئيسية والمعادن الثقيلة من المياه المنتجة باستخدام أساليب علاج مختلفة مثل استخدام الترشيح بالرمال و الترشيح بالكربون النشط و الترشيح بالكربون النشط المعدل . تم جمع عينات من المياه المصاحبة للغاز الطبيعي من منصات إنتاج الغاز البحرية في حقل الشمال وتم تحليلها لدراسة المواصفات الفيزيائية والكيميائية ، وتمت مقارنة هذه النتائج مع نتائج الدراسات اخرى سابقه سواءً للمياه المصاحبة للغاز الطبيعي أو النفط ، وكانت النتائج جميعها ضمن نطاق نتائج الدراسات السابقة باستثناء تركيز المواد الكبريتيديه و تركيز المواد الكيميائية المضافة اثناء عمليات الإنتاج مثل المواد المانعة لتأكل المعادن. متوسط النتائج لدرجة الحموضة المياه pH ، والمواد الكيميائية المستهلكة للأكسجين COD ، والمجموع الكلي للمواد الكربونية TOC ، المواد البيولوجية المستهلكة للأكسجين BOD ، الموصلية Conductivity ، الكبريتيد sulfide ، الزيوت والشحوم (HEM) ومجموع الكلي للمواد النيتروجينية TN على النحو التالي: 4.43 ، 10496.6 ملغم / لتر، 2405 ملغم / لتر، 1034 ملغم / لتر 7035 ميكرو ثانية / سم، 326.3 ملغم/ لتر، 40.5 ملجم / لتر، 47.4 ملجم / لتر على التوالي. كما تتضمن الدراسة لمواصفات أخرى مثل الأحماض العضوية والفينول والمركبات الهيدروكربونية المتطايرة BTEX ، المواد الكيميائية المضافة اثناء عمليات الإنتاج ، الأيونات غير العضوية والمعادن والكاتيونات حيث أن متوسط قيم المركبات الهيدروكربونية المتطايرة BTEX مثل )البنزين ،التولوين ، إيثيل البنزين والزايلين( على النحو التالي 11170 جزء في البليون، 278.1 جزء في البليون، 4648.6 جزء في البليون و 1156.8 جزء في البليون على التوالي . بعد تجربة ترشيح بالرمل (SF) كانت كفاءة إزالة المواد الكلية الصلبة العالقة TSS ، المواد الكيميائية المستهلكة للأكسجين COD ، الخلات، بروبيونات، المواد المانعه للتآكل ومجموع الكلي للمواد النيتروجينية أن كفاءة الإزالة على النحو التالي 77.5 ، ٪ 10.1 ٪ ، 7.82 ، ٪ 4.5 ، ٪ 94.1 ٪ و 63.7 ٪ على التوالي . وكما وجدت كفاءة إزالة ) B.T.E.X البنزين، إيثيل البنزين والزايلين( كما يلي: 93.14 ،٪ 99.8 ٪ و 96.7 ٪ على التوالي باستثناء التولوين كان 27.6 ٪. وكانت أعلى كفاءة إزالة للمعادن والكاتيونات هي للحديد والكروم والمنجنيز وكانت كما يلي 99.5 ،٪ 97.5 ٪ و 95.8 ٪ على التوالي . الترشيح بالكربون النشط كان أكثر كفاءة لإزالة المواد الكيميائية المستهلكة للأكسجين COD والمجموع الكلي للمواد الكربونية TOC حيث أن كفاءة الإزالة على النحو التالي 23.7 ٪ و 30.7 ٪ على التوالي من بين وسائل الترشيح الثلاث. وفيما يتعلق بكفاءة إزالة الكربون النشط لأحماض العضوية كان أعلى مستوى كفاءه للخلات وبروبيونات مع كفاءة الإزالة على النحو التالي 83.6 ٪ و 88.7 ٪ على التوالي. بالنسبة للأيونات الغير عضويه مثل الفوسفات كانت كفاءة الإزالة 94.9 ٪. كما أظهر الكربون النشط كفاءه لإزالة بعض المعادن مثل الزنك والنحاس والبورون والنيكل والحديد والكروم وأعلى كفاءة إزالة كانت أكثر من 97 ٪ B.T.E.X لجميع مركبات الهيدروكربونية المتطايرة باستثناء البنزين الإيثيلي حيث كانت الكفاءة 76.9 ٪ . الترشيح بالكربون النشط المعدل أكثر كفاءة لتقليل المجموع الكلي للمواد الكربونية TOC حيث أن كفاءة الإزالة 31.1 ٪ في حين زاد تركيز المواد الكيميائية المستهلكة للأكسجين COD بنسبة 12.6 ٪. كما أظهرت الكربون النشط المعدل أيضا كفاءة لإزالة أيونات الغير العضوية الفوسفات والكبريتات بنسبة 94.9 و 48.4 ٪ على التوالي. وبالنسبة للمعادن كان الكربون النشط المعدل أكثر كفاءة من الكربون النشط العادي لتقليل من تركيز العناصر التالية الزنك والموليبدينوم والبورون وكان الكربون النشط المعدل أقل كفاءة من الكربون النشط العادي لتقليل من تركيز النحاس والحمض العضوي خلات ، وفيما يتعلق بكفاءة إزالة مركبات الهيدروكربونية المتطايرة BTEX الكربون النشط المعدل أكثر من 98 ٪ باستثناء البنزين الإيثيلي الذي كان بنسبة 92.3