Using R, LaTeX and Wiki for an Arabic e-learning platform

E-learning plays an important role in education as it supports online education via computer networks and provides educational services by utilising information technologies. We present a case study describing the development of an Arabic language elearning course in statistics. Discussed are issues concerning e-learning in Arab countries with special focus on problems of the application of e-learning in the Arab world and the difficulties concerning the design Arabic platforms such as language problems, cultural and technical problems, especially ArabTeX works difficulty with LaTeX format. Thus Wiki is offered as a solution to such problems. Wiki supports LaTeX and other statistical programs, for instance R, andWiki offers the solution to language problems. Details of this technology are discussed and a solution as to how this system can serve in building an Arab platform is presented.E-learning, MM*Stat, Wiki, ArabTeX, Statistical software

Towards a model for indigenous architecture in Kuwait

Ever since the early 1960s, and following the discovery of oil, there has been a revolution in the culture of Kuwait which has disturbed the concept of the built environment. The decision- making became dominated by people from other countries that did not recognise the heritage and symbolic way of life of Kuwaiti people or regarded these backward and unworthy of respect. In architectural terms, centuries of inherited building patterns that adapted to and celebrated the environment were replaced by buildings constructed for display and not to meet the functional requirements of the natural and social setting.Concern for this situation is shared by the author and many other architects in Kuwait, who seek to build a living environment in a way that embodies the indigenous knowledge. The intention is therefore to explore the resources of the past and collate these into a discourse to inspire those responsible in shaping the built environment to express this culture and way of life.The main aim is to preserve what little evidence remains of the past as a document. Very few old buildings are still standing and all urban spaces have been lost. The author has therefore needed to refer to other sources of information. The first part of the thesis builds up a body of knowledge from literature sources, the author's childhood recollections and from lengthy discussions with elderly people once involved in building and crafts and using their own dialec

Reviewing the Relation between Human Resources Practices, Talent Management and Succession Planning In UAE Public Sector

This paper presents about human resource management in UAE, Talent Management Practices in UAE, conceptual framework, research hypothesis, and underpinning theories. In line with the objectives of this study, this paper provides a critical review of the literature. It is based on making comparisons between the relevant recent literatures in the field of talent management. In addition, aims to identify the limitations within the talent management literature, the themes that have been identified as independent which are staffing and selection, training and development, performance appraisal, compensation, empowerment and career development. Where, dependent variables which is the Succession Planning along with the talent management as a mediator in the conceptual framework. In addition, providing an assessment of any conflicting views related to the sciences of Talent management towards the current way of managing the human resource in the public sector. This paper aims to clarify the general picture of the context of the research in terms of the factors surrounding the concept of talent management and its impact on the public sector in the United Arab Emirates. Specifically (General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs - Dubai). Moreover, proving that talent management is the main pillar for the success any organizations according to the scientific concepts and literature. with an indication of the important strategic role of talent management in organizations in achieving institutional effectiveness and increasing production rates, in addition to provide an attractive work environment that helps maintain turnover rates

Local Spatial Impacts of Globalization in Developing Countries: The Case of Sohar, Oman

In the last few decades, economic development and urban expansion have become a feature of modern society, especially with fast-growing economies in both developed and developing countries. Economic activities play a major role in most urban activities in all countries, controlling urban growth and its trends, which then could lead to affecting the land use change over time. Globalization in general terms refer to the expansion of global linkages and implies the opening of local and national outlooks to a broader perspective of an interconnected and interdependent world with free transfer of capital, goods, and services. The Sultanate of Oman has undergone rapid globalization in the last three decades, and Sohar city is an example of globalization in action. The city has grown from discrete isolated settlements with fewer than 35,000 inhabitants in the late 1970s to a medium size urban center with a total population of almost 197,000 inhabitants in fewer than 35 years. In the last fifteen years alone, the city has received more than $10 billion investment value from both government and international investors. This money has been invested mainly in the Sohar port, industrial area and free zone area as the focus of domestic and international investment in the city. This study aims at displaying and measuring the spatial impact of globalization on urban growth of Sohar city. The methodology employed in the study is based on a combination of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) to investigate the spatial changes of land use in addition to other supporting socio-economic and demographic data. The study traced the historical development of the city growth, and the results have revealed the substantial change particularly in the growth and expansion of built-up area into open space and green areas

Forensic analysis of private browsing artifacts

The paper investigates the effectiveness of the privacy mode feature in three widely used Web browsers, and outlines how to investigate when these browsers have been used to perform a criminal or illegal act. It performs an identical test on a privacy mode session for each of the three Web browsers and investigates whether traces are left behind. The analysis is done in three phases. First, common places where history and cache records are usually stored are examined. Then, other locations on the local machine are examined using special forensic tools. Also, the physical memory (RAM) is captured and examined for traces. © 2011 IEEE

