Digital Commons Network^™

Accelerating Transitive Closure Of Large-Scale Sparse Graphs, Sanyamee Milindkumar Patel

Theses

Finding the transitive closure of a graph is a fundamental graph problem where another graph is obtained in which an edge exists between two nodes if and only if there is a path in our graph from one node to the other. The reachability matrix of a graph is its transitive closure. This thesis describes a novel approach that uses anti-sections to obtain the transitive closure of a graph. It also examines its advantages when implemented in parallel on a CPU using the Hornet graph data structure.

Graph representations of real-world systems are typically sparse in nature due to lesser …

Treated Hfo2 Based Rram Devices With Ru, Tan, Tin As Top Electrode For In-Memory Computing Hardware, Yuvraj Dineshkumar Patel

Theses

The scalability and power efficiency of the conventional CMOS technology is steadily coming to a halt due to increasing problems and challenges in fabrication technology. Many non-volatile memory devices have emerged recently to meet the scaling challenges. Memory devices such as RRAMs or ReRAM (Resistive Random-Access Memory) have proved to be a promising candidate for analog in memory computing applications related to inference and learning in artificial intelligence. A RRAM cell has a MIM (Metal insulator metal) structure that exhibits reversible resistive switching on application of positive or negative voltage. But detailed studies on the power consumption, repeatability and retention …

New Methods For Deep Learning Based Real-Valued Inter-Residue Distance Prediction, Jacob Barger

Theses

Background: Much of the recent success in protein structure prediction has been a result of accurate protein contact prediction--a binary classification problem. Dozens of methods, built from various types of machine learning and deep learning algorithms, have been published over the last two decades for predicting contacts. Recently, many groups, including Google DeepMind, have demonstrated that reformulating the problem as a multi-class classification problem is a more promising direction to pursue. As an alternative approach, we recently proposed real-valued distance predictions, formulating the problem as a regression problem. The nuances of protein 3D structures make this formulation appropriate, allowing predictions …

Determination Of Vitamin D Metabolites And Their Epimers In Obese Emirati Population, Bashar Hiatham Alzohily

Theses

Vitamin D deficiency is a global issue, and despite all-year-round sunshine, it is a big problem in the UAE. Obesity or overweight refers to an accumulation of excessive fat that may harm health so, it is considered a worldwide health concern. The accurate measurement of vitamin D active forms is a problematic issue. This study aimed to develop and validate a UHPLC-MS/MS method for the new method for determining vitamin D levels in the obese Emirati population. The vitamin D epimers and other metabolites were determined by UHPLC-MS/MS system, model 8060. The methods include the collection of blood samples from …

2d Audio Magnetotelluric (Amt) Data Inversion Of Al-Jaww Plain Area (Al-Ain, Uae) For Groundwater Aquifer Investigations, Ahmad Esam Alaran

Theses

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is considered within the arid climate zone having low rates of annual rainfall. The freshwater is mainly located in shallow groundwater aquifers. Understanding the depth and extent of such aquifers is an important issue for UAE local governments and environmental agencies. Hydrogeological conditions in the UAE are strongly related to the topographic features and are dominated by a mountain range in Oman at the eastern margin of the Arabian Platform. The alluvial plains such as Al-Jaww plain (eastern Al-Ain city) is considered as an important potential source of groundwater for the Al-Ain region. Al-Jaww plain …

Estimation Of The Removal Of Chiral Pharmaceutical Drugs From Domestic Wastewater Using Uplc-Ms/Ms, Mohammed Khaled Mohammed Al Tabaji

Theses

This thesis is concerned with the estimation of the removal of chiral pharmaceutical compounds (PCs) from domestic wastewater in Al Ain using UPLC-MS/MS. PCs are classified into many classes such as hormones, antibiotics, analgesics, cosmetic products, ꞵ blockers, and anti-inflammatory drugs. PCs do not have a guideline to describe their concentrations in treated domestic wastewater. Additionally, there is a very high demand for using PCs around the world, which results in their discharge to wastewater at relatively high masses, which could be harmful to the environment. Furthermore, very limited work has been done to estimate the removal of chiral PCs. …

