104,137 research outputs found
The design and engineering of innovative mobile data services: An ontological framework founded on business model thinking
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This research investigates mobile service design and engineering in the mobile telecommunications industry. The mobile telecommunication business is shifting from one that was voice-centric to one that is almost all data-centric; thanks to recent rapid advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The underlying reasons behind this shift can be traced back to two main issues that are interlinked. The first and major reason is that telecoms (telecommunication companies) are trying to generate new revenue streams based on data and information transmissions, given the saturation of the voice market. This is rational given the market opportunities in one direction and the pressures being generated by the current economic downturn from the other direction. The second reason relates to the flexibility of data, compared to voice. Indeed, the number of services that can be developed on the basis of data are much greater than those that can be developed on the basis of voice. However, the design and engineering of successful and innovative mobile data services has proven to be a complex undertaking. The number of effective mobile data services is relatively small and the revenue generated from such offerings has generally been below expectations. This research develops an ontological framework to help in changing this situation, and making mobile services engineering more effective and successful, following the design-science research paradigm.
Design-science research, in general, aims to solve unstructured but relevant organizational or social problems through the development of novel and useful artefacts. As the current research aims to help in solving the mobile data services engineering dilemma by developing a purposeful ontological framework, the design-science research paradigm is deemed fitting. Within this paradigm, the author develops a novel design approach specified for ontology engineering, termed “OntoEng”. This design approach is used in this research for developing the ontological framework.
The developed ontological framework is founded on business model thinking. The idea is that creating innovative mobile data services requires developing innovative business models. Indeed, innovative business models can help translate technological potential into economic value and allow telecoms to achieve their strategic objectives. The ontological framework includes the development of an ontology, termed “V4 Mobile Service BM Ontology” as well as “Mobile Key Value Drivers” for designing and engineering innovative mobile data services. The V4 Mobile Service BM Ontology incorporates four design dimensions: (1) value proposition including targeting; (2) value architecture including technological and organizational infrastructure; (3) value network dealing with aspects relating to partnerships and co-operations; and finally (4) value finance relating to costs, pricing, and revenue structures. Within these four dimensions, sixteen design concepts are identified along with their constituent elements. Relationships and interdependencies amongst the identified design constructs are established and clear semantics are produced. The research then derives six key value drivers for mobile service engineering as follows: (a) Market Alignment; (b) Cohesion; (c) Dynamicity; (d) Uniqueness; (e) Fitting Network-Mode; and (f) Explicitness.
The developed ontological framework in this research is evaluated to ensure that it can be successfully implemented and performs correctly in the real world. The research mainly utilizes case analysis methods to ensure the semantic correctness of the ontological framework. Indeed, the developed ontological framework is employed as an analytical lens to examine the design and engineering of three key real-life cases in the mobile telecommunications industry. These cases are: (1) Apple’s iPhone Services and Applications; (2) NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode Services; and (3) Orange Business Services. For further validation, the developed ontological framework is evaluated against a set of criteria synthesized from ontology engineering and evaluation literature. These criteria are: Clarity; Coherence; Conciseness; Preciseness; Completeness; and Customizability.
The developed ontological framework is argued to make significant contributions for theory, practice, and methodology. For theory, this research provides (1) a novel ontological framework for designing and engineering mobile data services; (2) a unified framework of the business model concept; and (3) a new design approach for ontology engineering in information systems. For practice, the current research provides practitioners in the telecommunications industry with systematic and customizable means to design, implement, analyze, evaluate, and change new and existing mobile data services to make them more manageable, effective, and creative. For methodology, the use of the design- science research paradigm for ontology engineering signifies the focal methodological contribution in this research given its novelty. This research also contributes to the understanding of the design-science research paradigm in information systems as it is relatively new. It provides a working example in which the author illustrates how recognizing design-science research as a paradigm is essential and useful to the research in information systems discipline
Prediction performance of RO desalination plants
No full textThe present work will describe how a complete mixing model can be used to predict RO plant performance. Operating data for Manfouha RO plants were used to check on the validity of the values obtained from the proposed model. Good agreement was obtained. Discussions of the field data for Manfouha RO plant will be presented.Corresponding Author:
Prof. Ibrahim S. Al-Mutaz, Professor
Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Saud University,
P.O. Box 800, Riyadh-11421, Saudi Arabia.
