Towards An Automated Forensic Examiner (AFE) Based Upon Criminal Profiling & Artificial Intelligence

Digital forensics plays an increasingly important role within society as the approach to the identification of criminal and cybercriminal activities. It is however widely known that a combination of the time taken to undertake a forensic investigation, the volume of data to be analysed and the number of cases to be processed are all significantly increasing resulting in an ever growing backlog of investigations and mounting costs. Automation approaches have already been widely adopted within digital forensic processes to speed up the identification of relevant evidence – hashing for notable files, file signature analysis and data carving to name a few. However, to date, little research has been undertaken in identifying how more advanced techniques could be applied to perform “intelligent” processing of cases. This paper proposes one such approach, the Automated Forensic Examiner (AFE) that seeks to apply artificial intelligence to the problem of sorting and identifying relevant artefacts. The proposed approach utilises a number of techniques, including a technical competency measure, a dynamic criminal knowledge base and visualisation to provide an investigator with an in depth understanding of the case. The paper also describes how its implementation within a cloud based infrastructure will also permit a more timely and cost effective solution

A suspect-oriented intelligent and automated computer forensic analysis

Computer forensics faces a range of challenges due to the widespread use of computing technologies. Examples include the increasing volume of data and devices that need to be analysed in any single case, differing platforms, use of encryption and new technology paradigms (such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things). Automation within forensic tools exists, but only to perform very simple tasks, such as data carving and file signature analysis. Investigators are responsible for undertaking the cognitively challenging and time-consuming process of identifying relevant artefacts. Due to the volume of cyber-dependent (e.g., malware and hacking) and cyber-enabled (e.g., fraud and online harassment) crimes, this results in a large backlog of cases. With the aim of speeding up the analysis process, this paper investigates the role that unsupervised pattern recognition can have in identifying notable artefacts. A study utilising the Self-Organising Map (SOM) to automatically cluster notable artefacts was devised using a series of four cases. Several SOMs were created – a File List SOM containing the metadata of files based upon the file system, and a series of application level SOMs based upon metadata extracted from files themselves (e.g., EXIF data extracted from JPEGs and email metadata extracted from email files). A total of 275 sets of experiments were conducted to determine the viability of clustering across a range of network configurations. The results reveal that more than 93.5% of notable artefacts were grouped within the rank-five clusters in all four cases. The best performance was achieved by using a 10 × 10 SOM where all notables were clustered in a single cell with only 1.6% of the non-notable artefacts (noise) being present, highlighting that SOM-based analysis does have the potential to cluster notable versus noise files to a degree that would significantly reduce the investigation time. Whilst clustering has proven to be successful, operationalizing it is still a challenge (for example, how to identify the cluster containing the largest proportion of notables within the case). The paper continues to propose a process that capitalises upon SOM and other parameters such as the timeline to identify notable artefacts whilst minimising noise files. Overall, based solely upon unsupervised learning, the approach is able to achieve a recall rate of up to 93%. © 2016 Elsevier Lt

Effectiveness of Educational Supervision in Sultanate of Oman as Perceived by Teachers

The study aimed at identifying the effectiveness of educational supervision in public schools in the Sultanate of Oman. To achieve the aim of the study, a questionnaire was designed. It consisted of 49 items distributed into five domains. The domains are: enhancement of instructional and learning processes; school's activities and media; implementation, assessment, and development of curriculum; assessment of instructional and learning process; and teachers’ professional development. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were examined. The sample of the study consisted of 592 male and female teachers. The results showed that educational supervision in Oman had high effectiveness on enhancement of instructional and learning processes, school's activities and media, whereas, it had medium effectiveness on the other three domains. Based on the results, few recommendations have been suggested

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of <i>Theileria annulata</i> in Oman

Background: Theileriosis, caused by a number of species within the genus Theileria, is a common disease of livestock in Oman. It is a major constraint to the development of the livestock industry due to a high rate of morbidity and mortality in both cattle and sheep. Since little is currently known about the genetic diversity of the parasites causing theileriosis in Oman, the present study was designed to address this issue with specific regard to T. annulata in cattle. Methods Blood samples were collected from cattle from four geographically distinct regions in Oman for genetic analysis of the Theileria annulata population. Ten genetic markers (micro- and mini-satellites) representing all four chromosomes of T. annulata were applied to these samples using a combination of PCR amplification and fragment analysis. The resultant genetic data was analysed to provide a first insight into the structure of the T. annulata population in Oman. Results: We applied ten micro- and mini-satellite markers to a total of 310 samples obtained from different regions (174 [56%] from Dhofar, 68 [22%] from Dhira, 44 [14.5%] from Batinah and 24 [8%] from Sharqia). A high degree of allelic diversity was observed among the four parasite populations. Expected heterozygosity for each site ranged from 0.816 to 0.854. A high multiplicity of infection was observed in individual hosts, with an average of 3.3 to 3.4 alleles per locus, in samples derived from Batinah, Dhofar and Sharqia regions. In samples from Dhira region, an average of 2.9 alleles per locus was observed. Mild but statistically significant linkage disequilibrium between pairs of markers was observed in populations from three of the four regions. In contrast, when the analysis was performed at farm level, no significant linkage disequilibrium was observed. Finally, no significant genetic differentiation was seen between the four populations, with most pair-wise FST values being less than 0.03. Slightly higher FST values (GST’ = 0.075, θ = 0.07) were detected when the data for T. annulata parasites in Oman was compared with that previously generated for Turkey and Tunisia. Conclusion: Genetic analyses of T. annulata samples representing four geographical regions in Oman revealed a high level of genetic diversity in the parasite population. There was little evidence of genetic differentiation between parasites from different regions, and a high level of genetic diversity was maintained within each sub-population. These findings are consistent with a high parasite transmission rate and frequent movement of animals between different regions in Oman

