The structure of employee compensation in Saudi Arabia : the case of chemical and petrochemical industries

This study examines the wage differentials and wage discrimination among employees in the chemical and petrochemical industries in Saudi Arabia. The context of segmentation is discussed through a detailed examination of the distinct features of the Saudi labour market, with a special emphasis on the Saudisation labour policy that reflects government intervention in the labour market. Under the Saudisation labour policy, the government compelled private firms to attract Saudi nationals to join their services and to secure them permanent jobs. The present study discusses how this policy has distorted the structure and function of the Saudi labour market from both the demand and supply side perspectives. Due to the lack of official data on the Saudi labour market and the restrictions by the Statistics Law in Saudi Arabia on access to any cross-sectional data, a purpose designed cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of six hundred Saudi and non-Saudi workers in these industries. Simple statistical analyses of the survey returns have revealed substantial differences in the pay and working conditions between Saudi and non-Saudi workers across a number of personal characteristics, such as levels of education, occupation, years of working experience and marital status. Regression analyses have further confirmed the significant differences in the effects of supply side factors on the monthly earnings on Saudi and non-Saudi workers. Using the Oaxaca-Blinder technique to measure and to decompose differences in average monthly earnings between Saudis and non-Saudis in the chemical and petrochemical industries, the study reveals that the aggregate earnings differentials between the two groups of workers is 62.6% in favour of Saudi workers, while the explained portion of the earnings differential between the two groups of workers is estimated at 3%, and the unexplained portion is calculated at 97%, which indicates a significant level of discrimination in the chemical and petrochemical industries. This study provides an original and systematic attempt at examining wage differentials and wage discrimination with emphasis on the sources of segmentation in the Saudi Arabian labour market between indigenous and migrant workers. It contributes to bridging the gap in the studies on wage differentials and the labour market's segmentation in Saudi Arabia with a hope that the economic reforms that have started in the country will consider such issues to reform its labour market policy

Color Image Encryption Using LFSR, DNA, and 3D Chaotic Maps

One of the most important challenges facing researchers is to find new methods to protect data sent over the Internet and prevent unauthorized access to it. In this paper, we present a new method for encrypting image data divided into two stages. The first stage requires redistributing the positions of the pixels by using a key of random numbers generated by linear feedback shift registers and then encrypting the data using deoxyribonucleic acid rules. The data generated in the previous stage is encrypted again using chaotic maps to increase the level of security in the second stage. Several statistical tests were implemented to verify the efficiency of the proposed method and compare the results with the work of other researchers. The results of the tests proved a reasonable safety rate compared to other techniques

Inappropriate use of antibiotics in the treatment of pharyngo-tonsilitis in children in Khartoum, Sudan

Background: Pharyngo-tonsillitis represents a major public health problem all over the world. Recent studies in Sudan have revealed alarming results reporting antibiotics over prescription in the management of acute tonsillitis.Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Group A Beta hemolytic streptococci and document the appropriateness of using antibiotics in the treatment of acute tonsillo-pharyngitis in Jaafar Ibn Auf Pediatrics Hospital.Materials and Methods: A cross sectional hospital based study was conducted in the period January to August 2012 in Jaafar Ibn Auf Hospital, the largest tertiary pediatrics hospital in Sudan. The sample size was 100 including children aged 2-17 years and got antibiotics treatment for their current sore throat. A pharyngeal swab was collected at presentation from tonsils and posterior pharynx. Gram staining was done first, and then Group A Beta hemolytic streptococci were isolated and identified in the laboratory by their growth characteristics. All children included in the study were assessed clinically and subjected to a structural questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 19.Results: The estimated prevalence of Group A Beta hemolytic streptococci tonsillitis and/or pharyngitis was 22%, nevertheless the proportion of antibiotic prescription was 100%.Conclusion: Most children were treated inappropriately regarding the need for using antibiotics, the type of antibiotics used and the duration of management. As many studies suggested that increased using of antibiotics may be due to uncertainty of diagnosis, requesting scoring system or rapid diagnostic test can contribute to the reduction of the rate of antibiotics prescription.Keyword: Pharyngo-tonsillitis, inappropriate, children, antibiotics, Suda

Development of Transportation Master Plan Rafah Governorate, 2030

4.1 Design Criteria 9 4.1. 1 Roadway Sections 9 4.1. 2 Intersections 12 4.1. 3 Off-Street Parking Areas (Taxi stations) 13 4.1. 4 The Level of Service (LOS) 13 4.1. 5 Warrants for the use of traffic signals 14 4.2 Planning Horizon 15 4.3 Transportation Modeling 1