Email: [email protected]
Maktabat Al Muthanna Baghdad Feb-May 1962
No full textOn the same date, Ali Al-Mansouri issued an official financial statement confirming that the Al-Khanji Foundation owed a total of 11.375.أصدر علي المنصوري بيانًا ماليًا رسميًا بتاريخ 25 نيسان 1962 يُفيد بأن مؤسسة الخانجي مدينة بمبلغ إجمالي قدره 11,375
Qilādat al-jawāhir fī dhikr al-Ghawth al-Rifāʻī wa-atbāʻih al-akābir
No full textA book on Sufism on the Rifa'i way, in which the author collects virtues, conditions, dignity, sayings, behavior, method, and the realizations of the truth of Sheikh Ahmed Muhyi al-Din Abu al-Abbas al-Kabeer al-Rifa'i. Furthermore, the user talked about the widespread support he receives from his followers and the key aspects of his method
Production of unleaded Gasoline in Riyadh Oil Refinery
No full textDue to the health consequences of lead exposure and the wide use of catalytic
converters many countries were forced to reduce the lead content in the gasoline
toward the complete elimination of lead additives in motor gasoline. Leaded gasoline
is a major source of human lead exposure. By reducing gasoline lead content,
airborne lead emissions and blood lead levels can be reduced. Evidently, lead is
considered as a harmful pollutant.
A growing number of countries have seen a successful transition to unleaded
gasoline. In the United States, lead was completely eliminated from all US motor
gasoline since 1990.Almost all Western European countries had reduced the lead
contents in gasoline to 0.4 gm/liter since 1986. A further reduction to 0.15 gm/liter
was planned. In Japan about 96% of the gasoline pool is already lead-free.
There are some operational changes that can be done for immediate reduction of lead
concentration of gasoline. These changes require no capital investment. For further
reduction of lead, installations of new refinery units and/or modifications of the
existing ones are required. In this paper, the production of lead-free gasoline from
Riyadh oil refinery will be discussed. Operational changes, installation of new
processes as well as the blend of octane enhance compounds will be considered.Corresponding Author:
Prof. Ibrahim S. Al-Mutaz, Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Saud University P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia. Email : [email protected]
The continued challenge of capacity building in desalination
No full textDesalination has become a major source of fresh water almost everywhere. The best choice for providing fresh water in the Middle East and North Africa, especially in the Arabian Gulf countries, was through seawater desalination with ground water as back up. Desalination in the Arabian Gulf countries is an example of the fast growth of the desalination industry. It is expected to show a steady growth in the coming years. Existing plants will experience expansions in their capacities. New plants will be constructed. The long experience of the Arabian Gulf countries in the desalination field together with massive desalting capacities represent a continued challenge in capacity building. More efforts in training for desalination technology are needed, together with human resources management, planning, academic education and research. A capacity-building program is necessary not only to improve the operation and maintenance of existing desalination plants but also to build an integrated adoption of this sustainable technology in the region. This paper will focus on discussing the need and necessity of research in desalination by reviewing possible improvement of the current desalination processes regarding lower water production cost, better utilization of energy, environmental aspects, etc. A training program for desalination technology to enhance human resources and expertise via academic education and research is outlined
Hybrid RO MSF: a practical option for nuclear desalination
No full textChemical Engineering Dept., College of Engineering, King Saud
University, PO Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi ArabiaHybrid RO MSF desalination combines the advantages of the high
desalting performance of distillation processes and lower energy requirement of
membrane processes. It allows better match between power and water
requirements and enables better utilization of the power generated from MSF
into the RO. Hybrid RO MSF can lead to an optimized feedwater temperature
of the RO plant since is possible to use cooling seawater from the reject stage
of the MSF plant as feed to RO plant. Higher feed temperature is advantageous
for the RO plant since water flux of the membrane is about 2.5% higher per
degree temperature rise at a fixed pressure.
