The Constitutional and Conceptual Underpinnings of Kuwait’s System of Government

Abstract This study investigates the constitutional and conceptual underpinnings of Kuwait’s system of government. The Constitution of Kuwait, which was ratified in 1962, promulgated democracy as its government system; yet curiously, the Constitution lacked any actual explanation of the concept of democracy. Instead, it merely identified the system of government as ‘democratic’, with ‘the people of Kuwait’ as the source of all powers. To explain what Kuwaiti democracy and its government system truly involve, the study has traced its roots and origins: first, by shedding light on the ruling traditions since Kuwait emerged and flourished as a small city state in the seventeenth century. Second, by demonstrating how the Constitution and its Explanatory Memorandum explain Kuwait’s system of government. Third, by narrating the tale of the Constitution and its ratification in 1962 by the elected members of the Constituent Council. The study also focuses on the controversial history of the Islamic Sharia clause in the Arab world, reflected in the Minutes of Proceedings of both the Constituent Council and Constitution Committee. In addition, it highlights the evolution of representative councils, encompassing the 1921 Shura Council, the 1938 Legislative Council, and the 1961 Constituent Council; and applies David Held’s classical models of democracy to the theoretical model adopted by scholars of Kuwait constitutional law. Historical, constitutional and conceptual narratives on democracy lead the research to conclude that Kuwait’s political experience is rich and unique. In the early 1960s, Kuwait successfully withstood all regional challenges to become the first independent, democratic state in a region known for its autocratic regimes. Yet for over half a century since, it has never tackled the constitutional and conceptual shortcomings inherent in its adoption of a hybrid system. Accordingly, the study finds that the system of government in Kuwait is mixed; with its political system infused with rudimentary features of hereditary, representative, parliamentary and presidential systems, and profoundly influenced by its Arab-Islamic roots

Helical Magnetic Fields in Molecular Clouds? A New Method to Determine the Line-of-Sight Magnetic Field Structure in Molecular Clouds

Magnetic fields pervade in the interstellar medium (ISM) and are believed to be important in the process of star formation, yet probing magnetic fields in star formation regions is challenging. We propose a new method to use Faraday rotation measurements in small scale star forming regions to find the direction and magnitude of the component of magnetic field along the line-of-sight. We test the proposed method in four relatively nearby regions of Orion A, Orion B, Perseus, and California. We use rotation measure data from the literature. We adopt a simple approach based on relative measurements to estimate the rotation measure due to the molecular clouds over the Galactic contribution. We then use a chemical evolution code along with extinction maps of each cloud to find the electron column density of the molecular cloud at the position of each rotation measure data point. Combining the rotation measures produced by the molecular clouds and the electron column density, we calculate the line-of-sight magnetic field strength and direction. In California and Orion A, we find clear evidence that the magnetic fields at one side of these filamentary structures are pointing towards us and are pointing away from us at the other side. Even though the magnetic fields in Perseus might seem to suggest the same behavior, not enough data points are available to draw such conclusions. In Orion B, as well, there are not enough data points available to detect such behavior. This behavior is consistent with a helical magnetic field morphology. In the vicinity of available Zeeman measurements in OMC-1, OMC-B, and the dark cloud Barnard 1, we find magnetic field values of $-23\pm38~\mu$G, $-129\pm28~\mu$G, and $32\pm101~\mu$G, respectively, which are in agreement with the Zeeman Measurements

An Improved Single Stage Transformer-Less Multilevel Inverter Under Conventional And Advanced MPPT Algorithms for Photovoltaic Application

يتم إدخال نظام كهروضوئي أحادي المرحلة بدون محول متصل بالشبكة مع عاكس متعدد المستويات، يتم استخدام العاكس متعدد المستويات لدمج النظام الكهروضوئي مع شبكة المرافق نظرًا لكفاءته العالية وتكلفته المنخفضة وصغر حجمه ووزنه ومع ذلك، فإن تيار التسرب بسبب عدم وجود عزل كلفاني هو أحد العوائق في مثل هذا النظام. تبحث هذه الورقة في عاكس أحادي الطور ثلاثي المستوى مثبت بنقطة محايدة ليتم استخدامه في نظام كهروضوئي أحادي المرحلة متصل بالشبكة. يتميز النظام بعامل القدرة الموحد والتشوه التوافقي الكلي للتيار المنخفض، والجهد المنخفض على مفاتيح أشباه الموصلات، وعدم إطلاق النار من خلال المشاكل، والموثوقية العالية والكفاءة. تقترح الورقة العاكس المحسّن ذو الحث المنقسم كمرشح فعال ليتم استخدامه في مثل هذا النظام الكهروضوئي الذي لا يحتوي على محول. تم تصميم التحكم في تيار التخلف لتتبع تيار خرج العاكس وإجباره على أن يكون صفراً من أجل تحقيق طاقة شبكة عالية الجودة والحفاظ على عامل طاقة الوحدة. يتم فحص خوارزميات تتبع الحد الأقصى من الطاقة التقليدية والمتقدمة بما في ذلك الاضطراب والمراقبة والشبكة العصبية الاصطناعية لضمان استخراج الطاقة القصوى من اللوحة الكهروضوئية. تم تصميم النظام بأكمله واختباره في هذا العمل. يتم تحقيق أداء أفضل في ظل نهج الشبكة العصبية الاصطناعية. تتحقق النتائج من قدرة العاكس المحسن ذو الحث المنقسم تحت التحكم في تيار التخلف والشبكة العصبية الاصطناعية لنقل الطاقة الكهروضوئية القصوى إلى الشبكة مع عامل طاقة موحد، وجودة طاقة عالية، وتيار منخفض للغاية تشوه متناسق كلي مع تبديل أشباه موصلات أقل بنسبة 0.37٪ الإجهاد، وبالتالي الموثوقية العالية لذلك، تسلط الورقة الضوء على أن العاكس المحسن ذو الحث المنقسم حيث تعتبر بمثابة عاكس متعدد المستويات فعالة ليتم استخدامها في مثل هذا النظام.A transformer-less single-stage, grid-connected PV system is increasingly introduced with a multilevel inverter (MLI). MLI is employed to integrate the PV system with the utility grid due to its high efficiency, low cost, smaller size and weight. However, The leakage current due to the absence of galvanic isolation is one of the drawbacks in such system. This paper investigates a single phase three level Neutral point clamped (NPC) inverter to be employed in a single stage grid connected PV system. The system is characterized with a unity power-factor and low current total harmonic distortion (THD), low voltage stress on the semiconductor switches, no shoot through problems, high reliability and efficiency. The paper proposes the improved split-inductor (ISI-NPC) inverter as an effective candidate to be employed in such transformer-less PV system.  Hysteresis current control (HCC) is designed to track the inverter output current and force it to be zero in order to achieve high power quality grid power and maintain unity power factor. A conventional and advanced maximum power point tracking algorithms including perturb and observe (P&O) and artificial neural-network (ANN) are examined to ensure extracting the maximum power from the PV panel. The whole system is designed and tested in this work. A better performance is achieved under ANN approach with HCC. The results validate the ability of the ISI-NPC inverter under HCC control and artificial neural network to transfer PV maximum power to the grid with a unity power factor, high power quality, very low current THD with a 0.37% less semiconductor switches stress, and thus high reliability. Therefore, the paper highlights that ISI-NPC is considered as an effective MLI to be employed in such system

