Digital Commons Network^™

Unsupervised Progressive And Continual Learning Of Disentangled Representations, Zhiyuan Li

Theses

Unsupervised representation learning is an important task in machine learning that identifies and models underlying explanatory factors hidden in the observed data. In recent years, unsupervised representation learning has been attracting increasing attention for its abilities to improve interpretability, extract useful features without expert annotations, and enhance downstream tasks, which has been successful in many machine learning topics, such as Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, and Anomaly Detection. Unsupervised representation learning has many desirable abilities, including disentangling generative factors, generalization between different domains, and incremental knowledge accumulation. However, existing works had faced two critical challenges. First, the unsupervised representation learning …

Ensuring Food Security, Converting Urban Industrial Buildings For Indoor Agriculture: The Call For Urban Indoor Agriculture, Christopher Quinn Whittaker

Theses

Outdated food production models result in the continued disconnect between communities and vital nutrition. Poverty and a lack of food awareness perpetuate the effects of food insecurity within communities. These effects are most evident in urban areas where fresh produce is out of reach for large swaths of the population. Connecting communities back to the food they eat will benefit cities and residents economically, socially, and environmentally. Farming with the community in the community will empower a broad urban population. Urban areas pose several challenges to food production, such as a lack of open space and a high volume of …

Investigating Equitable Office Design: Addressing Women’S Wellness In The Corporate Office Through Human-Centered Design To Improve The Quality Of Life For All Employees, Jacqueline Collins

Theses

The goal of this undergraduate capstone project is to investigate how open offices impact women in the workplace and to propose a prototypical alternative to an open office. Both a literature review and a research agenda were conducted, in order to gather information regarding this topic. The literature review outlined current research on the topic. It was found that, while open offices were originally designed to allow for equal workspace and greater collaboration, budget costs and private offices remaining in high demand diminished many of their positive qualities. Consequently, open offices began to rely on a hierarchical layout, which often …

Urban Waterfront Revitalization: A Case Study Of Downtown Waterfront In Rochester, New York, Yaoyu Lorrain Xiao

Theses

This research paper presents a case study of the Rochester downtown waterfront revitalization project. The project aims to revitalize the neglected waterfront and create a vibrant and attractive space for residents and visitors alike. Key factors contributing to the success of the Rochester downtown waterfront revitalization project include strong community engagement, public-private partnerships, adaptive reuse of existing structures, and a focus on sustainability. The study finds that the revitalization efforts have led to uneven economic, social, and environmental benefits for the community. The purpose of this study is to gain a comprehensive evaluation of the current status, difficulties, and potential …

An Investigation Of How Interior Design Elements Can Enhance Customer’S Interest In Fast Fashion Retail Stores In-Person Experience After The Covid-19, Qianyue Tu

Theses

The goal of this capstone project is to investigate how interior design elements can enhance customers’ interest in fast fashion retail stores’ in-person experience after the COVID-19 pandemic. To answer the research question, this capstone is organized into three parts which are the literature review, research agenda, and creative agenda. First, the literature review section of this manuscript examines consumer behavior and changes in fast fashion brands before and after the pandemic. The goal of the literature review is to understand four questions: 1) What are changes in consumer behavior after COVID-19? 2) Why are fast fashion brands retailing being …

Teacher’View About Dual Enrolment Of Student With Disabilities In Special And Inclusive Private School, Mahra Saeed Ismaeil

Theses

The education of children with disabilities is challenging. Special and inclusive schools cannot offer meaningful access to education to children with disabilities. Currently, schools strive to provide access to education in a dual context: a certain number of days at inclusive schools and others at special schools. However, information on how teachers are contending with such practices is limited. This study explored teachers’ views on the education of students with disabilities in the dual enrolment education system in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The social education model was conceptualised to understand teachers’ perceptions, collaborative efforts, resources and challenges to dual …

A Microscopic Investigation Of Chemically Modified Membranes For Potential Oil Water Separation Applications, Latifa Rashed Al Nuaimi

Theses

Oil spills can have catastrophic impacts on both the environment and human society, an enormous oil spill known as the Deepwater Horizon Disaster happened in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 caused by an explosion of oil rig which started the catastrophe. It is achievable to reduce oil spills by developing and advancing technologies including gravity settling, centrifugation, gas flotation, coagulation, electrochemical, adsorption, and membrane filtration. There are many materials that can be used to form membranes, and each one has unique properties and advantages. The current study used the 3D printing porous membrane which is manufactured with an …