Effectiveness of Educational Supervision in Sultanate of Oman as Perceived by Teachers

The study aimed at identifying the effectiveness of educational supervision in public schools in the Sultanate of Oman. To achieve the aim of the study, a questionnaire was designed. It consisted of 49 items distributed into five domains. The domains are: enhancement of instructional and learning processes; school's activities and media; implementation, assessment, and development of curriculum; assessment of instructional and learning process; and teachers’ professional development. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were examined. The sample of the study consisted of 592 male and female teachers. The results showed that educational supervision in Oman had high effectiveness on enhancement of instructional and learning processes, school's activities and media, whereas, it had medium effectiveness on the other three domains. Based on the results, few recommendations have been suggested.

Monthly succession of marine biofouling communities in the Arabian Gulf

This study was undertaken as part of a collaborative project titled Biotechnological Applications of Marine Biofilms developing on solid surfaces in the Arabian Gulf funded by research grant (SQU-GCC/CL/17/02). The succession of marine biofouling communities (mature biofilms) on plastic panels were investigated over a period of six months in four locations in the Arabian Gulf (Fintas and Salmiya marinas in Kuwait, and Bandar Rowdha and Al Mouj marinas in Oman). Monthly assessment of the physico-chemical parameters of the seawater at each location was done using portable meters (thermometer, refractometer, pH meter, turbidity meter and conductivity/TDS meter). The concentrations of nutrients and elements were analysed using ion chromatography (IC) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), respectively. After each month, the developed biofilm on each panel was quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed as follows; total wet weight, abundance of bacteria using epifluorescence microscopy, chlorophyll a concentrations using spectrophotometry, percent coverage of macrofoulers, and presence or absence of signs of grazing based on visual observations and/or photodocumentation (using Image J software), which was also used to assess the presence/absence and dominance of macrofouling species. Additionally, the composition of the microbial community was investigated using 16S amplicon sequencing, resulting in supplementary data sets for bacterial community composition, predicted bacterial metabolic pathways (Bowman and Ducklow 2015, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0135868), and presence/absence of microalgae based on their chloroplast 16S

Environmental conditions during a 6 month biofouling experiment in the Arabian Gulf

The development of a mature biofouling community on solid surfaces in the marine environment primarily involves the availability of colonizing bacterial communities and their ability to persist over time in any given environment. This study was undertaken as part of a collaborative project titled Biotechnological Applications of Marine Biofilms developing on solid surfaces in the Arabian Gulf funded by research grant (SQU-GCC/CL/17/02). The succession of marine biofouling communities (mature biofilms) on plastic panels were investigated over a period of six months in four locations in the Arabian Gulf (Fintas and Salmiya marinas in Kuwait, and Bandar Rowdha and Al Mouj marinas in Oman). Monthly assessment of the physico-chemical parameters of the seawater at each location was done using portable meters (thermometer, refractometer, pH meter, turbidity meter and conductivity/TDS meter). The concentrations of nutrients and elements were analysed using ion chromatography (IC) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), respectively

FLEXURAL BEHAVIOR OF FRP BARS AFTER BEING EXPOSED TO ELEVATED TEMPERATURES

This research study investigates the flexural behavior of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars after being subjected to different levels of elevated temperatures (100, 200 and 300°C). Three types of glass FRP bars (ribbed, sand coated, and helically wrapped) and one type of carbon FRP bars (sand coated) were used in this study. Two testing scenarios were used: a) testing specimens immediately after heating and b) keeping specimens to cool down before testing. Test results showed that as the temperature increased the flexural strength and modulus of the tested FRP bars decreased. At temperatures higher than the glass transition temperature (Tg), significant flexural strength and modulus losses were recorded. Smaller diameter bars showed better residual flexural strength and modulus than larger diameter bars. The immediately tested bars showed significant strength and modulus losses compared to bars tested after cooling. Different types of GFRP bars showed comparable results. However, the helically wrapped bars showed the highest flexural strength losses (37 and 60%) while the sand coated bars showed the lowest losses (29 and 39%) after exposure to 200 and 300℃, respectively. The carbon FRP bars showed residual flexural strengths comparable to those recorded for the GFRP bars; however, they showed lower residual flexural modulus after being subjected to 200 and 300℃

Voluntary turnover in the Omani public sector: an Islamic values perspective

Following four decades of economic growth the public sector in Oman is experiencing an emerging problem of labour turnover to the private sector. We examine this phenomenon through semi-structured interviews with 26 current and former public employees. The rate of turnover is low but this masks the impact of losses to key technical and management roles. The main reasons for turnover are dissatisfaction with management style, reward practices and promotion opportunities. Findings are interpreted in the context of Islamic work values and implications for public management reform in Oman are given