Mass Spectrometric Determination Of Retinol In Emirati Population, Israa Samir Mohamed Shawky El-Konaissi

Theses

This thesis is concerned with analyzing vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A is crucial for several functions, including vision, growth, and cell differentiation. the main aim is to develop and validate an LC-MS/MS method for the determination of vitamin A in plasma matrix and use the new method for the determination of vitamin A levels in the obese Emirati population. Methods: A positive ion electrospray ionisation (ESI) LC-MS/MS method was used in the Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode for quantification. It involved i) LC-MS/MS, ii) a guard column together with C18 Ascentis Express F5 column iii) Internal standard, 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 (6, …

Establishing Blockchain-Related Security Controls, Maitha Ali Mohammed Hamad Al Ketbi

Theses

Blockchain technology is a secure and relatively new technology of distributed digital ledgers which is based on interlinked blocks of transactions. There is a rapid growth in the adoption of the blockchain technology in different solutions and applications and within different industries throughout the world, such as but not limited to, finance, supply chain, digital identity, energy, healthcare, real estate and government. Blockchain technology has great benefits such as decentralization, transparency, immutability and automation. Like any other emerging technology, the blockchain technology has also several risks and threats associated with its expected benefits which in turns could have a negative …

One-Pot O-Alkylation And C-C Cross-Coupling Reactions Involving Stabilized Phosphoranes, Areej Hashim Elamin Mohamed Ali

Theses

This thesis is concerned with the one-pot reactions that are considered to be beneficial to preserve resources, save time, and are deemed a green chemistry strategy. To plan such one-pot reactions, it is important to combine two or more reactions that are compatible with each other and can be run under the same reaction conditions. In this work, possibilities of a combination of Wittig-olefination and Suzuki C-C-cross coupling reactions are explored further. Reaction sequences involve the combination of a Suzuki-reaction / Wittig olefination, a Suzuki reaction / Wittig olefination/hydrolysis, and a Suzuki-reaction / double Wittig olefination. In all cases, stabilized …

Mass Spectrometric Determination Of Retinol In Emirati Population, Israa Samir Mohamed Shawky El-Konaissi

Theses

This thesis is concerned with analyzing vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A is crucial for several functions, including vision, growth, and cell differentiation. the main aim is to develop and validate an LC-MS/MS method for the determination of vitamin A in plasma matrix and use the new method for the determination of vitamin A levels in the obese Emirati population. Methods: A positive ion electrospray ionisation (ESI) LC-MS/MS method was used in the Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode for quantification. It involved i) LC-MS/MS, ii) a guard column together with C18 Ascentis Express F5 column iii) Internal standard, 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 (6, …

Determination Of Vitamin D Metabolites And Their Epimers In Obese Emirati Population, Bashar Hiatham Alzohily

Theses

Vitamin D deficiency is a global issue, and despite all-year-round sunshine, it is a big problem in the UAE. Obesity or overweight refers to an accumulation of excessive fat that may harm health; so, it is considered a worldwide health concern. The accurate measurement of vitamin D active forms is a problematic issue. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a UHPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of vitamin D metabolites and their epimers and then apply the new method for the determination of vitamin D levels in the obese Emirati population. The vitamin D epimers and other …

Development Of Supramolecular Multicomponent Chromophores Towards Photoluminescence Switches, Rukayat Shola Bojesomo

