bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On green planning and management of cellular networks in urban cities
Authors: Dawy Zaher
Published: November 2013

Energy is becoming a main concern nowadays due to the increasing demands on natural energy resources. Base stations (BS) consume up to 80% of the total energy expenditure in a cellular network. The energy-efficiency of the BSs decreases significantly at off-peak hours since the power amplifiers' energy-efficiency degrades at lower output power. Thus, power savings methods should focus on the access network level by trying to manipulate the BSs power consumption. This could be done by reducing the number of active elements (e.g., BSs) in the network for lower traffic states by switching some BSs off. In this case, network management should allow smooth transition between different network topologies based on the traffic demands. In this work, we evaluate a green radio network planning approach by jointly optimizing the number of active BSs and the BS on/off switching patterns based on the changing traffic conditions in the network in an effort to reduce the total energy consumption of the BSs. Planning is performed based on two approaches: a reactive and a proactive approach. In the proactive approach, planning will be performed starting with the lowest traffic demand until reaching the highest traffic demand whereas in the reactive approach, the reverse way is considered. Performance results are presented for various case studies and evaluated taking into account practical network planning considerations. Moreover, we present real planning results in an urban city environment using the ICS telecom tool from ATDI in order to perform coverage calculations and analysis for LTE networks.
Security-Smart-Seamless (Sss) Public Transportation Framework For Qatar Using Tv White Space (Tvws)
Authors: Nordin Rosdiadee
Published: November 2013

The present Qatarian government has a long term vision of introducing intelligent transport, logistics management and road safety services in Qatar. Studies have shown that the public transport system in Qatar, and Doha in particular, is developing, but is not yet as comprehensive as in many renowned world cities (Pernin et al., 2008; Henry et al., 2012). Furthermore, with hosting rights of FIFA 2022 World Cup being granted to Qatar, a seminar paper was recently discussed by 2030 Qatar National Vision aim at world-class transport system for Qatar which meets the requirements of the country's long term goal (Walker, 2013). The introduction of intelligent public transport system involves the incorporation of technology into transportation system so as to improve public safety, conserve resources through seamless transport hub and introduce smartness for maximum utility in public transportation. The aforementioned goals of 2030 Qatar National Vision can be achieved through TVWS technology. TVWS technology was created to make use of sparsely used VHF and UHF spectra bands as indicated in Figure 1. The project focuses on IEEE 802.22 to enhance the Security, Smart, Seamless (SSS) transportation system in Qatar as shown in Figure 2 below. It is sub-divided as: (i) Security- TVWS to provide surveillance camera in public bus and train system. The bus/train system will be fitted with micro-camera. The project will provide the city center management team the ability to monitor and track the public transportation system in-case of accident, terrorism and other social issues. (ii) Seamless-TVWS will be made available for anyone who can purchase a down/up converter terminal to access the internet services for free. The need for up/down converter arises because the current mobile devices operate in ISM bands, whereas TVWS operates in VHF/UHF bands. (iii) Smart-The city center management can seat in their office and take control of eventuality. If there is such a project in the past, it might be using satellite technology. We are all aware of the limitations of satellite technology such as round delay trip. (iv) Novelty- Spectrum sensing by using Grey prediction algorithm is proposed to achieve optimal result. From academic point of view, Grey prediction algorithm has been used in predicting handoff in cellular communication and in stock market prediction, with high prediction accuracy of 95~98% (Sheu and Wu, 2000; Kayacan et al. 2010). The proposal methodology is as shown in Figure 3. Wireless Rural Area Network (WRAN) with cell radius varies from 10 - 100 km leaning towards macro cell architecture. Hence, the roll-out will require less base station infrastructure. In addition, the VHF-UHF bands offer desirable propagation qualities when compared to other frequency bands thereby ensuring wider and reliable radio coverage.
Computation Of Magnetizations Of …Co][Co_(1-C)Gd_C]_L ][Co]_L [Co_(1-C)Gd_C ]_L [Co… Nanojunctions Between Co Leads, And Of Their Spin Wave Transport Properties
Authors: Khater Antoine
Published: November 2013