Reproducibility of Statistical Tests Based on Randomised Response Data

Reproducibility of experimental conclusions is an important topic in various fields, including social studies. The lack of reproducibility in research results not only limits scientific progress, but also wastes time, resources, and undermines society’s confidence in scientific findings. This paper focuses on the statistical reproducibility of hypothesis test outcomes based on data collected using randomised response techniques (RRT). Nonparametric predictive inference (NPI) is used to quantify reproducibility, which is well-suited to treat reproducibility as a prediction problem. NPI relies on few model assumptions and provides lower and upper bounds for reproducibility probabilities. This paper concludes that less variability in the reported responses of RRT methods leads to higher reproducibility of statistical hypothesis tests based on RRT data with the same degree of privacy

A polynomial regression model for stabilized turbulent confined jet diffusion flames using bluff body burners

AbstractThermal structure of stabilized confined jet diffusion flames in the presence of different geometries of bluff body burners has been mathematically modeled. Two stabilizer disc burners tapered at 30° and 60° and another frusted cone of 60°/30° inclination angle were employed all having the same diameter of 80(mm) acting as flame holders. The measured radial mean temperature profiles of the developing stabilizing flames at different normalized axial distances were considered as the model example of the physical process.A polynomial mathematical model of fourth degree has been investigated to study this phenomenon to find the best correlation representing the experimental data. Least Squares regression analysis has been employed to estimate the coefficients of the polynomial and investigate its adequacy. High values for R2>0.9 obtained for most of the investigated bluff burners at the various locations of x/dj prove the adequacy of the suggested polynomial for representing the experimental results. Very small values of significance F<(α=0.05) for all investigated cases indicate that there is a real relationship between the independent variable r and the dependant variable T. The low values of p<(α=0.05) obtained reveal that all the recorded parameters for all the investigated cases are significant

On the computation of zeros of Bessel functions

The zeros of some chosen Bessel functions of different orders is revised using the well-known bisection method , McMahon formula is also reviewed and the calculation of some zeros are carried out implementing a recent version of MATLAB software. The obtained results are analyzed and discussed on the lights of previous calculations

Application of energy management coupled with fuel switching on a hydrotreater unit

AbstractIn the last decades, saving energy and protecting environment became the most important topics for search and survey. The energy engineer for any chemical process is obliged by restrictions of “Kyoto Protocol” for limitation of carbon dioxide emissions from fuel combustion, so he does his best to reduce utility consumption and thus reduce gas emission. Proper designing of the heat exchanger network (HEN) for any process is an effective and successful method to minimize utility consumption and therefore minimize gas emission (mainly carbon gases (CO2) and sulfur gases (SOx)). Fuel switching coupled with energy targeting achieved the least gas emission. In this work we choose a hydrotreater unit of a petroleum refinery as a case study due to its effective role and its obvious consumption of utility. We applied the methodology of energy targeting through HEN design (using pinch technology) at several values of mean temperature difference (ΔTmin); where the maximum percentage of energy saving was 37% for hot and cold utility which directly leads to percentage reduction of gas emission by 29% for CO2 and 17% for SOx. Switching fuel oil to other types of fuel realized gas emission reduction percentage where the maximum reduction established was through natural gas fuel type and reached 54% for CO2 and 90% for SOx. Comparison between existing design and the optimum ΔTmin HEN led to few modifications with the least added capital cost for the hydrotreater existing design to revamp it through four scenarios; the first one depended on fuel switching to natural gas while the second one switched fuel to diesel oil, in the third scenario we applied heat integration only and the fourth one used both of heat integration and fuel switching in a parallel way