SystemC-A modeling of an automotive seating vibration isolation system

A modeling methodology for mixed physical domains system in a new modelling Language is presented. The system is automotive seating vibration isolation system with electronic control. It is described and simulated in SystemCA, an extended version of SystemC which provides analogue, mixed-signal and mixed-domain modeling capabilities. Results show that SystemC-A provides efficient means to model and investigate performance of complex mixed-domain systems for automotive applications

The Adoption of Renewable Energy Policies in a Rentier State: A Case Study of the United Arab Emirates

© 2018 Geo Publishing, Toronto Canada. The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) represents a unique form of rentier state in the Gulf region, with its vast resources of oil and natural gas and its political and economic systems characterized by the exploitation and export of natural resources. The U.A.E. is a global leader in carbon dioxide emissions and pollution, but has recently begun to diversify its energy resources by establishing various renewable energy initiatives. This new strategy has involved new domestic policies that make important adjustments to the conventional fossil-fuel economic model. The main question addressed in this study is the following: What are the drivers that make a rentier state such as the U.A.E. adopt new policies to encourage alternative energy sources, given that its oil reserves are secured for almost the next 50 years? The study argues that current dynamics in the U.A.E. cannot be explained by rentier state theory but can be described as a post-rentierism moment, a phenomenon that did not emerge from a vacuum and will not last long. It is a transitional stage and a turning point in the complex development of a country that trying to use and benefit from the available opportunities and overcome any challenges. The results indicate that the adoption of new renewable energy policies by a pioneering rentier state such as the U.A.E. can best be explained by the policy transfer approach, at two levels: domestic growth policy and environmental consciousness and responsibility

Treatment of chronic pain associated with nocturnal bruxism with botulinum toxin. A prospective and randomized clinical study

To evaluate the role of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) in the treatment of pain associated with nocturnal bruxism. Fifty subjects reporting nocturnal bruxism were recruited for a randomized clinical trial. Twenty five bruxers were injected with botulinum toxin in both masseters, and twenty five were treated with traditional methods of treating bruxism. Patients were evaluated at 3rd week, 2nd and 6th month and one year after injection and then used to calculate bruxism events. Bruxism symptoms were investigated using questionnaires. Mean pain score due to Bruxism events in the masseter muscle decreased significantly in the botulinum toxin injection group A (P =0.000, highly significant). However, in the conventional treatment group, mean pain score does not show improvement with time (p>0.05). Our results suggest that botulinum toxin injection reduced the mean pain score and number of bruxism events, most likely by decreasing the muscle activity of masseter rather than affecting the central nervous system

E-Government in the United Arab Emirates: A Study of the Abu Dhabi Government Contact Centre

In this current age of information technology (IT), electronic government (e-government) has transformed the interaction between the government and the citizens. To make this transformation contextually and locally relevant, this research examines the efficiency of e-government in Abu Dhabi by undertaking a case study of the efficiency of the electronic contact channels at the Abu Dhabi Government Contact Center (ADGCC). It, also, identifies the challenges faced by the ADGCC and provides recommendations to overcome the challenges accordingly. The study model for this research is developed by reviewing the key concepts related to the implementation of the e-government. The primary research is conducted by surveying the opinions of fifty-eight ADGCC agents. Through survey results, the efficiency and effectiveness of the e-channels are assessed. Study findings demonstrate that all e channels are performing efficiently, indicating contact time efficiency, response time efficiency, and comparative response time efficiency, especially in comparison to the phone efficiency. Email is found to have the highest outcome efficiency as compared to other channels observed in the analysis. In terms of effectiveness, it was observed that the two mediums, ‘City Guard’ and email, are those that achieve the highest customer satisfaction. The gaps identified by this study through applying its model are ‘employee training’ (under the organizational theme), ‘system integration’ (under technological theme), and ‘citizen awareness’ and ‘citizen training’ (both under the social theme). Finally, recommendations are added in relation to these gaps, as well as for achieving higher efficiency and effectiveness in the e-channels that may improve ‘smart e-government’ in Abu Dhabi

Modernity Aspirations: The Struggle of Qatari Male Public High School Students to Become Successful Academically

The small Gulf nation of Qatar, despite its vast oil and gas wealth, suffers from a lack of human capital, particularly with respect to deficits in academic outcomes. Despite extensive investment in education, Qataris, and in particular Qatari boys, are still underperforming relative to international standards and relative to its wealth. In this dissertation I explored political, economic, and sociological approaches to investigate factors contributing to the underperformance of male Qatari students. Specifically, I have examined how male Qatari high school students internalize social values and economic and political policies as “signals” that inform and are reflected in their attitudes towards education and learning. I have hypothesized that Qatari male students who perceive the economic entitlement signals, and who perceive wasta (social status) as a venue of success, and who lack civic engagement, will do worse academically. My research focused on Qatari males attending public high schools in Qatar, which are operated by the Ministry of Education, and examined their performance on national standardized tests. To investigate my research question, I conducted a quantitative study using an original survey instrument. The target population included a representative sample of Qatari high school students who were in grades 10, 11, and 12 in the public schools in Qatar. My analysis of the data found mixed results in which economic signals appear to be strongly associated with male academic performance. Furthermore, Qatari high school boys’ perceptions of the value of wasta was correlated with their achievement on test scores. Surprisingly, Qatari high school boys’ perceptions of civic engagement did not appear to associate with Qatari males’ academic underperformance

THE IMPACT OF PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP STYLES ON TEACHERS PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN JEDDAH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

This research aiming at investigating the impact of principals’ leadership styles on elementary school teacher’s performance in Jeddah city in (KSA). The current research utilized a quantitative method approach. The main instruments used in this study are questionnaires, and the teacher’s evaluation card. The population comprises all males and females at elementary school in KSA, particularly in Jeddah city. Thus, the researcher used a sample size of (200) female and male schoolteachers from elementary schools in Jeddah city. Collected data is entered and treated by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Based on data analysis and discussion of the collected data the researcher concluded with the following findings: Contingent reward leadership style is the top that practiced while individual consideration style has a strong positive impact on teachers' performance. Also, the study finds that gender as moderating factor has influenced on principal leadership style and vary due to gender differences. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommended to use transformational leadership style to enable principal to manage the rapid change and bring teacher on-board to the Saudi vision 2030. Furthermore, school principal should higher their level of education to motivate teachers toward creativity and innovation. JEL: I20, I21, H75  Article visualizations

Data Analytics Methods in Preventing Smuggling Drugs

For the final requirements of (MS) of Data Analytics, we have to work on a capstone project as a graduate student. In the capstone project, we have to implement the data mining techniques we have learned during the program. This capstone project focuses on illicit drugs smuggling, where drugs have a massive negative effect on the countries and individuals. Data mining techniques have been applied to the drug smuggling dataset that has been captured worldwide. The data mining approach used in this capstone project is an unsupervised approach focusing on clustering. Three types of clustering models have been used: k-means, medoid means, hierarchal clustering, and the three models have similar results

The role of the Muslim Brotherhood the post January 25 Egyptian political system

This thesis analyses the development of the Muslim Brotherhood since their creation until their fall from power in the 30th of June Uprising