Are Deep Learning Approaches Suitable for Natural Language Processing?

In recent years, Deep Learning (DL) techniques have gained much at-tention from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) research communities because these approaches can often learn features from data without the need for human design or engineering interventions. In addition, DL approaches have achieved some remarkable results. In this paper, we have surveyed major recent contributions that use DL techniques for NLP tasks. All these reviewed topics have been limited to show contributions to text understand-ing, such as sentence modelling, sentiment classification, semantic role labelling, question answering, etc. We provide an overview of deep learning architectures based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and Recursive Neural Networks (RNNs)

Providing Sharia-Compliant Consumer Protection in Online Contracts: A Case Study of Saudi Arabia

The emergence of modern technology and online selling in the early 1990s led to a significant shift in business practices, as sellers and buyers no longer needed to follow the traditional contracting process. Indeed, the facilitation of online contracts, sales and purchases over the Internet, such as business-to-consumer contracts (B2C), is one of the most significant technological developments of the Internet age. Despite the benefits of online shopping and its increasing popularity among consumers in recent years, online retailing is not without its problems, and the negative consequences can be severe. Consumers are affected by several factors when they purchase a product or service online. In short, compared to offline shopping, greater risk and less trust are expected in an online environment. This has led some global organisations to address the need for supranational consumer protection and alleviate risks to online consumers worldwide. However, such initiatives may not have the desired impact on developing countries, as long as these guidelines are not adopted in their national legislation. The first objective of this study is to investigate the laws regulating online consumer protection in the KSA and to assess whether they have achieved their purposes. A secondary objective is to determine whether or not there is the need for further reform in the legislation of online consumer protection, and if such reform is indicated, how it might be achieved in a way that reflects the needs of a state in the modern world, yet remains consistent with Islamic law. To that aim, the thesis will consider adopting Sharia law's features and take the English consumer protection model as an inspiration to suit the Saudi legal environment to regulate online transactions. Therefore, the best practices and legal principles that come to light from this analysis will then be outlined to fulfil this research's main aim, identifying opportunities for the improvement of consumer protection in Saudi Arabia

Interactions of allelopathy and competition affecting Ziziphus spina-christi and Prosopis juliflora seedlings

This study consists of two parts, provides data on the interference between Ziziphus spina-christi, native to Saudi Arabia, and Prosopis juliflora, an introduced species. Dry leaves from both species were milled and used to prepare extracts using 0g/l, 5g/l, 20g/l, 40g/l, 60g/l, and 100 g/l of dried leaves. Leaf extract of P. juliflora was used to irrigate Z. spina-christi with 120 ml weekly over a 7-month growth period, and vice versa. Plant height, plant diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, chlorophyll content, total root length, number of root tips, root diameter, root surface area, root volume, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, and root to shoot ratio were measured monthly. Ziziphus spinachristi leaf extract produced a negative impact on all studied parameters of P. juliflora and the negative impact increased with increasing extract concentrations. Lower leaf concentration extracts of P. juliflora positively affected the studied parameters of Z. spina-christi. At 60 g/l the growth of Z. spina-christi was highly stimulated but at 100 g/l all the growth parameters were reduced. The study explored the negative effect of Z. spina-christi leaf extracts on the growth of other plant species where no such study has been conducted before.;The second part is a study of the effect of interaction between interspesific competition and nitrogen levels on growth of Prosopis juliflora and Ziziphus spina-christi seedlings for 7-months. Dry weight, root:shoot ratio, leaf area, plant height, plant diameter, total chlorophyll, relative yield, and aggressivity were measured and/or calculated. In mixed plantings with a high level of nitrogen, Prosopis juliflora exceeded the growth of the native species in most studied parameters but the effect of intraspesific competition was high. Under a low level of nitrogen the native species growth exceeded that of P. juliflora. In monoculture plantings, both species showed a reduction in growth parameters with increasing numbers of plants per pot and the reduction in low levels of nitrogen exceeded that in high levels of nitrogen. For total dry weight and leaf area, seedlings of Z. spina-christi grown in low levels of nitrogen exceeded that of seedlings grown in high levels of nitrogen