Using the effective field theory (EFT) and mean field theory (MFT), we investigate the magnetic properties of the nanojunction system...Co][Co_(1-c)Gd_c]_l ][Co]_l [Co_(1-c)Gd_c ]_l [Co... between Co leads. The amorphous ][Co_(1-c)Gd_c]_l ] composite nanomaterial is modeled as a homogeneous random alloy of concentrations "c" on an hcp crystal lattice, and "l" is the number of its corresponding hcp (0001) atomic planes. In particular, EFT determines the appropriate exchange constants for Co and Gd by computing their single-atom spin correlations and magnetizations, in good agreement with experimental data in the ordered phase. The EFT results for the Co magnetization in the leads serve to seed the MFT calculations for the nanojunction from the interfaces inward. This combined analysis yields the sublattice magnetizations for Co and Gd sites, and compensation effects, on the individual nanojunction atomic planes, as a function of the alloy concentration, temperature and nanojunction thicknesses. We observe that the magnetic variables are different for the first few atomic planes near the nanojunction interfaces, but tend to limiting solutions in the core planes. The EFT and MFT calculated exchange constants and sublattice magnetizations are necessary elements for the computation of the spin dynamics for this nanojunction system, using a quasi-classical treatment over the spin precession amplitudes at temperatures distant from the critical temperatures of $Co_{1-c}Gd_c$ alloy. The full analysis in the virtual crystal approximation (VCA) over the magnetic ground state of the system yields both the spin waves (SWs) localized on the nanojunction, and also the ballistic scattering and transport across the nanojunction for SWs incident from the leads by applying the phase field matching theory (PFMT). The model results demonstrate the possibility of resonance assisted maxima for the SW transmission spectra owing to interactions between the incident SWs and the localized spin resonances on the nanojunction. The spectral transmission results for low frequency spin waves are of specific interest for experimentalist, because these lower frequency SWs correspond to submicroscopic wavelengths which are of present interest in experimental magnonics research and the VCA is increasingly valid as a model approximation for such frequencies. Fig.1: Calculated spin variables sigma_Co and sigma_Gd, in the first layer of [Co_(1-c}Gd_(c)]_2[Co]_2[Co_(1-c}Gd_(c)]_2 layer nanojunction as a function of kT in meV. Fig.2: The total reflection R and transmission T cross sections associated with the scattering at the nanojunction for the cobalt leads SW modes 1, 2, with the selected choices of incident angle (phi_z, phi_y). Acknowledgements: The authors acknowledge QNRF financial support for the NPRP 4-184-1-035 project.
In investigation into the optimal usage of social media networks in international collaborative supply chains
Authors: Backhouse Christopher
Published: November 2013

Social Media Networks (SMNs) are collaborative tools used in an increasing rate in many business and industrial environments. These are often used in parallel with dedicated Collaborative Technologies (CTs) which are specifically designed to handle dedicated tasks. Within this research project the specific area of supply chain management is the focus of investigation. Two case studies where CTs are already extensively employed have been conducted to evaluate the scope of SMN usage and to confirm the particular benefits provided and to identify limitations. The overall purpose being to provide guidelines on joint CT/SMN deployment in developing supply chains. The application of SMNs to supply chain operations is fundamental to addressing the emerging need for increased P2P (peer-to-peer) type communication. This type of communication is between individuals and is typified by increased relationship type interaction. This is in contrast to traditional B2B (business-to-business) communication which is typically conducted on a transactional basis especially where it is confined by the characteristics of dedicated CTs. SMNs can be applied in supply chain networks to deal with unexpected circumstances or problem solving, capture market demands and customer feedback, and in general provide a medium to react to unplanned events. Crucially, they provide a platform where the issues can be addressed on a P2P basis in the absence of confrontational, transactional type interactions. The case studies reported in this paper concern EU based companies, one being a major national aluminium profile extruder, the second being a bottling plant for a global soft drinks manufacturer. In both cases the application of CTs to their supply chains is well established. However whilst both companies could readily identify the strengths of their CT systems (information and data sharing, data storage and retrieval) they could also identify limitations. These limitations included the lack of real time interaction at a P2P level and, interestingly, the lack of a common language used between different CT systems in B2B communication. Overall, the comments of the case study companies was that the SMN provided valuable adjuncts to existing CT systems, but that the SMNs were not integrated with the CT systems. There was a strongly perceived need for a better understanding of the contrasting and complementary capabilities of CTs and SMNs so that in future fully integrated systems could be implemented. Future work in this area will focus on the development of guidelines and procedures for achieving such complementarity in international collaborative supply chains.
High order spectral symplectic methods for solving PDEs on GPU
Authors: Aleksic Branislav
Published: November 2013

Efficient and accurate numerical solving of partial differential equations (PDE) is essential for many problems in science and engineering. In this paper we discuss spectral symplectic methods with different numerical accuracy on example of Nonlinear Schrodinger Equation (NLSE), which can be taken as a model for versatile kinds of conservative systems. First, second and fourth order approximation have been observed and reviewed considering execution speed vs. accuracy trade off. In order to utilize the possibility of modern hardware, the numerical algorithms are implemented both on CPU and GPU. Results are compared in sense of execution speed, single/double precision, data transfer and hardware specifications.
On faults and faulty programs
Authors: Jaoua Ali
Published: November 2013

Abstract. The concept of a fault has been introduced in the context of a comprehensive study of system dependability, and is defined as a feature of the system that causes it to fail with respect to its specification. In this paper, we argue that this definition does not enable us to localize a fault, nor to count faults, nor to define fault density. We argue that rather than defining a fault, we ought to focus on defining faulty programs (or program parts); also, we introduce inductive rules that enable us to localize faults to an arbitrary level of precision; finally, we argue that to claim that a program part is faulty one must often make an assumption about other program parts (and we find that the claim is only as valid as the assumption). Keywords. Fault, error, failure, specification, correctness, faulty program, refinement. Acknowledgement: This publication was made possible by a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund NPRP04-1109-1-174. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the QNRF.
An ultra-wideband RFIC attenuator for communication and radar systems
Authors: Nguyen Cam
Published: November 2013