Clustering the dominant defective patterns in semiconductor wafer maps

Identifying defect patterns on wafers is crucial for understanding the root causes and for attributing such patterns to specific steps in the fabrication process. We propose in this paper a system called DDPfinder that clusters the patterns of defective chips on wafers based on their spatial dependence across wafer maps. Such clustering enables the identification of the dominant defect patterns. DDPfinder clusters chip defects based on how dominant are their spatial patterns across all wafer maps. A chip defect is considered dominant, if: (1) it has a systematic defect pattern arising from a specific assignable cause, and (2) it displays spatial dependence across a larger number of wafer maps when compared with other defects. The spatial dependence of a chip defect is determined based on the contiguity ratio of the defect pattern across wafer maps. DDPfinder uses the dominant chip defects to serve as seeds for clustering the patterns of defective chips. This clustering procedure allows process engineers to prioritize their investigation of chip defects based on the dominance status of their clusters. It allows them to pay more attention to the ongoing manufacturing processes that caused the dominant defects. We evaluated the quality and performance of DDPfinder by comparing it experimentally with eight existing clustering models. Results showed marked improvement

A new natural pyrrolone from the Egyptian Ageratum species

Ageratum conyzoides L., is an annual herb with a long history of traditional medicinal uses in many countries in the world, especially in the tropical and subtropical regions. A wide range of chemical compounds including alkaloids, flavonoids, chromenes, benzofurans and terpenoids have been isolated from this species. Extracts and metabolites from this plant have been found to possess pharmacological and insecticidal activities. In continuation of our interest in the Egyptian medicinal plants, the reinvestigation of the methylenechloride extract of the air-dried aerial parts of Ageratum conyzoides afforded a new natural compound 1, pyrrolone, 5-ethoxy-1H-pyrrol-2(5H)-one, together with a known flavonoid. The structures of the compounds were determined by comprehensive NMR studies, including DEPT, COSY, HMQC, HMBC, and MS

Perceptions and Expectations of Medical Students towards the Quality of Educational Services offered at A Sudanese University: How Far is the Gap?

Background: Students are the primary customers of high education service, and are becoming more aware of their consumer rights and of gaps between their expectations of service delivery and the reality of services.Objective: of this study was to investigate medical students’ perceptions and expectations of educational services quality at X University in Sudan.Methods: One hundred ninety six registered medical students in the academic year 2013- 2014, were enrolled; sample was collected through convenience sample technique. The study was conducted by the use of Modified SERVQUAL questionnaire. SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis.Results: There was a negative mean score for quality gap in all dimensions of service quality. Students perceived tangibles as quality indicators of the service quality at university, and expect universities to have modern-looking equipment, so that staff can provide efficient service to them. There was a strong student concern about teaching staff promises regarding timetables and exam schedules to be fulfilled on time, which indicated the area of most concern amongst the respondents (gap score – 1.94). A clear communication problem regarding service delivery was inferred, as students perception towards solving their problems was very low (gap score -1.91).Conclusion: students’ perceptions of services delivered by X University falls below their expectations; that indicates student’s dissatisfaction. This large gap constitutes a great challenge to the administrators and educational policy makers, who are recommended to consider students feedback as a quality indicator in the quality assurance process.Keywords: medical student, quality education, Sudan

Properties of Recycled Aggregate in Concrete and Road Pavement Applications

This paper highlights the results of the performed testing program which aimed at investigating the possibility of utilizing the recycled crushed aggregates of the construction and demolition wastes (CDW) in engineering applications in Gaza Strip. The characteristics of the crushed aggregates were determined and compared to international standards. The reuse alternative is investigated in concrete mixes and road construction throughout the testing program. Eight representative samples were selected from different locations in Rafah and Khan Younis. A Technical team supervised the collection process, crushing, transporting, handling and testing program. In general, the test results showed that the recycling of the CDW aggregates and its use in both concrete and road sub-base give acceptable results. Most of the characteristic test results were within the standard limits. The results of the tests that concern road applications were good and verified the adequacy of materials. The results of the tests for concrete applications were also desirable and proved that these materials, CDW, could be used in some concrete applications. The values of the CBR ratio at 100% were 186.6 for demolition samples and 186.1 for crushed concrete samples. Comparably with the CBR of the local base course that is ranged between 100 and 130, the CBR values were high due to the large quantity of cementious materials, and achieved the minimum required value (80) for base course at 100% compaction according to AASHTO (T180-D) and (T 193). A local concrete mix design was used for testing CDW use in concrete . This mix gave a compressive strength of about 250 kg/cm2 of compressive strength at 28 days at water to cement ratio of 0.6 and 290 kg cement content. The results of the testing program of the recycled CDW were above expectations and showed, to some extent, good indications. Two testing labs were used to prepare and test the samples. Most tests at 7 and 28 days, showed high results compared to the control samples of natural materials. The results of the compressive strength of all samples at the same water to cement ratio were close to each other