Theses

A new fluorescent dye (4PBZC) comprises of coumarin (C), piperazine (P), and benzimidazole (BZ) was designed, prepared, and complexed to cucurbit[7]uril (CB7) to detect carnosol (CAR), an anti-breast cancer drug, in sub-nanomolar concentrations utilizing the supramolecular indicator displacement assay (IDA) strategy, the CB7-assisted pKa shift and the CB7-retarded photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process. The host−guest complexation was confirmed by UV−visible absorption, fluorescence, and proton NMR spectroscopy, which confirm binding to 4PBZC via the BZ moiety. Also, CB7 preferentially binds the indicator dye via the protonated BZ residue compared to the neutral BZ one, demonstrated by a higher binding …

Synthesis, Characterization, Electronic Structure Of Biocl/Biobr/Rgo Ternary Heterojunction And Its Photocatalytic Activities, Salama Yousef Alismaail

Theses

Solar energy is free, most abundant among all renewable energy sources. Energy from the sun reaches the earth surface at a rate of 1.2 X 10⁵ TW by far, exceeding the current world energy consumption of 17 TW (1TW = 10¹² J/s). Accordingly, development of visible light driven photocatalysts is of considerable interest in clean and renewable energy, as well as in wastewater treatment.

In that context, BiOCl and BiOBr and three different mole ratio composites were prepared, characterized using UV-vis DRS, PXRD, BET, SEM, and EDX and their photocatalytic activity for the photoreduction of 4-NA was evaluated. …

Mass Spectrometric Determination Of Retinol In Emirati Population, Israa Samir Mohamed Shawky El-Konaissi

Theses

This thesis is concerned with analysing vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A is crucial for several functions, including vision, growth, and cell differentiation. the main aim is to develop and validate an LC-MS/MS method for the determination of vitamin A in plasma matrix and use the new method for the determination of vitamin A levels in the obese Emirati population. Methods: A positive ion electrospray ionisation (ESI) LC-MS/MS method was used in the Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode for quantification. It involved i) LC-MS/MS, ii) a guard column together with C18 Ascentis Express F5 column iii) Internal standard, 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 (6, …

The Effect Of Phytoplankton Properties On The Ingestion Of Marine Snow By Calanus Pacificus, Grace Cawley

Theses

The aggregation of phytoplankton into marine snow provides a mechanism by which smaller particles can coagulate to form larger particles, which can be consumed at various depths or readily transported to the deep ocean and sequestered from the atmosphere on time scales of a thousand years or more. Zooplankton interacting with these large carbon-rich aggregates can obtain nutrition in environments where the phytoplankton size spectrum is small and not directly available, enhancing the possibility of obtaining adequate nutrition in environments dominated by small cells. In addition, interactions between zooplankton and marine snow can result in fragmentation, thus affecting the particle …

Comparison Of Longitudinal Changes In Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Between Alzheimer’S And Healthy Controls, Berk Can Yilmaz

Theses

Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI) is a technique that is widely used for analyzing brain function using different approaches and methods. This study involves rs-fMRI analysis of Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) signals acquired from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) Patients and Healthy Controls (HC). Each subject in the study had both functional and anatomical images with at least one rs-fMRI scan with their Anatomical (T1) scans. Previous rs-fMRI studies have demonstrated that AD shows differences in Amplitude of Low Frequency (<0.1 Hz) Fluctuations (ALFF), and Regional Homogeneity (ReHo) measures according to HCs.

The aim of the study is to investigate individual and group level differences using ReHo and mALFF related …

Team Formation Using Recommendation Systems, Shreyas Patil

Theses

The importance of team formation has been realized since ages, but finding the most effective team out of the available human resources is a problem that persists to the date. Having members with complementary skills, along with a few must-have behavioral traits, such as trust and collaborativeness among the team members are the key ingredients behind team synergy and performance. This thesis designs and implements two different algorithms for the team formation problem using ideas adapted from the recommender systems literature. One of the proposed solutions uses the Glicko-2 rating system to rate the employees’ skills which can easily separate …

Translating Counting Problems Into Computable Language Expressions, Zach Prescott