Attenuators are extensively employed as an amplitude control circuit in communication and radar systems. Flatness, attenuation range, and bandwidth are typical specifications for attenuators. Most attenuators in previous studies rely on the basic topologies of the Pi-, T-, and distributed attenuators. The performance of the Pi- and T-attenuators, however, is affected substantially by the switch performance of transistors, and it is hard to obtain optimum flatness, attenuation range, and bandwidth with these attenuators. The conventional distributed attenuator also demands a large chip area for large attenuation ranges. We report the design of a new microwave/millimeter-wave CMOS attenuator. A design method is proposed and implemented in the attenuator to improve its flatness, attenuation range, and bandwidth. It is recognized that the Pi- and T-attenuators at a certain attenuation state inherently has the insertion-loss slope increasing as the frequency is increased. This response is owing to the off-capacitance of the series transistors. On the other hand, the distributed attenuators can be designed to have the opposite insertion-loss slope by shortening the transmission lines. The reason is that short transmission lines causes the center frequency be shifted higher. The proposed design method utilizes the two opposite insertion-loss slopes and is implemented for the Pi-, T-and distributed attenuators in a cascade connection. Over 10-67 GHz, the measured results exhibit attenuation flatness of 6.8 dB and attenuation range of 32-42 dB.
Multiphase production metering: Benefits from an Industrial data validation and reconciliation approach
Authors: Manson Simon
Published: November 2013

Multiphase production metering - Benefits from an Industrial Data Validation and Reconciliation approach Simon Manson, Mohamed Haouche, Pascal Cheneviere and Philippe Julien TOTAL Research Center-Qatar at QSTP - DOHA, Qatar Contact: simon.manson@total.com Context and objectives TOTAL E&P QATAR (TEPQ) is the Operator of AL-Khaleej offshore Oil field under Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with Qatar Petroleum. AL-Khaleej field is characterised by a high water Cut (ratio of water over the liquid), which classifies the field as mature. Operating this field safely and cost effectively requires a large involvement of cutting-edge technologies with a strict compliance with internal procedures and Standards. Metering's main objective is to deliver accurate and close to real-time production data from online measurements, allowing the optimization of the operations and the mitigation of potential HSE-related risks. Solution The solution tested by TEPQ is based on a Data Validation and Reconciliation (DVR) approach. This approach is well-known in hydrocarbon downstream sector and power plants. Its added value lies mainly in the automatic reconciliation of several data originating not only from the multiphase flow meters but also from other process parameters. The expected result of this approach is an improvement of data accuracy and increased data availability for operational teams. A DVR pilot has been implemented in the AL-Khaleej field for multiphase flow determination. It performs automatically online data acquisition, data processing and the daily reporting, thanks to a user friendly user interface. Results The communication intends to present the latest findings obtained from the DVR approach. A sensitivity analysis has been performed to highlight the impact of potentially biased data on the integrated production system and on the oil and water production rates. These findings are of high importance for trouble-shooting diagnostic, to identify the source (instruments, process models, etc.) of a malfunction and to define remedial solutions. Oil and water production data, with their relative uncertainties are presented to illustrate the benefits of the DVR approach in challenging production conditions. Conclusions The main benefits from the DVR approach and its user interface lies mainly on the time saving in data post-processing to obtain automatically reconciled data with better accuracy. In addition, thanks to its error detection capability the DVR facilitates troubleshooting identification (alarming).
Dynamic and static generation of multimedia tutorials for children with special needs: Using Arabic text processing and ontologies
Authors: Dandashi Amal
Published: November 2013

We propose a multimedia-based learning system to teach children with intellectual disabilities (ID) basic concepts in Science, Math and daily living tasks. The tutorials' pedagogical development is based on Mayer's Cognitive Learning Model combined with Skinner's Behaviorist Operant Conditioning Model. Two types of Arabic tutorials are proposed: (1) Statically generated tutorials, which are pre-designed by special needs instructors, and developed by animation experts. (2) Dynamically generated tutorials, which are developed using natural language processing and ontology building. Dynamic tutorials are generated by processing Arabic text, and using machine learning to query the Google engine and generate multimedia elements, which are automatically updated into an ontology system and are hence used to construct a customized tutorial. Both types of tutorials have shown considerable improvements in the learning process and allowed children with ID to enhance their cognitive skills and become more motivated and proactive in the classroom.
Conceptual reasoning for consistency insurance in logical deduction and application for critical systems
Authors: Elloumi Samir
Published: November 2013

Reasoning in propositional logic is a key element in software engineering; it is applied in different domains, e.g: specification validation, code checking, theorem proving, etc. Since reasoning is a basic component in the analysis and verification of different critical systems, significant efforts have been dedicated to improve its efficiency in terms of time complexity, correctness and generalization to new problems support (e.g., SAT- Problem, Inference-Rules, inconsistency detection, etc.). We propose a new Conceptual Reasoning Method for an inference engine in which such improvements will be achieved by the combination of the semantic interpretations of a logical formula and the formal concept analysis mathematical background. In fact, each logical formula is mapped into a truth table formal context and any logical deduction is obtained by Galois connection. More particularly, we combine all truth tables into a global one which has the advantage of containing the complete knowledge of all deducible rules or, possibly, an eventual inconsistency in the whole system. A first version of the new reasoning system was implemented and applied for medical data. Efficiency in conflicts resolutions as well as in knowledge expressiveness and reasoning were shown. Serious challenges related with time complexity have been faced out and still more improvements are under investigation. "Acknowledgement: This publication was made possible by a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund NPRP04-1109-1-174. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the QNRF."
Quantifying The Cybersecurity Of Cloud Computing As A Mean Failure Cost
Authors: Murtada Nahla
Published: November 2013