Inventive Cubic symmetric encryption system for multimedia

Cryptography is a security technique that must be applied in both communication sides to protect the data during its transmission through the network from all kinds of attack. On the sender side, the original data will be changed into different symbols or shapes by using a known key; this is called encryption. On the other communication side, the decryption process will be done and the data will be returned to its former shape by using the agreed key. The importance of cryptography is to fulfil the communication security requirements. Real time applications (RTA) are vulnerable for the moment because of their big size. However, some of the current algorithms are not really appropriate for use with these kinds of information. In this paper, a novel symmetric block cipher cryptography algorithm has been illustrated and discussed. The system uses an 8x8x8 cube, and each cell contains a pair of binary inputs. The cube can provide a huge number of combinations that can produce a very strong algorithm and a long key size. Due to the lightweight and fast technique used in this idea, it is expected to be extremely rapid compared to the majority of current algorithms, such as DES and AES

Hybrid Arabic text steganography

An improved method for Arabic text steganography is introduced in this paper. This method hides an Arabic text inside another based on a hybrid approach. Both Kashida and Arabic Diacritics are used to hide the Arabic text inside another text. In this improved method, the secret message is divided into two parts, the first part is to be hidden by the Kashida method, and the second is to be hidden by the Diacritics or Harakat method. For security purposes, we benefitted from the natural existence of Diacritics as a characteristic of Arabic written language, as used to represent vowel sounds. The paper exploits the possibility of hiding data in Fathah diacritic and Kashida punctuation marks, adjusting previously presented schemes that are based on a single method only. Here, the secret message is divided into two parts, the cover text is prepared, and then we apply the Harakat method on the first part. The Kashida method is applied on the second part, and then the two parts are combined. When the hidden ‘StegoText’ is received, a split mechanism is used to recover the original message. The described hybrid Arabic StegoText showed higher capacity and security with promising results compared to other methods

Hospital-supplier integration and hospital performance in Saudi Arabian context

Improving hospital supply chain performance has been increasingly essential in the world. Despite this significance, a review of the existing supply chain literature indicates that limited comprehensive studies have been conducted on hospital supply chain performance to date. Within a systematic literature review, this research develops a comprehensive conceptual model based on the impact of hospital-supplier integration on the overall performance of healthcare organisations. Furthermore, the moderating role of lean practices on hospital-supplier integration and hospital performance. The context of this study is the Saudi Arabia healthcare sector, a two-tier healthcare system that is comprised of public and private sectors. To address the research objective, and to test the research hypotheses, this research employs a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) based on a field survey. The survey was conducted amongst 435 hospitals in Saudi Arabia. A total of 2175 Participants in this study. The results of this study showed that the logistics integration, information sharing, trust, lean practice, and the relationship between hospital supplier integration and hospital performance were positively associated with hospital-supplier integration. In contrast, information technology and hospital size were not positively associated with hospital-supplier integration.   This study has several implications for both theory and practice in a hospital-supplier integration. The theoretical implications include developing a robust framework for a hospital-supplier integration and its impact on hospital performance. In addition, this study examines the validity of the relational view of competitive advantage theory in Saudi Arabia.  Moreover, the implications for practices are also far reaching, as the sample comprises of two types of hospitals currently operating in Saudi Arabia: private, and public under the Ministry of Health

An Internet of Things Based Air Pollution Detection Device for Mitigating Climate Changes

Climate Change, a key stabilizing factor, has now exceeded critical thresholds. The high energy consumption of cities is a major contributor to climate change because of CO2 emissions. In addition to the rise in urban populations throughout the worldwide, the complexity of todays cities and the strain they put on limited resources means that the causes and consequences of climate changes become even more concentrated. Internet of Things (IoT) advancements provide several possibilities for reducing the effects of climate change by merging existing information, design techniques, and breakthrough technology. The current state of monitoring technology is subpar; it is insensitive, inaccurate, and requires laboratory examination. Consequently, new, and better methods of surveillance are required. Air pollution is one of the main causes of climate change. We suggest a new IoT-based monitoring device for air pollution to address the shortcoming of the current setup. Gas sensors, Arduino IDE, and Wi-Fi module were used to assemble the IoT kit. The air is analyzed by the gas sensors, and the results are sent to the Arduino software development environment. By using a WiFi module, the Arduino IDE may send data to the monitor. The resulting device may be deployed in different cities to monitor the levels of air pollution with little cost, easy to use and high accuracy

Evaluación de la prescripción y uso de medicamentos supresores de ácido en hospitales centrales en la región de Abha, Arabia Saudita