Theses

The realm of automated problem solving is a relatively new field, even in the context of natural language processing. One area where this is often demonstrated is that of creating a program that can solve word problems. The program must understand the problem, perform some processing, and then convey this information to a user in a way that is accessible and understandable. There has been quite a lot of progress in this area with simpler problems. However, when it comes to understanding problems that involve a level of NLP, the results are not conclusive. In this paper, we would like …

Disruptive Bussiness Model For Higher Education, Aya Rizik Abushawish

Theses

A business model is a plan for the successful operation of a business, identifying the source of revenue, the intended customers, value proposition, key resources, activities, and financing. It describes how organizations create, deliver and capture value. The recent developments in information and communications technology (ICT) disrupted most business models in different industries. The higher education industry is no exception, where it witnessed enormous integration of information and communications technologies. E-learning in higher education has made a tremendous shift in students’ life and raised the expectations of higher education service quality. The main objective of this thesis to develop a …

Biological Control Of Sudden Decline Disease Of Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera L.) In The United Arab Emirates, Khawla Juma Saif Zeail Alwahshi

Theses

Date palm orchards suffer from serious diseases, including sudden decline syndrome (SDS). The fungal pathogen Fusarium solani was associated with SDS on date palm in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Application of Cidely® Top (difenoconazole and cyflufenamid) significantly inhibited the fungal mycelial growth In vitro and reduced SDS development on date palm seedlings pre-inoculated with F. solani under greenhouse conditions. This is the first report confirming that the chemical fungicide Cidely® Top is strongly effective against SDS on date palm. Fungal pathogens not only inhibit plant growth directly but also induce the plant to synthesize stress ethylene. Much of the …

Radio Observations Of The Neutron Star X-Ray Binary Circinus X-1: Clues On The Onset Of Radio Emission And Jet Formation, Batool Ahmad Essa Saleh Ilyasi

Theses

Circinus X-1 is a Neutron-Star X-ray Binary System which features strong and variable radio emission. This emission is triggered as a result of the interaction between neutron star and its companion as they approach periastron. Radio observations of Circinus X-1 have not been carried out over the past 7 years. Here are the results of the radio observation and monitoring campaign on Circinus X-1 with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) – Australia, at centimeter wavelengths (5.5 and 9 GHz). The radio behavior of Circinus X-1 has been monitored over two of its orbits (16.6 days each) to probe its …

Fabrication, Characterization And Applications Of Chemically Modified Planar Metallic Electrodes From Copper Clad Sheets, Rana T. K. Alsaidi

Theses

In this work, we developed a fabricating method for planar electrodes by milling and cutting copper-clad sheets. The main objectives of this thesis are to produce customized planar electrodes with different geometries with relatively higher reusability compared to the screen-printed electrodes available by commercial vendors. The fabricated electrodes from copper-clad sheets were electroplated with different metals using commercial electroplating baths to produce different metallic planar electrodes. Also, the fabrication of planar electrodes with cavities to be filled with modified carbon paste was done. The electroplated planar electrodes were characterized by the cyclic voltammetry technique. In addition to that, they were …

Biological Control Of Fusarium Wilt In Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera L.) In The United Arab Emirates By Endophytic Actinobacteria, Aisha Abdullah Darwish Shambeh Alblooshi

Theses

Date palm trees suffer from many various serious diseases, including sudden decline syndrome (SDS). External symptoms were characterized by whitening on one side of the rachis, progressing from the base to the apex of the leaf until the whole leaf dies; while the internal disease symptoms included reddish roots and highly coloured vascular bundles causing wilting and death of the tree. Although three Fusarium spp. (F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum and F. solani) were isolated from diseased root samples, the fungal pathogen F. solani was associated with SDS on date palm in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Fusarium spp. were identified …

Analysis Of Gameplay Strategies In Hearthstone: A Data Science Approach, Connor W. Watson

