No / This paper examines the issues and challenges faced by Qatar, a developing Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country, when localising established professional skills development strategies used in developed countries. The paper is based on the synthesis of viewpoint formed through the collective practical experiences of the authors. The paper posits that Qatar, a nation that is striving to move from an economy heavily reliant on oil and gas and the skills and competencies of foreign professionals to one that is knowledge driven and managed by its own citizens, needs to consider several micro, macro and policy level implications for implementing a meaningful professional skills development agenda. The unique demographic context as well as value and belief systems that are influenced by the social-cultural environment play a significant role in influencing the implementation of any performance assessment and management and the development of professional skills in the country.

Abstract This research explores social entrepreneurship within the Islamic context through a number of perspectives. While there has been plenty of scientific research on social entrepreneurship during the last decades, non-Western settings are largely missing from academic research. Nevertheless, social entrepreneurship is also practiced in non-Western nations, no less so in the GCC countries. This research explores the multifaceted nature of social entrepreneurship within the Islamic GCC context through three qualitative research papers. The strong role and influence of social entrepreneurship was seen as the connecting theme between these three papers. Social entrepreneurship comes in many shapes and sizes and is visible at many levels of organization. Nation states display it as do even wider, shared belief systems. The multifaceted nature of social entrepreneurship is revealed when approached from several perspectives. The first paper approaches it from a social and commercial perspective, utilizing a case study method. The second paper is a conceptual paper that approaches social entrepreneurship from a more religious and philanthropic perspective by focusing on zakat. In the third paper, social entrepreneurship is studied from the perspective of leadership and state using a historical case study. The findings of these three papers reveal that the interaction between the different functions of social entrepreneurs is both complex and multifaceted. One of the reasons for this is that the boundaries within which the social entrepreneurs operate are highly multidimensional. The Islamic context encompasses both institutional entrepreneurship and Islamic philanthropy, and sees them as essential and often also inseparable parts of it - perhaps even more so than in a Western context. This research shows that the state has a strong supporting role in social entrepreneurship and even acts as social entrepreneur. Thus, in the Islamic context, the effects of social entrepreneurship (through zakat institutions) actually foster the interaction and spread of social entrepreneurs, institutional entrepreneurs and Islamic philanthropists across multiple institutional spheres. / Tiivistelmä Tässä väitöskirjassa tutkitaan sosiaalista yrittäjyyttä islamilaisessa kontekstissa useasta eri perspektiivistä. Vaikka viimeisten vuosikymmenten aikana on tehty paljon akateemista tutkimusta sosiaalisesta yrittäjyydestä, tutkimus länsimaiden ulkopuolisisissa konteksteissa on ollut hyvin vähäistä. Siitä huolimatta sosiaalista yrittäjyyttä on harjoitettu myös muualla kuin länsimaissa, kuten myös Persianlahden arabivaltioissa, GCC maissa. Tämä tutkimus käsittelee sosiaalisen yrittäjyyden monitahoista ilmentymää islamilaisissa GCC maissa kolmen kvalitatiivisen artikkelin kautta. Sosiaalisen yrittäjyyden vahva rooli ja sen erilaiset vaikutukset ovat yhdistävä teema näissä kolmessa artikkelissa. Sosiaalinen yrittäjyys ilmenee monessa eri muodossa ja eri kokoisissa yrityksissä ja sen vaikutus on nähtävissä useissa organisaation eri tasoissa. Sosiaalista yrittäjyyttä on havaittavissa myös valtiotasolla ja jopa suuremmissa uskomuskunnissa. Sosiaalisen yrittäjyyden monitahoisuus ilmenee, kun sitä lähestytään useasta perspektiivistä. Ensimmäinen artikkeli lähestyy tätä ilmiötä sosiaalisesta ja kaupallisesta perspektiivistä hyödyntäen tapaustutkimusta tutkimusmenetelmänä. Toinen tutkimusartikkeli on käsitteellinen tutkimus, joka lähestyy sosiaalista yrittäjyyttä enemmän uskonnollisesta ja filantropisesta lähtökohdasta keskittymällä zakat-käsitteeseen. Kolmannessa artikkelissa sosiaalista yrittäjyyttä tutkitaan johtamisen ja valtiotason näkökulmista historiallisen tapaustutkimusmenetelmän avulla. Tutkimuksen tulokset paljastavat, että vuorovaikutus sosiaalisten yrittäjien eri toimintojen välillä on sekä monimutkaista että monitahoista. Yksi selitys tälle on, että rajapinta jonka puitteissa sosiaaliset yrittäjät toimivat, on erittäin moniulotteinen. Institutionaalinen yrittäjyys ja islamilainen filantropia ovat erottamaton osa sosiaalista yrittäjyyttä islamilaisessa kontekstissa, ehkä jopa suuremmassa määrin kuin länsimaisissa konteksteissa. Tämä tutkimus osoittaa että valtiolla on vahva avustava rooli sosiaalisessa yrittäjyydessä ja valtio voi jopa käyttäytyä sosiaalisen yrittäjän tavoin. Täten sosiaalisen yrittäjyyden vaikutus islamilaisessa kontekstissa (zakat-instituution kautta) vahvistaa sosiaalisten yrittäjien, institutionaalisten yrittäjien ja islamilaisten filantrooppien vuorovaikutusta ja vaikutusvallan leviämistä yli instituutiorajojen.