Representing Color As Multiple Independent Scales, Hao Xie

Theses

The concept of color space has served as a basis for vast scientific inquiries into the representation of color including colorimetry, psychology, and neuroscience. However, the ideal color space that can model both color appearance attributes and color difference as a uniform Euclidean space is still not yet available. In addition, different color appearance phenomena such as the Helmholtz-Kohlrausch effect highlight the interference or lack of independence between the existing color metrics. Based on the alternative representation of independent one-dimensional color scales and the concepts of brilliance and zero grayness proposed by Ralph Evans, a series of psychophysical experiments were …

A Parametric Numerical Analysis Investigation To Optimize The Performance Of The Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube, Muneer Ahmad Sungur

Theses

A vortex tube is a device that separates compressed air into two streams: one with a higher temperature (hot stream) and the other with a lower temperature (cold stream). It is a popular cooling option because it is small, safe, and affordable. The main objective of this thesis is to examine the energy separation performance of RHVT by varying the internal tapering angles of convergent angles (2°, 1.75°, 1.5°, 1.25°, 1°, 0.75°, and 0.5°), straight angles (0°), and divergent angles (0.5°, 1°, 2°, 4°, and 6°), While the cold mass fraction is constant (0.317). Length-to-diameter ratio (Lt/Dt), inlet pressure, and …

The Reproducing Kernel Method For Solving Integro-Differential And Volterra Integral Equations, Khulood Gamal Qaid

Theses

Integro-differential equations are a class of mathematical equations that involve both derivatives and integrals. They have applications in a wide range of fields, including physics, engineering, finance, and biology such as the spread of diseases, population dynamics, and the behavior of financial markets. The study of these equations requires advanced mathematical techniques, including functional analysis, approximation methods, and numerical analysis. They are a rich area of research with many open questions and challenges.
In this thesis, we will develop and implement the reproducing kernel method to solve a class of integro-differential and Volterra integral equations. We discuss both cases when …

Cheating Detection In Online Exams Based On Captured Video Using Deep Learning, Aysha Sultan Alkalbani

Theses

Today, e-learning has become a reality and a global trend imposed and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are many risks and challenges related to the credibility of online exams which are of widespread concern to educational institutions around the world. Online exam system continues to gain popularity, particularly during the pandemic, due to the rapid expansion of digitalization and globalization. To protect the integrity of the examination and provide objective and fair results, cheating detection and prevention in examination systems is a must. Therefore, the main objective of this thesis is to develop an effective way of detection …

Influencing Factors Of Ionic-Wind In A Spherical Structure Propulsion System For Silent Airplane, Tha’Er Khaled Ibrahem

Theses

Since the first airplane invented 100 years ago, most or all airplanes propulsion systems are based on moving parts powered by fossil-fuel which is impacting our environment by producing unwanted gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, greenhouse gases and more, furthermore, it is well known that there is a degradation in Oil & Gas resources on earth. Therefore, scientists are interested in finding an alternative way to fly an object. Recently, ionic wind-induced by Direct-Current (DC) Corona discharge have been introduced to enhance the future generation of airplanes without the need for moving objects. Corona discharge phenomena occurs when high …

A Novel Approach For Detection Fault In The Aircraft Exterior Body Using Image Processing, Noura Nayef Almansoori

Theses

The primary objective of this thesis is to develop innovative techniques for the inspection and maintenance of aircraft structures. We aim to streamline the entire process by utilizing images to detect potential defects in the aircraft body and comparing them to properly functioning images of the aircraft. This enables us to determine whether a specific section of the aircraft is faulty or not. We achieve this by employing image processing to train a model capable of identifying faulty images. The image processing methodology we use involves the use of images of both defective and operational parts of the aircraft's exterior. …

Heat Transfer Analysis Of Microchannels Heat Sink With Sidewall Fins, Ahmad Ala Eddin Rahhal

Theses

This study aims to investigate Microchannel Heat Sinks with side wall fins through a model-based approach. The primary objective of the project is to design and analyze the thermal performance of straight Microchannel Heat Sinks with square and triangle-shaped fins on sidewalls. To examine their performance, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation study is conducted using the ANSYS Fluent software. The study starts by creating a CAD model of the heat sink and then analyzing its thermal properties with the ANSYS Fluent software. From the CFD simulation study, numerical results are obtained for different operational and geometrical conditions. The study …

Design Of A Mini Leo Gnss Constellation And A Custom Gnss Signal Simulator Development, Mohamed Mohamed Yaser

Theses

This thesis is concerned with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) constellations and signals, and how can they provide rapid Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services for the emerging technologies. The first objective of this thesis is to perform a simulation of a new mini-LEO GNSS constellation at 1000 km and assess its performance in different scenarios. The second objective is to design a signal simulator for two signals that are propriety of the Global Navigation Satellite Augmentation Systems (GNSSaS), which are the BOC(2,2) and ATLBOC(7.5, BOC(2,2)) modulation schemes. To simulate the mini-LEO GNSS constellation, two software …