Various RO MSF combinations coupled with nuclear power plant were studied.
The optimum hybrid RO MSF scheme will be reviewed in order to illustrate the
considerable gain of this option. The potential advantages of RO MSF hybrid
desalination systems with nuclear plant will be discussed. The appropriate
combinations depend on the local conditions and power/water requirements.
The required power to water ratio and product water quality is among the
important factors determining the particular RO MSF schemes to be used
Potential of nuclear desalination in the Arabian Gulf countries
No full textArabian Gulf countries are located in an arid area with limited water resources. Hydrological investigations point
to large resources of underground water, but they are saline and need to be desalted. The best choice for providing
fresh water in the Arabian Gulf countries is through seawater desalination with ground water as a back up. About 65%
of desalination plants that are in operation worldwide are located in the Arabian Gulf counlries, most of which are the
dual-purpose multistage flash (MSF) plants, producing power and water. Reverse osmosis (RO) is used mainly for
brackish water treatment and a limited number of multiple effect distillation (MED) plants are used in the Arabian
Gulf countries. The use of nuclear desalination is practically essential in these countries where massive quantities of
water are desalinated and there is a fast increase in power demand. There is no technical impediment to the use of
nuclear reactors for supply of either heat or electricity or both to a desalination plant. However, the cost effectiveness
of nuclear desalination is a site dependent matter. The type of desalination process and the size and type of the nuclear
reactor have to be determined based on the specific site data. MSF plants are considered as energy intensive processes
where energy cost is a major controlling parameter in the overall cost of desalination. Oil price fluctuations affect the
cost of desalted water significantly, whereas nuclear power offers long term availability of indigenous fuel as well as
long term fuel price stability. It has minimal environmental impact compared with other conventional desalination
processes. This paper will discuss the potential of application of nuclear desalination in the Arabian Gulf countries.
Various processes will be reviewed and most appropriate method selected.Corresponding Author:
Dr. Ibrahim S. A1-Mutaz
Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
Email: [email protected]
Distinguishing damages from two earthquakes —Archaeoseismology of a Crusader castle (Al-Marqab citadel, Syria)
No full textDamages from two major earthquakes are identified in medieval Al-Marqab citadel (Latin: Margat) in coastal Syria. Built by the Order of St. John (Hospitallers) in the twelfth–thirteenth centuries, the hilltop fortification has masonry walls made with and without mortar, using the opus caementum technology (Roman concrete). V-shaped and U-shaped failures, single-corner and symmetrical corner collapses, and in-plane shifts of ashlar masonry walls are identified and dated by historical and archaeological methods. The azimuth of displacement is NE-SW for the older
damages of the Crusader period (A.D. 1170–1285), possibly related to the A.D. 1202 earthquake. A later, NW-SE displacement occurred during the Muslim period (post-
1285). The 1202 earthquake produced at least VIII intensity on the MSK scale at Al-Marqab, which is higher than previously considered
Ash-Shuo'a" the UNDIVIDED by Imam Omar Bin Abdulaziz Al-Boukhary in the Hanafi School
No full textThis research treating a study and investigation of the book titled "Ash-Shuo'a" THE UNDIVIDED by Imam Omar Bin Abdulaziz Al-Boukhary in the Hanafi school. It contains an Introduction and two chapters, the introduction displays the reasons for choosing the research title, it's important, the previous studies, its objectives, its methodology and the abstract. The first chapter: the theoretical contains two themes. The first identify the author, the second identify the investigated book. The second chapter: the investigation which includes the methodology followed in the investigation of manuscript, the photos and the investigation of the book. Finally, I have showed the most important results and recommendations. Also, I mentioned the index of resources and references used in study and investigation
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