Les systèmes critiques, parmi lesquels les systèmes embarqués construits autour d'un microprocesseur mono-cœur exécutant un logiciel d'application, ne sont pas à l'abri d'interférences naturelles ou malveillantes qui peuvent provoquer des fautes transitoires. Cette thèse porte sur des protections qui peuvent être implantées pour détecter les effets de telles fautes transitoires sans faire d'hypothèses sur la multiplicité des erreurs générées. De plus, ces erreurs peuvent être soit des erreurs de flot de contrôle soit des erreurs sur les données. Une nouvelle méthode de vérification de flot de contrôle est tout d'abord proposée. Elle permet de vérifier, sans modifier le système initial, que les instructions du programme d'application sont lues sans erreur et dans le bon ordre. Les erreurs sur les données sont également prises en compte par une extension de la vérification de flot de contrôle. La méthode proposée offre un bon compromis entre les différents surcoûts, le temps de latence de détection et la couverture des erreurs. Les surcoûts peuvent aussi être ajustés aux besoins de l'application. La méthode est mise en œuvre sur un prototype, construit autour d'un microprocesseur Sparc v8. Les fonctions d'analyse de criticité développées dans le cadre de la méthodologie proposée sont également utilisées pour évaluer l'impact des options de compilation sur la robustesse intrinsèque du logiciel d'application. / Critical systems, including embedded systems built around a single core microprocessor running a software application, can be the target of natural or malicious interferences that may cause transient faults. This work focuses on protections that can be implemented to detect the effects of such transient faults without any assumption about the multiplicity of generated errors. In addition, those errors can be either control flow errors or data errors. A new control flow checking method is first proposed. It monitors, without modifying the original system, that the instructions of the microprocessor application program are read without error and in the proper order. Data errors are also taken into account by an extension of the control flow checking. The proposed method offers a good compromise between overheads, latency detection and errors coverage. Trade-offs can also be tuned according to the application constraints. The methodology is demonstrated on a prototype built around a Sparc v8 microprocessor. Criticality evaluation functions developed in the frame of the proposed methodology are also used to evaluate the impact of compilation options on the intrinsic robustness of the application software.