Content Analysis Of Activities Of The Emirati Science Textbooks For The Fifth Grade In Light Of Science Process Skills, Teba Abdulazeez Al-Faiadh

Theses

Similar to several other countries, the United Arab Emirates places a high value on the use of science textbooks in the process of teaching and learning science. Therefore, the content of science textbooks must always be evaluated and analyzed in light of scientific knowledge and skills. Providing science process skills in the activities of science textbooks is essential and has a significant role in pushing students toward balanced scientific knowledge because attention to skills is a tool that enables the student to succeed in understanding the nature of science. However, based on the literature, there is a scarcity of scientific …

Potential Of Flow Energy Reduction By Coral Reef: Hydrodynamic Analysis On Acropora Species, Faisal Karim

Theses

One of the most crucial components of the ocean ecology is coral reefs. Being environmentally sustainable, natural structures like coral reefs have recently drawn a lot of attention as a means of reducing the flow energy. The absence of scientific validations on the potential of coral reefs in reducing high-energy flow limits engineering applications of coral reefs to the benefit of civilization. In this research, extensive experimental studies were carried out to investigate the capabilities of coral reefs, to reduce high-energy flows. To determine the high-energy wave reduction by coral reefs, the coral roughness coefficient along with the coral structure …

أثر جائحة كورونا (كوفيد 19) على تنفيذ العقود الإدارية, عبدالله عبدالحكيم بني مخزوم

Theses

The study raised the problems of the extent to which the Corona pandemic is considered a force majeure or an exceptional circumstance, as each adaptation has legal effects arising from it. Therefore, it was necessary to search the extent to which force majeure conditions or emergency circumstances apply to the Corona pandemic (Covid 19) and its effects. The researcher concluded that it is not generally possible to assert that the Corona pandemic is an emergency circumstance or force majeure. Rather, it is necessary to search the impact of the Corona pandemic on the administrative contract, and then the adaptation is …

Assessing The Impact Of Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa) Crop On Groundwater Resources In The Emirate Of Abu Dhabi Using Geospatial Techniques, Abdulaziz Abdulla Aljaberi

Theses

Groundwater is a major source of fresh water in the world, especially in arid and semi-arid countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where rainfall is not evenly distributed through the four seasons of the year. Therefore, it is necessary to pay serious attention to the importance of preserving groundwater resources. The agriculture sector poses a real threat to groundwater. Irrigated crop cultivation practices change groundwater levels as a result of cultivating crops or farming plants that consume large amounts of water. Alfalfa is an example of a high-water consuming crop, being a widely cultivated crop in the UAE. This …

مشروعية الأنشطة العسكرية في المنطقة الإقتصادية الخالصة (دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة نموذجاً تطبيقيا), عمار يوسف النقبي

Theses

One of the innovations in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for the year 1982 is the system of the exclusive economic zone, where it was discussed for the first time in this agreement. The exclusive economic zone is defined as an area located deep in the sea and adjacent to the contiguous zone and the territorial sea and extends beyond that for a distance of 200 nautical miles. However, the legal system in the exclusive economic zone raises many problems that were excluded from the negotiations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of …

A Support Theorem For A Wave Equation, Aysha Khaled Alshamsi

Theses

It is well known that the fundamental solution to the classical wave equation Δ�� (��, ��) − ∂_������(��,��) = 0 is supported on the light cone {(��, ��) ∈ ℝ^��× ℝ : ||��|| = |��|} if and only if the dimension �� is odd and ≥ 3. Because we are living in a 3-dimensional world we can hear each other clearly; One has a pure propagator without residual waves. In this thesis we consider the wave equation

2||��||Δ_����_��(��, ��) − ∂_������(��,��) = 0, (��, ��) ∈ ℝ^�� × ℝ …

The Impact Of Implementing A Gamified Application On Teaching And Learning Vocabulary In A Fourth Grade English Classroom In The Uae, Amani Mohammed Almostafa

Theses

This thesis is concerned with the impact of using digital games or gamification on learning vocabulary for English language fourth graders in a classroom in the UAE. The main objective of this thesis is to examine how the use of digital games may affect the process of learning vocabulary in a grade four classroom. Another purpose of this study is to investigate learners' and teachers' perceptions of learning vocabulary items. A Quasi-experimental mixed method design has been implemented in this study. Three Grade four classes experimented with independently engaging in gamified vocabulary software named Blooket. The three classes were each …

Biohydrogen Production Of A Co-Culture Consisting Of Halophytic Cyanobacterium Phormidium Keutzingianum And Activated Sludge Bacteria Using Different Exogenous Carbon Substrates And Salt Concentrations, Maitha Mohammed Al Nuaimi