Quantifying the Cybersecurity of Cloud Computing as a Mean Failure Cost
Integrated methodological framework for assessing urban open spaces in Doha from inhabitants' reactions to structured evaluations
Authors: Salama Ashraf M. , Khalfani Fatma , Al-Maimani Ahood , Wiedmann Florian
Published: November 2013

The current fast track urban growth is an important characteristic of the emerging city of Doha. However, very few studies have addressed several important growth aspects, including the examination of the way in which the inhabitants comprehend and react to their built environment and the resulting spatial experience. The availability of attractive open spaces is an essential feature of a liveable urban environment, for the inhabitants of cities and urban areas. Such importance is sometimes oversimplified when making decisions about land-use or discussing the qualities of the built form. As a city characterized by rapid development, urban open spaces in Doha are scattered around from its peripheries to its centre. Varying in form, function, and scale, some spaces are often located within enclave developments, or within larger urban interventions, while others represent portions of spaces with dense urban districts or open waterfronts. The objective of this paper is to investigate different parameters relevant to the qualities of the most important urban open spaces in the city. It adopts a multi-layered research methodology. First, a photo interview mechanism was implemented where 100 inhabitants reacted to imagery and the spatial qualities of twelve urban open spaces. Second, a walking tour assessment procedure was applied to assess the functional, perceptual and social aspects of these spaces. Results indicate correlations between inhabitants' reactions and assessment outcomes pertaining to positive and demerit qualities. Conclusions are developed to offer recommendations for improving existing spaces while envisioning responsive parameters for the design of future urban open spaces.
University roots and branches between ‘glocalization’ and ‘mondialisation’: Qatar's (inter)national universities
Authors: Powell Justin J.W.
Published: November 2013

As in many parts of the world, the tertiary education sector in Qatar is growing rapidly, viewed as key to national development on the path to the “knowledge society”. The states of the Islamic world, with a significant but long-obscured past of scientific achievement, are witnessing a contemporary renaissance. The establishment of international offshore, satellite or branch campuses in the Arabian Gulf region emphasizes the dynamism of higher education development there: more than a third of the estimated hundred such university campuses worldwide exist there. Within the context of extraordinary expansion of higher education and science in this region, Qatar presents a valuable case of university development to test the diffusion of an emerging global model not only in quantitative, but also in qualitative terms. With an abbreviated history of several decades, Qatar's higher education and science policies join two contrasting strategies. These contrasting strategies are prevalent in capacity building attempts worldwide: (1) to match the strongest global exemplars through massive infrastructure investment and direct importation of existing organizational ability, faculty, and prestige, and (2) to cultivate native human capital through development of local competence. Thus, university-related and science policy making on the peninsula has been designed to directly connect with global developments while building local capacity in higher education and scientific productivity. Ultimately, the goal is to establish an “indigenous knowledge economy”. To what extent has Qatar's two-pronged strategy succeeded in building such bridges? Does the combination of IBCs and a national institution represent a successful and sustainable path for the future of higher education and science in Qatar — and for its neighbors?
Abuse of volatile substances
Authors: Anser Layachi
Published: November 2013