This thesis attempts to answer the question ‘What e-democracy strategy, if any, is most suitable for Bahrain?’. Based on a qualitative case study for the country, an e-Democracy strategy is synthesised and presented in this thesis. The literature review includes the forms, ideals and values of democracy. The researcher supports and argues for the assertion that any attempt to implement e-Democracy must not undermine the basic values and ideals of democracy. In the review on Islam and democracy, the author argues that Islam is not against democracy. However it is asserted that e-Democracy implementation must consider the cultural and religious context of Bahrain. The process of democratisation and how it is taking place in Bahrain and Gulf countries are also discussed. A strategy formulation framework is adopted after reviewing literature on how to formulate a strategy. E-Government strategies of reading players in the e-Government are reviewed with an objective of learning lessons prior to formulating e-Democracy strategy. The literature review on e-democracy helped to understand the theory and practice of e-Democracy elsewhere in the world and identify issues that required further investigation. The issues identified from the literature were investigated using empirical data. Data from multiple sources were collected and analysed. The methods included interviews, focus groups and analysis of documents. The results confirm that most of the issues identified as part of the literature review are relevant to the case under investigation. However, there were issues that were not present in the literature. This includes the need to consider democracy’s human, social and cultural aspects as well as factors pertaining to the political divide in Bahrain. This, if not tackled properly, may pose some challenges to the implementation of e-Democracy. The results also disprove the assumption held by the government of Bahrain, as well as by the researcher at the beginning of the study, that e-voting is a more plausible type of e-democracy than other forms. The author adapts and presents an e-Democracy model for Bahrain based on Chadwick and May (2003) along with the e-Democracy strategy for Bahrain. The author also argues that the model and the strategy can be tailored to use in other GCC countries. The study fills a gap in the literature, namely the lack of e-democracy studies pertaining to the Middle East. It also provides a framework and lessons for other countries in the region for the creation of an e-democracy strategy.

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC) are running the main 132kV power transmission grids in the Sultanate of Oman. In the year 2001, PDO and OETC grids were interconnected with a 132kV Over head transmission line linking Nahada 132kV substation at PDO's side to Nizwa 132kV sub-station at OETC's side. Since then the power exchange between PDO and OETC is driven by the natural impedances of the system and the frequency and power exchange is controlled by manually re-dispatching the generators. In light of the daily load profile and the forecasted Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states electrical interconnection, it is a great challenge for PDO and OETC grids operators to maintain the existing operation philosophy. The objective of this research is to investigate Automatic Generation Control (AGC) technology as a candidate to control the grid frequency and the power exchange between PDO and OETC grid. For this purpose, a dynamic power system model has been developed to represent PDO-OETC interconnected power system. The model has been validated using recorded data from the field which has warranted the requirement of refining the model. Novel approaches have been followed during the course of the model refining process which have reduced the modelling error to an acceptable limit. The refined model has then been used to assess the performance of different AGC control topologies. The recommended control topologies have been further improved using sophisticated control techniques like Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) and Fuzzy Logic (FL). Hybrid Fuzzy Logic Proportional Integral Derivative (FLPID) AGC controller has produced outstanding results. The FLPID AGC controller parameters have then been optimised using Multidimensional Unconstrained Nonlinear Minimization function (fminsearch) and Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) method. The PSO has been proved to be much superior to fminsearch function. The robustness of the LQR, the fminsearch optimized FLPID and the PSO FLPID optimized AGC controllers has been assessed. The LQR robustness found to be slightly better than the FLPID technique. However the FLPID supercedes the LQR due to the limited number of field feedback signals in comparison to the LQR. Finally, a qualitative assessment of the benefits of the ongoing GCC interconnection project on PDO and OETC has been done through modelling approach. The results proved that the GCC interconnection will bring considerable benefits to PDO and OETC but the interconnection capacity between PDO and OETC needs to be enhanced. However, the application of AGC on PDO and OETC will alleviate the PDO-OETC interconnection capacity enhancement imposed by the GCC interconnection.

