Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2010 Issue 1

Abstract In order to improve the browsing activity in a documentary database, we propose a conceptual approach for multi-level restructuring of categorized documents in a corpus. Starting from a manual and static organized corpus, based on the domain ontology, we derive new dynamically generated structures embedded in the static one. We use a conceptual recursive indexing method based on the selection of the minimal Read More

Abstract Despite the importance of literacy to employment and social well-being, the literacy rate of the visually impaired and deaf population is estimated to be quite low. Braille, the primary method of reading and writing for the blind, is a tactile system in which embossed dots representing letters and numbers can be read with the fingers. Similarly, the primary method of communication for the deaf is sign language. Sign la Read More

Abstract In this paper we propose a robust channel estimator for the downlink of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system using a highly selective neural network. This method uses the information provided by the reference signals to estimate the total frequency response of the channel in two phases. In the first phase, the proposed method learns to adapt to the channel variations, and in the second phase it predicts the chann Read More

Abstract The success and wide proliferation of wireless and mobile services places extreme pressure on the limited available wireless bandwidth. As this pressure continues to increase with smartphones, new services and users, the available bandwidth will not be able to sustain it, severely limiting the promise of computing on the move. Dynamic Spectrum Access networks (DSANs or sometimes known as Cognitive Radio Ne Read More

Abstract Constraint diagrams (CDs) are a graphical notation used for program specification. For the purposes of formal software specification using a visual method, Kent designed constraint diagrams as an intuitive approach to formally specify programs. This paper presents an experiment that evaluates the interpretation of constraint diagrams compared with natural language (NL) for understanding program specification state Read More

Abstract For advanced control, transfer function models are widely used and identification from step response is a common choice in process industries to obtain such models. Over the last decade, significant developments have taken place in the field of identification from step response using the so-called integral equation approach. However, these developments have not been included in the identification tools available Read More

Abstract Marine turtles are listed as endangered and they belong to Animal Kingdom phylum Chordata, class Reptilia and are descendants from early reptiles. Marine turtles are long-living and the females lay many eggs. Each year, thousands of hatchlings emerge from their nests along many coastlines across the world. Natural obstacles faced by young and adult sea turtles are numerous and on the increase, including n Read More

Abstract Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) has very active and well-established environmental and water research and development program. TAMUQ has recently founded the Qatar Sustainable Water and Energy Utilization Initiative (QWE) which is a center of excellence for open and cooperative research, and capacity building established to address the sustainable environmental, water and energy efficiency issu Read More

Abstract There has been growing interest for alternative fuels in aviation in the past three years. An alternative fuel can be defined by the triplet ‘feedstock-process-fuel’. Presently, the triplet with one of the highest technology readiness levels for gas turbine (GT) applications involves using natural gas in a Fischer-Tropsch thermo-chemical process to derive synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK). Generic Fischer-Tropsch fuels we Read More

Abstract Detecting and locating water leakages in underground water distribution pipes has been studied in this research activity. The importance behind this research is driven by the huge amount of lost water in buried water distribution systems. It is estimated that worldwide, approximately 48 billion m3 water is lost per year. The monetary value of this lost water is about USD 14.6 billion and this amount of water is sufficient Read More

Abstract At Texas A&M University at Qatar, the faculty, research staff, and students of the Petroleum Engineering Program are currently involved in and also planning for several research projects with four main objectives: improving productivity in Qatar's oil and gas fields; increasing the petroleum reserves of Qatar; developing a strong base of Qatari professionals; and preserving the environment. One of our major proje Read More

Abstract The Qatar Air Quality Modelling System (QAQM) was developed by Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Total Research Centre - Qatar (TRC-Q) to elucidate the causes of the high ozone levels in Qatar's lower atmosphere. Ozone formation is a complex phenomenon involving primary pollutants (nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds), solar radiation and local meteorological conditions. The pollutant's long lifetimes unde Read More