ملخص بحث تعاطي المواد الطيارة البروفيسور العياشي عنصر وآخرون يتمثل الهدف الرئيسي لهذه الدراسة في التعرف على مدى انتشار تعاطي المواد الطيارة أو "المستنشقات" بين المراهقين في دولة قطر. ويتفرع عن هذا الهدف الرئيسي مجموعة من الأهداف الفرعية. وقد انطلقت الدراسة من مجموعة من التساؤلات الرئيسية مثل: ما هي الخصائص الديموغرافية والاجتماعية لمتعاطي المواد الطيارة. ما الذي أوصلهم إلى تعاطي هذه المواد الطيارة. أين ومتي يتعاطون هذه المواد. ما هي شدة الإقبال عليها، وما طول فترة التعاطي بين المراهقين. ثم ما مدى وعي المراهقين بأضرار هذه المواد على صحتهم الجسمية والنفسية. اعتمدت الدراسة على منهج المسح الاجتماعي الذي يعتبر من أشهر مناهج البحث وأكثرها استخداماً في الدراسات الوصفية، وربما يعود ذلك إلى كونه من أقدم الأساليب التي اعتمد عليها البحث الاجتماعي. كما يعود ذلك إلى ما يوفره من بيانات كثيرة ومعلومات دقيقة، فضلا عن كونها مستقاة من الواقع الفعلي للناس. يتكون مجتمع الدراسة من طلاب وطالبات المرحلتين الإعدادية والثانوية في المدارس المستقلة التابعة للمجلس الأعلى للتعليم في مختلف مناطق الدولة. كانت عينة البحث عشوائية طبقية (Stratified Random Sample) لأنها المناسبة أكثر لمجتمع الدراسة الذي يضم مراهقين من مرحلتين دراسيتين مختلفتين ومن الذكور والإناث. وقد جرى استخدام الاستبيان كأداة لجمع البيانات وبلغ عدد الاستبيانات التي تم تطبيقها في بداية الدراسة 1223 استبيان، وبعد التدقيق جرى استبعاد 25 استمارة لعدم صلاحيتها، وبذلك كان العدد النهائي 1198 استمارة، 2/3 منها من الذكور. توصلت الدراسة إلى مجموعة من النتائج المهمة منها على سبيل المثال: أن نسبة المراهقين المتعاطين بلغت 15.94% من إجمالي العينة البالغة 1198 مراهق، 55% منهم من الذكور و45% من الإناث،، ويمثل القطريون ثلثين منهم، فيما يمثل غير القطريين الثلث الآخر. أما بالنسبة لمتغير العمر فكانت أعلى نسب التعاطي بين المراهقين الذين تتراوح أعمارهم بين 13-18 سنة وبلغت 87% من جملة المتعاطين. يمثل المراهقون في المرحلة الثانوية حوالي ثلثي مجموعة المتعاطين بنسبة 63.4% مقابل الثلث تقريبا من المرحلة الإعدادية 36.6% من مجموع الطلاب المتعاطين البلغ عددهم 191 مفردة. كما كشفت النتائج أن نسب المتعاطين أعلى في المناطق ذات الكثافة السكانية مثل بلدية الدوحة و بلدية الريان، ثم تأتي بعد ذلك المناطق الأقل كثافة سكانية مثل أم صلال، والوكرة والخور بنسب ضعيفة. وأظهرت النتائج أن 50% من المتعاطين تناولوا هذه المواد لأقل من سنة، و16.7% تعاطوا لسنة أو سنتين، ثم 12.5%% من ثلاث إلى أربع سنوات، وأخيرا 14.6% تعاطوا لفترة خمس سنوات فأكثر. ومن النتائج المهمة التي بينتها الدراسة أن البنزين الصناعي ومشتقاته أكثر المواد الطيارة انتشاراً بين المراهقين المتعاطين حيث بلغت نسبة المتعاطين 53.4%، يليه طلاء الأظافر بنسبة 12%، ثم الصمغ بنسبه 8.9% بينما كانت المواد الأخرى أقل استعمالا. أما بالنسبة لأماكن التعاطي، فأظهرت النتائج أن الشارع يأتي في المقدمة، يليه المنزل، ثم المدرسة. وتختلف أماكن التعاطي عند الإناث عن الذكور، حيث تتعاطى الإناث في المنزل بالدرجة الأولى، بينما يحتل الشارع الرتبة الأولى لدى الذكور. الكلمات المفتاحية: تعاطي- المواد الطيارة- المستنشقات- المراهقون- التأثيرات الصحية
The relationship and influence of personality dimensions on job stress among academic administrators at a research university
Authors: Desa Asmawati
Published: November 2013

Academic administrators are an important group of people that hold multiple administrative positions in addition to their teaching responsibilities, which increases their workload. Ignoring their well-being could be detrimental to the individual as well as to the organization as a whole. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship and the influence of personality dimensions on job stress in a sample of 120 (65 females and 55 males) academic administrators from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. All participants were asked to complete The University Administrative Concern (Rasch 1986) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised Short-Version (EPQR-S) (1985). Analysis of the data involved both descriptive and inferential statistics including Pearson's correlation coefficients and Mutiple Regression was used to determine the influence of personality on job stress. Results showed that 40% of the subjects experienced low stress level, 53.3% moderate and only 6.7% high level. The results revealed that there is a meaningful positive correlation between job stress and psychoticism (r=0.17) and neuroticism (r=0.38), and a meaningful negative correlation was found between job stress and extraversion (r= - 0.26) and lie (r= - 0.25). However, only two of the personality traits which were neuroticism and lie scale showed as good predictors of the level of job stress experienced by the academic administrators. The findings from this study provided some knowledge and understanding of the impact of administrative service on job stress experienced by academic administrators, which are crucial for implementing stress reduction strategies, because stress may reduce motivation and decrease in job performance especially in teaching.
Citizenship and integration in the understanding of the contemporary Dawa / المواطنة والاندماج في فقه الدعوة المعاصرة
Authors: Nehela Basyouny
Published: November 2013