Forensics and war-driving on unsecured wireless network

This paper investigates the effect of common war-driving on wireless network. Different war-driving software tools are examined and their effects are compared. It also investigates how forensics tools can monitor war drivers. The experiments show that significant numbers of homes are deploying wireless access points without much regard to the security of these devices and it is anticipated that more digital crime cases in this field will be deployed. Such cases include connecting to an unsecured home Wi-Fi network and performing illegal activities, or stealing personal data with sensitive information and using it to threaten victims or perform identity theft. © 2011 ICITST

Forensic artifacts of Facebook\u27s instant messaging service

This paper highlights the importance of Facebook\u27s instant messaging service (Facebook Chat) as a potential source of evidence in an investigation. The paper discusses the process of recovering and reconstructing artifacts left by the use of Facebook Chat on a computer\u27s hard disk. The paper describes experiments in which Facebook Chat conversations in Latin and Arabic character sets were conducted using three major web browsers, and then forensically retrieved. The results highlight how Facebook Chat artifacts of Arabic conversations can be difficult to locate with keyword search functions. The paper describes appropriate steps to overcome these difficulties. © 2011 ICITST

Investigation of TQM implementation to the UAE public sector organisations.

This research explores the possibility of adopting quality approach for the United Arab Emirates Public Sector Institutions (UAEPSI), aiming to improve their performance and enable them to provide quality standard services for customers and other stakeholders.The research was based on a literature study of the quality advocators for a better understanding in the field of TQM. A triangulation research method of quantitative (survey questionnaires) designed, evaluated the reliability and the concurrent validity of the questions. The gathered data were subjected to a series of correlation and regression analysis.The results demonstrated a wide gap between TQM principles and the actual practices of the UAEPSI. Certain aspects were found inhibiting proper implementation of TQM. Based on the research theoretical and empirical evidences a Quality Appraisal Model (QAM) emerged as a self assessment instrument against the U.A.E. Government Excellence Program (UAEGEP) criteria's. The QAM comprises of four core quality critical factors: people, leadership, processes and system, and resources and facilities, in which fragmented to twenty sub-factors. The framework model divides the TQM implementation into five sequential phases namely; identification, appraisal, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. A weighting scoring scale was also formulated as a measurement tool, to facilitate the measurement of quality quotient in the UAEPSI. Furthermore the QAM was benchmarked against widely adopted quality and excellence models and its contribution to the development of TQM knowledge. Two focus groups of top and senior management in the UAEPSI were formulated to validate the QAM viability as a performance assessment vehicle that is in alignment with the UAEGEP quality criteria's. The model provides a model for creating awareness and understanding of TQM concepts and techniques and their impact on developing a quality culture. It is hoped that this in the long run, may encourage the Government of United Arab Emirates to adopt quality strategy in alignment with its corporate strategy. The thesis reveals that there is a paucity of research in this area and this research study makes a contribution towards filling this gap and for further research in future

Export diversification and economic growth in Kuwait: evidence from time series and field survey analyses

This study examines whether export diversification can foster sustained economic growth in Kuwait, using time series analysis for the period 1980–2019 and a field survey of one hundred Kuwait business leaders engaged in import and export of goods and services. The time series analysis reveals that there is no causality between export diversification and economic growth in the short-run. However, an indirect causality runs from export diversification to economic growth, and vice versa, via imports. In the long-run, no causality runs from export diversification to economic growth, but economic growth does cause export diversification. The field survey results indicate that there is a consensus among Kuwaiti CEOs that there are positive spillover effects from exports and imports to producers of local goods and services, and that imports are conductive to economic diversification

Prevalence and Correlation of Human Papilloma Virus and its Types with Prognostic Markers in Patients with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the Breast in Kuwait

Objectives: This study aimed to document the association of human papilloma virus (HPV) and its types in breast carcinoma tissues in Kuwaiti women, and correlate this with known prognostic markers. Methods: The clinicopathological data of archived tissue from 144 cases of invasive ductal breast carcinoma were studied (age, histological grade, size of tumour, lymph node metastases, oestrogen/progesterone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status). HPV frequency was documented using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and chromogenic in-situ hybridisation (CISH). HPV types were documented by CISH using HPV probes. CISH and IHC techniques were compared and HPV correlated with prognostic parameters. Results: The HPV prevalence as determined by CISH and IHC was 51 (35.4%) and 24 (16.7%) cases, respectively. The sensitivity of HPV by IHC was 37.3% and specificity was 94.6%. The sensitivity and specificity of HPV-CISH compared to HPVIHC was statistically significant (P <0.001). HPV-CISH was seen in 51 cases. A combination of HPV 6 and 11, and 16 and 18 was seen in 2 (3.9%) cases, and a combination of HPV 6, 11, 31 and 33 was seen in 7 (13.7%) cases. All three HPV probes: 6 and 11, 16 and 18, as well as 31 and 33 were present in 2 (3.9%) cases. The prevalence of HPVCISH in the Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti populations was 27 (52.9%) and 19 (37.2%), respectively. No correlation was observed with the prognostic parameters. Conclusion: The frequency of HPV in breast carcinoma cases in Kuwait was 35.4% (CISH). Of those, 52.9% were Kuwaitis in whom both low- and high-risk HPV types were detected