Abstract A wide range of natural processes, invasive plants and human activity have had a strong impact on the stability of the ecosystem, leading to the destruction of plants habitats and plant endangerment or even extinction. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, together with the Natural History Museum, London, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has revealed that the world's plants are as threate Read More

Abstract The design, analysis and optimization of cooperative/relaying communication systems have recently become a very active research area within both the information theory as well as communications engineering societies. It is now well understood that relaying strategies can improve the coverage of wireless networks by providing higher data rates or better transmission reliability to user terminals at the edge of a wire Read More

Abstract In the past decade, Qatar's population has experienced unprecedented growth. The country has nearly trebled in size, from 522,000 residents in 1997, to over 1,500,000 today. Of that total, 82% is said to live in the metropolitan area of Doha. As phenomenal as this growth may be, however, it is both environmentally and culturally unsustainable. Until now, the tendency has been to build in a speculative manner Read More

Abstract The current kerosene fuel used in aviation turbines is tightly controlled to a well defined specification. This fuel specification is a result of the past 50 years of simultaneous research and development between the aviation turbine industry, especially the combustion system, and kerosene jet fuel chemistry. Recently, there has been a ground swell of interest in alternative fuels for aviation, where the fuels can be Read More

Abstract In this pilot study, we show that a non-invasive technique, fecal analysis, can be used to positively identify diet contents in the spiny-tailed agamid lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis) in the wild. We examined U. a. microlepis fecal samples collected in the Kharrara region of Qatar and identified over 25 species of desert plants. In addition to the native flora, grains of barley (Hordeum vulgare) were identified in the s Read More

Abstract In the frame of the protection of the environment that is continuously polluted by the massive use of chemical pesticides, we carried out a joint R&D project, on the development of biological pesticides using local bacterial strains isolated from Qatar and Tunisia. Microbial bioinsecticides were shown to be an efficient tool to control plant pests as well as human disease vectors. The Bacillus thuringiensis elta-endotoxins are Read More

Abstract Debated among scientists for decades, observations of compositional differences between different crystallographic faces within a same growth zone, called ‘sector zoning’, represents a major challenge for geochemistry and in particular for isotope geochemistry. Nowadays, convincing evidence for the existence of sector zoning has been reported in the literature. However, no consensus on the mechanisms t Read More

Abstract Early dolomitization of carbonate rocks has long been problematic as precipitation experiments at room temperature have shown that dolomite will not be precipitated chemically under Earth surface conditions. To explain the widespread occurrence of early dolomite in the geological record, bacterial mediation of dolomitization has been proposed. The strongest evidence comes from modern hypersaline en Read More

Abstract Optimal foraging theory predicts flexibility in feeding behaviour which enables species to survive in harsh environments where food resources may be scarce and unpredictable in space and time. In this study we explored the hypothesis that the lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis, a species living in dry desert areas may behave as an omnivore under conditions of limited food availability. To do so, we exa Read More

Abstract Total E&P Qatar seeks to constantly improve its operations performances. These performances are associated with such indicators as health, safety & environment (HSE) performance, oil production, water management, production costs and energy efficiency. A key tool for reaching this goal is the enhancement of data monitoring and management technology. The smart metering pilot project is run at Total Read More

Abstract Condition monitoring and fault diagnostics of electrical machines are extremely important in any industrial setup. In some applications, such as the oil and gas industries, production units, power generation, refining and milling, the failure of critical equipment like generators, milling machines, motors, fans and pumps costs millions of dollars in reduced output, emergency maintenance costs and lost revenues. Howev Read More

Abstract The aim of this study is to develop a control program for rodents in animal farms (izzab) in Qatar. The preliminary baseline survey for rodent-infested izzab revealed that 1506 izzab out of 1814 were infested (83%). The overall percentage reduction in the rodent-infested izzab after 6 months of the control programme (June to December 2009) was 77%. Towards the end of the control programme, a special strategy Read More