Theses

In recent years, games have been a popular test bed for AI research, and the presence of Collectible Card Games (CCGs) in that space is still increasing. One such CCG for both competitive/casual play and AI research is Hearthstone, a two-player adversarial game where players seeks to implement one of several gameplay strategies to defeat their opponent and decrease all of their Health points to zero. Although some open source simulators exist, some of their methodologies for simulated agents create opponents with a relatively low skill level. Using evolutionary algorithms, this thesis seeks to evolve agents with a higher skill …

Model-Based Deep Siamese Autoencoder For Clustering Single Cell Rna-Seq Data, Zixia Meng

Theses

In the biological field, the smallest unit of organisms in most biological systems is the single cell, and the classification of cells is an everlasting problem. A central task for analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data is to identify and characterize novel cell types. Currently, there are several classical methods, such as K-means algorithm, spectral clustering, and Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs), which are widely used to cluster the cells. Furthermore, typical dimensional reduction methods such as PCA, t-SNE, and ZIDA have been introduced to overcome “the curse of dimensionality”. A more recent method scDeepCluster has demonstrated improved and promising performances in …

Privacy-Preserving Recommendation System Using Federated Learning, Rahul Basu

Theses

Federated Learning is a form of distributed learning which leverages edge devices for training. It aims to preserve privacy by communicating users’ learning parameters and gradient updates to the global server during the training while keeping the actual data on the users’ devices. The training on global server is performed on these parameters instead of user data directly while fine tuning of the model can be done on client’s devices locally. However, federated learning is not without its shortcomings and in this thesis, we present an overview of the learning paradigm and propose a new federated recommender system framework that …

The Primary Volatile Composition Of Comet C/2015 Er61 (Panstarrs), Aaron Butler

Theses

In the outer edges of the solar system exist two regions: the Kuiper belt and Oort cloud. These two regions have a high amount of icy bodies (comets) orbiting the Sun. Comets located within the Oort cloud and Kuiper belt contain an ancient codex to the solar systems contents, before the formation of our solar system. Presented are near-infrared, high-resolution (λ/Δλ ~40000) data obtained from the immersion-grating echelle spectrograph iSHELL at the 3m NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) in Maunakea, Hawaii of the Oort cloud comet C/2015 ER61 (PANSTARRS). Observations took place on April 15 and 17 in 2017 while …

Food Fraud In Nigeria: Challenges, Risks And Solutions, Joy Ewomazino Opia

Theses

Food fraud is one of the most urgent and active food research and regulatory areas. It is an evolving problem in Nigeria that has led to the deaths of many people especially the vunerable groups that includes mostly children, the elderly and immunocomprised persons. Therefore the aim of this study is to investigate the current challenges of food fraud in Nigeria, identify the risks it poses on the health and wellbeing of Nigerians and propose measures to tackle food fraud at local and international levels by regulatory and government agencies. This study explored the relationship between food fraud, food security …

Food Proteins: Sustainable Sources Of Proteins Responsible For Emulsions Stability In Food Products, Gleicy Kelly Oliveira Nogueria

Theses

One of the major challenges manufactures are facing is the fact that consumer’s personal health standards are changing constantly, modern consumers are willing to know more about the ingredients used in their food. The relationship with ethics and sustainability is leading to changes in the food industry. Seen this, manufactures are opting for other sources of ingredients, such as plant-based alternatives. However, the use of these sort of products need to be developed due to of their unknown properties. The use of sustainable plant proteins provides a variety of benefits to the product, such as added nutritional value as fiber, …

Hybrid Frequency Modulated Silicon Photonic Crystal Laser, Andrei Bakoz

Theses

Silicon photonics takes advantage of the mature complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) infrastructure and processes, and is actively pursued for the implementation of complex optical components and photonic integrated circuits (PICs) at low cost and high volumes. Despite a constant refinement of silicon photonics technology to meet the evolving requirements for applications, the poor light emission ability of silicon remains a constraint. As a result, the most essential building block of an optical system, an efficient light emitter, remains absent in PICs based on silicon. This thesis is focused on study of the potential of an external cavity (EC) hybrid III-V …