Theses

Various studies have proved the ability of different types of cyanobacteria and algae to produce hydrogen (H₂) by splitting water molecules into H₂ and oxygen (O₂) using specialized enzymes (hydrogenase and nitrogenase enzymes) through the biophotolysis process. However, the production of O₂ acts as the main process inhibitor. Several researchers studied this O₂ sensitivity and proposed effective solutions to regulate O₂ concentration. By co-culturing algae with aerobic bacteria, the consumption of the resulting oxygen could be attained and thus reducing the sensitivity of the enzyme to the evolved O₂. In …

Data-Driven Modeling Of Student Performance In The Time Of Distance Learning, Iman Saad Megdadi

Theses

One of the important aspects that all academic institutions work towards improving is Student Performance. It is obviously the primary indicator of success or failure of institutions. Student performance predictions are vital to instructors and educational decision makers to help, across all levels, tailor learning according to the students’ needs. Therefore, it is essential for Higher Education Institutions to predict student performance in distance learning which has been, and remains, the primary method of learning in some countries due to Corona Virus pandemic. For this reason, this research is going to predetermine a fitting definition of student performance in time …

Interactive Emirate Sign Language E-Dictionary Based On Deep Learning Recognition Models, Ahmed Abdelhadi Abdelhadi

Theses

According to the ministry of community development database in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) about 3065 people with disabilities are hearing disabled (Emirates News Agency - Ministry of Community Development). Hearing-impaired people find it difficult to communicate with the rest of society. They usually need Sign Language (SL) interpreters but as the number of hearing-impaired individuals grows the number of Sign Language interpreters can almost be non-existent. In addition, specialized schools lack a unified Sign Language (SL) dictionary, which can be linked to the Arabic language being of a diglossia nature, hence many dialects of the language co-exist. Moreover, there …

Assessing Self-Esteem In Uae Students With And Without Special Needs: Pilot Study Using Adapted Rosenberg Scale, Malak Mustafa Alsaad

Theses

Self-esteem is known to be the way that a person values and perceives him/herself. It is affected by many factors and impacts on the person’s life. The main objective of this study was to investigate possible differences on self-esteem between typical students and those who have been diagnosed with special educational needs. In addition, the study explores teachers’ awareness on the importance of self-esteem on children’s life and their recommendations for improving their students’ self-esteem in UAE schools. The study used a mixed methods design and was conducted in two phases. During the first phase a sample of 40 students …

Valuation Of Asian Options In A High Volatility Market With Jumps, Zeeshan Khalid

Theses

The evaluation of financial derivatives represents a central part of financial risk management. There are many types of derivatives among other path-dependent options. In this study, we aim at valuing Asian options. They are path dependent and have several benefits. For instance, their values are habitually lower than European options. Also, an Asian option on a commodity drops the risk value close to maturity. Though, the disadvantage is that they are in general difficult to value since the distribution of the payoff is usually unknown. It is agreed in the literature that a stochastic process with a jumps model for …

المسؤولیة التضامنیة لأعضاء مجلس الإدارة في شركة المساھمة العامة وفقا للمرسوم بقانون اتحادي رقم (32) لسنة 2021 بشأن الشركات التجاریة, نورة جمعة الشامسي

Theses

This study aims to identify the joint liability of the members of the board of directors in public joint stock company. The descriptive and analytical approach was adopted to identify the joint responsibility of the members of the Board of Directors in a joint stock company the analyses of the provisions related thereto in Federal Law by Decree No. (32) of 2021 regarding commercial companies in order to structure the limits of such responsibility.

This study has reached a number of results, the main result stipulates the general rule of the responsibility of the members of the board of directors …

The Geometry And Topology Of Landslides, Kamal Rana

Theses

Landslides are often catastrophic, causing loss of life and destruction of property and infrastructure. Landslide susceptibility and hazard modeling help mitigate these losses by finding regions prone to landslides and providing probabilistic forecasting of landslide occurrence in a region. However, these landslide susceptibility and hazard models' efficacy depends on the quality of existing databases that often lack crucial information, like the underlying trigger and failure mechanism of a landslide. In this Ph.D. project, we developed methods to identify landslide triggering and failure mechanism information using their geometric and topological properties. For identifying landslide trigger information, we developed three different methods …

Understanding Environmental Art: A Case Study Of Jason Decaires Taylor's Coral Greenhouse (2019), Laura Dean Hinson

Theses

This thesis highlights the need for a new way to analyze environmental art. In the past, environmental artwork has been discussed in terms of the abstract concepts that drove their creation and the role they played in moving artists outside of the gallery space in the1960s and 70s. However, in recent years environmental artists are increasingly driven by themes of environmental conservation and preservation, using scientific research as the basis of their designs. Because of the shift in focus, developing a new way to discuss environmental art that takes into consideration the influence scientific research has on art production and …