Objective: The aim of this study was to study and assess the indications of acid suppressive drugs and to find out percentage of irrational prescriptions with acid suppressive drugs. Material/Methods: It is a prospective observational study conducted in the Armed Forces Hospitals Southern Region and Abha Maternity Hospital, both in Abha in Assir region (Saudi Arabia). The sample size of study was 185 patients. The case sheets of the patients’ prescription order were reviewed for acid suppressive drugs prescription and relevant data was taken. Patients’ age above 18 were identified. The duration of study was 8 weeks, between May and June 2017. Results: Our results showed that the majority of the prescriptions of proton pump inhibitors (68.1%) were unjustifiable and that proton pump inhibitor was the most commonly prescribed acid suppressive drugs for the patients (97.8%). The frequency of prescribing for the autism spectrum disorders in our study was found to be higher in patients with an existing risk factor and was mostly recommended by physicians as concomitant medications (67.6%). The most common concomitant medications used with the proton pump inhibitors were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (29.2%) in which aspirin composed 13.5% of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs prescribed followed by antimicrobials (9.2%). Conclusion: Acid suppressive drugs are the most commonly prescribed drugs with no proper indications hence irrational. Based on the results of this study, creating awareness about reasonable use of acid suppressive drugs is a necessity.Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio fue estudiar y evaluar las indicaciones de los medicamentos supresores de ácidos y averiguar el porcentaje de recetas irracionales con medicamentos supresores de ácidos. Material / Métodos: es un estudio observacional prospectivo realizado en los Hospitales de las Fuerzas Armadas del Sur y en el Hospital de Maternidad Abha, ambos en Abha en la región de Assir (Arabia Saudita). El tamaño muestral del estudio fue de 185 pacientes. Se revisaron las hojas de casos de orden de prescripción de los pacientes para la prescripción de medicamentos supresores de ácido y se tomaron los datos pertinentes. Se identificó la edad de los pacientes mayores de 18 años. La duración del estudio fue de 8 semanas, entre mayo y junio de 2017. Resultados: nuestros resultados mostraron que la mayoría de las prescripciones de inhibidores de la bomba de protones (68,1%) eran injustificables y que este era el fármaco supresor de ácido más comúnmente prescrito para los pacientes (97,8%). La frecuencia de prescripción para los trastornos del espectro autistas en nuestro estudio, fue mayor en pacientes con un factor de riesgo existente y fue recomendada principalmente por los médicos como medicamentos concomitantes (67,6%). Los medicamentos concomitantes más comunes que se usaron con los inhibidores de la bomba de protones fueron los antiinflamatorios no esteroideos (29.2%) en los cuales la aspirina supuso el 13,5% de los antiinflamatorios no esteroideos prescritos, seguidos por los antimicrobianos (9.2%) Conclusión: los medicamentos supresores de ácido son los medicamentos más comúnmente recetados sin indicaciones adecuadas, por lo que son irracionales. Basado en los resultados de este estudio, crear conciencia sobre el uso razonable de los medicamentos supresores del ácido es una necesidad

The Influence Of Online Supervision Via Videoconferencing On Postgraduate Students’ Problem Understanding And Reflective Learning For Better Engagement

Video conferencing has become an important tool in education. With the help of video conferencing, education can be provided to everyone all over the globe. This technology helps to bridge the gap between students and supervisors present in different geographical places. Video conferencing tool is also being used in Saudi Arabia and is considered to be vital part of distance education being provided in the country but even after all these years, the students are having difficulties while communicating with their supervisors. This is also because of lack of proper interaction and participation process present in the education sector. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to explore the influence of online supervision via video conferencing on students’ problem understanding and reflective learning for better engagement. In order to achieve this aim, the following objectives were constructed: 1) to assess the influence of online supervision via video conferencing in terms of perceived flexibility, interaction, functional benefits, and control on postgraduate students’ problem understanding and reflective learning, 2) to evaluate the influence of personal experience in terms of students’ reflective learning and problem understanding on their online engagement, and 3) to understand the university students' perception towards the effectiveness of the videoconferencing tool for supervision purposes. A mixed method approach was adopted for this study where online survey was utilized. A total of 252 postgraduate students from three colleges in the King Saud University participated in this survey. Meanwhile, for the qualitative part, a semi structured interview method was conducted on 15 selected postgraduates’ students, in which the thematic method of data analysis was applied