Citizenship and integration in the understanding of the contemporary Dawa المواطنة والاندماج في فقه الدعوة المعاصرة تعتبر الدعوة الإسلامية -بمفهوم نشر المبادئ وإصلاح المجتمعات- عِلما قائما بذاته. يقوم الأكاديميون المتخصصون فيه بوضع القواعد والأسس والنظريات التي تعمل على ضمان جودة الأداء الدعوي وفاعليته، واستمرارية تطويره- على قاعدة الركائز الشرعية الثابتة- بما يناسب التطورات والأحداث المعاصرة. ومن هذا المنطلق كان لزاما أن يكون للدعوة فهمها، وتحليلها، وتوصياتها، ودوافعها تجاه الموضوعات المطروحة على ساحة الفكر الإسلامي المعاصر، خاصة الموضوعات التي تمس حركة الدعوة، وتؤثر على عملية انتشارها بشكل مباشر، كموضوع المواطنة والاندماج. سواء كان ذلك في محيط المجتمعات الإسلامية التي تقتضي من الدعاة واجب الإصلاح والإرشاد، أو كان ذلك في مجتمعات غير المسلمين التي يهاجر أو ينتقل إليه أتباع هذه الدعوة. فتاريخ الدعوة يبين أن من أهم أسباب انتشارها واتساع رقعتها كان لحركة الدعاة وانتقالهم إلى أوطان العالم واندماجهم البناء مع شعوبها، فمنهم من استوطن، وجعل هذه البلاد مقاما له حتى الممات، ومن خلال مكارم أخلاقهم، ونبل تعاملهم، وصدق انتمائهم، سرت روح الدعوة، وتحقق أثرها الفعال في شعوب هذه الأوطان؛ فانتقل كثير منهم إلى الإسلام على نفس المنوال الذي من خلاله وصلتهم رسالته. ومنهم من قرر التعايش والانتماء إلى هذه الشعوب لحينٍ، استطاعوا من خلاله تأدية واجب الدعوة في المواطنين، وتحميلهم مهمة البلاغ والبيان. ولم تكن هذه المواطنة أو الاندماج إلا وفق غاية معلومة، وفقه واضح، ومصالح منشودة، وأهداف مرسومة. والدعوة في العصر الحاضر لا يمكن لها أن تقوم بواجب الإصلاح وتطوير المجتمعات، أو أن تحقق الانتشار المرجو في ربوع الأرض، والتأثير الفاعل في الأمم والشعوب المتعطشة لروح الإسلام وجوهره، إلا إذا ما استعاد أفرادها فقه المواطنة المصحوب بدافع الدعوة، وروح الانتماء، وحققوا الاندماج الإنساني العام المصحوب بصالح البشرية ونهضة المجتمعات. إذ لا يمكن تبليغ الدعوة، وتحقيق أهدافها في إصلاح الأرض وعمارتها، ودعاتها في معزل وانكماش عن الواقع، لا يحيطون بظروفه ولا يدركون معالمه، أو وهم يرون أنفسهم غير الناس، فليس عليهم ما على الناس، وليس لكل الناس ما لهم. إنما لابد من إيجاد قواسم التواصل واللقاء بين الدعوة ومدعويها، على اختلاف المشارب والأماكن والأزمان، وأقل ذلك الشعور الدافئ بالمواطنة الكاملة بأرض الدعوة، والرغبة الصادقة في الاندماج مع المدعوين. وهذه الدراسة تهدف إلى وضع فقه دعوي يتناول ماهية وأهمية المواطنة والاندماج في الدعوة المعاصرة، وذلك من خلال دراسة التاريخ والواقع، كما تنشد وضع الضوابط والقواعد الدعوية التي تبنى عليها المواطنة الصالحة والاندماج المثمر، وبيان صفات الدعاة وخصائصهم عند القيام بواجب المواطنة، أو أخذ الخطى نحو الاندماج المؤثر. وعلى هذا يأمل الباحث أن تأتي خطة الدراسة كالآتي: تمهيد ومقدمة المبحث الأول: المقصود بالمواطنة والاندماج في فقه الدعوة المبحث الثاني: أهمية تحقيق المواطنة والاندماج في فقه الدعوة المبحث الثالث: مواصفات المواطنة والاندماج في فقه الدعوة المبحث الرابع: ضوابط وآداب المواطنة في فقه الدعوة النتائج والتوصيات
An interdisciplinary approach to study Qatari traditional architecture
Authors: Mahgoub Yasser
Published: November 2013

This paper presents the findings of an Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) research project funded by Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF). This interdisciplinary research project brings together architecture and sociolinguistics students and faculty members to develop a socio-cultural understanding and interpretation of the structures, designs, and physical dimensions of traditional elements employed by the members of the traditional society of Qatar from two complementary perspectives. The focus of this study is on identifying the multiple meanings and physical representations associated with elements of architecture, exemplified in the case of Qatari traditional architecture. These multiple meanings are dealt with from both architectural and multimodal discursive perspectives. The rationale behind this interdisciplinary approach is the fact that these two approaches are complementary to each other. This is because architecture spaces and elements act as a field and context where peoples' practices and activities take place, Hence, these practices are intricately interwoven with the architectural, i.e. structural and design, peculiarities of the individual spaces. One hundred Qatari traditional elements were selected for the purpose of this investigation within a framework of multimodal analysis. This approach takes into consideration the multiple modes through which meanings are constructed, i.e. building materials, structures and shapes of buildings, types of people who are entitled to use a particular building, activities that are organized around a space, to mention just a few. The project offers the opportunity to undergraduate students and faculty members from diverse disciplines to collaborate in an interdisciplinary research project, and thus to benefit from each other's background knowledge, ideas, and skills. The study recommends that this multidisciplinary approach be applied in undergraduate, postgraduate and other scholarly research pertaining to the study of traditional architecture and urban heritage. It proved to provide a better understanding and to serve as a strong motivation for students to engage themselves in research than an unidisciplinary approach.
Grey theory-based MCDM model for auditing firm selection problem in Qatar
Authors: Faisal Mohd Nishat
Published: November 2013