This thesis presents a review of educational-escape-room literature followed by a design-oriented framework (the Snyder Escape Room Framework or SERF) and demonstrates the potential efficacy of escape-rooms in cybersecurity education. Several authors have proposed frameworks and guidelines for game and educational design regarding escape rooms. This work coalesces some of those ideas into a more substantial and comprehensive framework (SERF) that designers can use when developing educational escape rooms. The Snyder Escape Room Framework provides heuristics for goals and objectives, players, activities, context, trajectory design, and evaluation. Additionally, this work describes and analyzes the novel prototyped BYU GCC escape room experience and delves into some of what was successful and what could be improved. The first sessions of the experience were observed and documented, and an expert review was performed. Participants did not gain much confidence in learning new technology; however, they did increase their confidence in using new technology through the experience. Participants did indeed learn from the experience, however, participants focused more on team-related concepts gained from the experience rather than the cybersecurity concepts introduced through the escape-room activities. Based on overwhelming positive responses, participants seemed to enjoy performing the experience. The BYU experience is evaluated against the Snyder Framework as an example of how to use the framework while designing or as a tool for evaluating. Using this framework systemizes and catalogues design choices and implications on the room and provides an informed approach for refinement. Applying the Snyder Escape Room Framework to the BYU experience provides further insight beyond just an expert review, and the BYU experience is a novel example to use with SERF. SERF gives a vocabulary and set of heuristics that help designers zero in on important design decisions. Using the framework provides a well-defined set of attributes for discussing the BYU experience and helps clarify what went well with the room and what could be improved upon. This is especially helpful when iterating on room design. The nature of Snyder Framework and this work is that it is multidisciplinary and touches a wide array of related fields and topics. Of note, are the implications of this work on educational games. The SERF can be used as a resource when designing similar experiences while the analysis of the BYU experience based on the SERF provides an example of how the framework can be used for evaluation and iteration.

A compact cryptographic processor with custom integrated cryptographic coprocessors is designed and implemented. The processor is mainly aimed for IPSec applications, which require intense processing power for cryptographic operations. In the present design, this processing power is achieved via the custom cryptographic coprocessors. These are an AES engine, a SHA-1 engine and a Montgomery modular multiplier, which are connected to the main processor core through a generic flexible interface. The processor core is fully compatible with Zylin Processor Unit (ZPU) instruction set, allowing the use of ZPU toolchain. A minimum set of required instructions is implemented in hardware, while the rest of the instructions are emulated in software. The functionality of the cryptographic processor and its suitability for IPSec applications are demonstrated through implementation of sample IPSec protocols in C-code, which is compiled into machine code and run on the processor. The resultant processor, together with the sample codes, presents a pilot platform for the demonstration of hardware/software co-design and performance evaluation of IPSec protocols and components.

Le langage d'assignation statique unique, SSA, est l'une des représentations intermédiaires les plus communément utilisées dans les compilateurs industriels. Cependant l'intérêt de la communauté d'analyse statique de programmes est minime, un fait dû aux faibles fondations formelles du langage SSA. Cette thèse présente une sémantique dénotationelle du langage SSA, permettant des définitions formelles des analyses statiques du langage SSA en se basant sur les méthodes classiques de l'interprétation abstraite. D'un point de vue pratique, cette thèse présente l'implémentation des analyseurs statiques définis formellement dans un compilateur industriel, la Collection de Compilateurs GNU, GCC.

This diploma thesis discusses the implementation of a GCC target for the Texas Instruments TMS320C6000 DSP platform. To this end, it makes use of mechanisms offered by GCC for porting to new target architectures. GCC internals such as the handling of conditional jumps and the layout of stack frames are investigated and applied to the new architecture. / Diese Diplomarbeit behandelt die Implementierung eines GCC-Targets für die DSP-Plattform TMS320C6000 von Texas Instruments. Dazu werden Mechanismen genutzt, die GCC für die Portierung auf neue Zielplattformen anbietet. GCC-Interna, wie die Behandlung bedingter Sprünge und das Layout von Stack-Frames, werden untersucht und auf die neue Architektur angewendet.

This diploma thesis discusses the applicability of GCC optimization algorithms for the TI TMS320C6x processor family. Conditional and Parallel Execution is used to speed up the resulting code. It describes the optimization framework of the GCC version 4.0 and the implementation details. / Diese Diplomarbeit behandelt die Anwendbarkeit der verschiedenen GCC Optimierungsalgorithmen für die TI TMS320C6x Prozessorfamilie. Bedingte und parallele Ausführbarkeit werden zur Beschleunigung eingesetzt. Sie beschreibt den Rahmen in dem die Optimierungen in Version 4.0 des GCC stattfinden und Details zur Implementierung.