The purpose of this study is to develop a decision making model based on the grey relational analysis for auditing firm selection. The auditing firm selection is a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) problem that is affected by quantitative and qualitative factors, some of which may conflict with each other. Since most of the input information is not known accurately, selecting the right auditing firm becomes more difficult. Grey theory is one of the new mathematical methods used to analyze systems with uncertain and incomplete information. In this research, using a multi-criteria decision making approach, the grey system theory has been used to capture the complexity inherent in auditing firm selection process. A comprehensive literature review is carried out to arrive at the most important criteria for selecting an auditing firm and the alternatives considered are the big four auditing firms. Then with the help of decision makers in Qatar, the weight and rating of criteria for all alternatives are described by linguistic variables that can be expressed in grey number. This is followed by proposed grey possibility degree to determine the ranking order of all alternatives. Finally, the best auditing firm is proposed based on their grey ranking. The novelty of the approach lies in its consideration of the of multiple criteria simultaneously for the selection of an auditing firm. The proposed model is expected to serve as an to aid top management and chief financial officers in their decision of selection of an auditing firm.
Visualizing life in Qatar through the lens of twitter
Authors: Weber Ingmar
Published: November 2013

In this interactive poster (a set of public web demos) we present insights into the socio-cultural activity in Qatar as seen on Twitter. Our starting point is the identification of around 70,000 active Twitter users that are, either permanently or temporarily, based in Qatar. This identification is done using a number of features such as (i) the self-stated location, (ii) the geo-tagged position of tweets from geo-enabled mobile devices, and (iii) a large amount of interest (= following) in local Twitter accounts such as @dohanews (“Doha News”), or @qatarevents (“I love Qatar”). Comparing to estimates from the Arab Social Media Report compiled by the Dubai School of Government we are confident that our sample includes the majority of active Twitter users in Qatar. For this user population we regularly obtain all their public tweets using the public Twitter API and annotate them with geographic co-ordinates (if the tweets comes from a mobile device) and with the language used. Language detection is performed using state-of-the-art libraries which work well for most cases but still fail for the comparatively small number of Tweets in Arabizi or other transliterated languages. The first demo visualizes the variation in language usage in different parts of Qatar in general and Doha in specific. Whereas English dominates in West Bay, Arabic dominates in less urban areas and Tagalog, the main Philippine language, is very prominent in the Industrial Area. This simple analysis already illustrates potential applications for more systematic social science studies. The second demo visualizes the “pulse of the city” and allows the user to select a day of the week, time of the day and language of interest. Areas that are more or less active than expected are highlighted which provides insights into where people live, work or are actives on weekends. For the last demo, we manually compiled topical lists of words related to topics such as traffic, sports, shopping, religious activities and references, family and friends, and work. These lists are translated to English, Arabic and Tagalog, the main languages in our data set. The user then has the option to see areas with an increased activity either in time (e.g. mosques for religion) or in space (e.g. Aspire for sports). We believe that this exploratory, interactive study shows promising potential for large scale demographic studies as well as for survey-type analysis to get insights into the worries and concerns of large parts of the populations. Though the Twitter population is clearly not a representative sample of the offline population, a bias could potentially be corrected by weighting different members in the sample differently. For example, older users or Indian workers, two groups that are underrepresented in our current data, could be given additional weight. We hope that our interactive presentation will initiate conversations and spark new ideas on how to use Social Media for social science research.
The effects of a book-based program on literacy development of Arab children learning English as a second language
Authors: Al-Maadheed Fatma
Published: November 2013

Studies on effective instructional strategies for developing biliteracy skills have been limited. Investigation of child biliteracy acquisition across cultures and contexts have even a lesser share in the literature. This article reports a study which explored how a shared reading program can develop aspects of children's second language reading. The study focused on the potential gains of sharing big books and modelling reading behaviour (shared reading)and using guided reading on young second langue learners (7-10 years of age) . The areas of potential development were reading accuracy and reading comprehension of L2 texts. 36 children of Arabic L1 were divided into two groups : an experimental group and a control group. The intervention lasted for four weeks. Children in the experimental group read graded children's books with the researcher in small groups . The control group were given no intervention apart from their regular ESL classes. Statistical analysis of children's attainment at pre- and post- tests of the two measures show that the children in the experimental group developed significantly compared to the control group. Although it is acknowledged that the intervention was not compared to another instructional program; the significance of the study lays in emphasising the role of direct instruction in the teaching of L2 reading in child SLA.
Towards Measures Of Well-Being For Qatar
Authors: Leete Richard
Published: November 2013

Traditionally countries looked at measuring well-being in terms of income growth. But size and growth of GDP reflects aggregate economic performance and is not necessarily a good measure of individual or national well-being â€• low income groups may not always benefit â€• and increasing GDP growth is unsustainable if depleting the natural resource base. International policy focus now shifting to measuring well-being of individuals and nations and quality of lives of individuals and populations. New and innovative methods to monitor well-being and happiness are being devised by international agencies, some countries, as well as NGOs and private sector. National well-being is now being understood and measured through many dimensions of people's lives, attitudes and aspirations using traditional and non-traditional data sources. The paper will provide a background on the evolving international focus on measures of well-being, including the approaches of UNDP, Stiglitz, government of the UK, Legatum Institute, OECD, BCG and Gallup/Silatech, and make the case for developing a well-being index for Qatar. It will touch on Qatar's new Social Prosperity Index and present the methodology and results of new measures of well-being for Qatar in the domains of health, education and environment
Home-Based Business: A Growing Phenomenon
Authors: Al-Subaie Maryam , Al-Thani Maryam , Al-Muftah Abdulrahman
Published: November 2013

During the last five years there has been an upsurge in the number of home-based businesses in Qatar. This research investigates the reasons behind the sudden surge in home businesses, the support they receive from organizations such as Bedaya, Social Development Center and Roda Center as well as the future of home-based businesses in Qatar. Many young entrepreneurs in the country have noticed an absence in the market for businesses that sell desserts (cupcakes more specifically), fashion accessories and abayas. Creating a home-based business was one way of seizing this opportunity and meeting the market demand, at minimal start-up costs and reduced risk. Interviews were conducted with three centers that provide career and entrepreneurship guidance as well as seven home-based businesses that have been operating for at least a year. The research showed that Bedaya, Social Development and Roda Centers played predominant roles in the rise of popularity in this type of business. The advancements in social media have also made it very easy for aspiring entrepreneurs to reach out to customers at relatively low costs. The growth of home-based businesses in Qatar is an undocumented phenomenon. The study increases the awareness of home-based business in the country and is a research platform for further investigation in the field.
Volatility Spillover Between Oil And Agricultural Commodity Markets
Authors: Al-Maadid Alanoud
Published: November 2013

Globally, instability in the energy market is quickly reflected in the food market. Therefore, there exists a direct relationship between oil and food. This study adopts variance in causality tests on daily data from 01 January 1986 to 7 June 2012 in order to identify the causality of the food price crisis. The data is divided into three sub-periods: the pre-crisis period (01 January 1986 to 31 December 2005), the crisis period (01 January 2006-31 December 2008) and the post crises period (01 January 2009 - 7 June 2012). See figure1 The first part of the causality in variance analysis adopts the newly developed Hafner and Herwartz (2006) approach. It uses both univariate GARCH and the multivariate GARCH-BEKK model introduced by Engle and Kroner (1995) to analyse volatility spillover effects of the food crisis on the selected agricultural commodity markets (wheat, corn, soybeans, and sugar). In the multivariate analysis volatility spillovers have been taken into account by including a dummy variable in the conditional variance specification. The results show that the persistence of the volatility doesn't change significantly during and following the food price crisis. The second part of the causality in variance analysis uses a Granger test to determine whether the oil market influences the agriculture market, or vice versa. The test results show that while there is no risk of transmission between oil and the selected agricultural commodity markets (wheat, corn, soybeans, and sugar) in the pre-crisis period, during the crises the agriculture market's volatility - with the exception of wheat - spills into the oil market. After the crises, only the soybean market spills over to the oil market, while there is no effect in the other markets. This paper aims to foster an awareness and understanding of national food security issues. This understanding builds a knowledge-based society and helps policymakers make strategic plans that can be tailored to the unique challenges and resources of the region. It promotes innovation, discovery and economic diversification by using the newly developed multivariate garch model thereby showing that the dynamics of volatility transmission change significantly before, during, and after a food price crisis. During the crisis, risk transmission emerged as another dimension of the dynamic interrelationships between energy and agricultural markets.
Valuating single payment entitlements: Spain
Authors: Caballer V. , Guadalajara N. , Poza E. de la
Published: November 2013

This paper attempts to develop a valuation method for estimating the market value of the single payment system (SPS) entitlements in the community agricultural policy (CAP) reform. These entitlements are a new agricultural intangible asset which is not linked to land and has a similar financial performance to bonds. After applying the PERT method, which was applied to the inherent risk involved in valuing fixed income assets, and specifically to the uncertainty of CAP after 2013, this methodology is applied to estimate the average value of entitlements in Spain.
The use of soft faeces for the prediction of the caecal contents concentration of Clostridium perfringens in relation with epizootic rabbit enteropathy
Authors: Romero C. , Nicodemus N. , García Ruiz A.I. , Ibáñez M.A. , Blas J.C. de
Published: November 2013

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the use of Clostridium perfringens concentration in soft faeces (CPsf) as predictor of C. perfringens proliferation in the caecal contents (CPc) and the development of epizootic rabbit enteropathy (ERE). In Exp. 1, 44 rabbits weaned at 28 or 42 days were used. Animals were fed a commercial diet, not supplemented with antibiotics. Nine days after weaning, rabbits were fitted neck collars from 08:00 to 12:00 am. Afterwards, they were slaughtered and both their soft faeces excretion and caecal contents were sampled in order to determine the concentration (cfu/g) of C. perfringens. In Exp. 2, 38 rabbits weaned at 31 days of age, followed the same procedure to determine the evolution of C. perfringens counts in soft faeces up to 48 days of age. A total of 15 animals showed ERE symptoms. In both experiments, diseased animals presented a greater (P