Digital Commons Network^™

Generating Synthetic Satellite Images Of Mars Dust Storms Based On Radiative Transfer Models, As A Follow-On Application Of Marswrf Dust Cycle Simulations, Fatima Ali Alkaabi

Theses

Dust is a fundamental component of the Martian atmosphere; it plays a vital role in the planet's climate system and atmospheric variability. For these reasons, it is considered one of the essential keys to understanding the Martian atmosphere's behavior. The dust events on Mars range from local/regional dust storms that occur every Martian year to global dust storms that have only been observed, on average, once every 3-4 Martian years. The large regional and global dust storms have strong thermal and dynamic effects on the atmosphere. MarsWRF is a Mars version of the terrestrial numerical weather and climate model WRF …

Intrinsic Programmed Death Ligand 1 (Pd-L1) Role In Promoting Triple Negative Breast Cancer (Tnbc) Progression, Duaa Salem Alkaabi

Theses

This thesis is concerned with Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), which is characterized by lack of estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors expression, making targeted drugs ineffective. TNBC has a high proliferative rate, which results in a poor prognosis. Chemotherapy, the primary treatment for metastatic breast cancer, is not an ideal choice due to its toxicity towards normal cells. Therefore, Cancer-targeted therapy has been developed to improve the specificity and strength of the immune system against cancer cells. PD-L1 is an immunosuppressive protein that inactivates T cells by binding to the inhibitory receptor PD-1. The clinical use of PD-L1 blockade agents …

التفكير الاستباقي وإدارة الأزمات (دولة الامارات العربية المتحدة نموذجاً), عائشة عبدالله اليماحي

Theses

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Proactive Thinking and Crisis Management (The Case of United Arab Emirates)

The aim of this study was to identify intellectual approaches to crisis management and their impact on national security in the United Arab Emirates. The study also evaluated the impact of proactive thinking in crisis management on national security in the UAE. The decision-making and systems methodology was used as the general method for the study. The study addressed the importance of proactive thinking and crisis management, determinants of crisis management, determinants of using proactive thinking in the UAE, proactive thinking and the management of the Gulf-Qatar crisis, …

Feasibility Study On The Characterization Of Mars Atmospheric And Surface Features In Spacecraft Images By Machine Learning And Similar Automated Methods, Hind Hassan Alriyami

Theses

This thesis is focused on automated detection of Mars atmospheric and surface features in spacecraft images based on machine learning and similar automated methods using crater detection algorithm (CDA) software, named DeepMars2 algorithm. The purpose of this study is to perform machine learning to detect coarse and high-resolution topography craters on mars. The algorithm is applied to two digital elevation models (DEMs) of the Mars surface with high and coarse resolution in order to identify craters using machine and deep learning methods. The DEMs are based on the satellite instruments MOLA/MGS (Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter/Mars Global Surveyor) and HRSC/MEX (High …

التكییف القانوني للعقود المتصلة بالتطبیقات الحدیثة للنقل البري للأشخاص, ودیمة أحمد الدرعي

Theses

As a result of the huge development of technology, modern models have emerged in land transportation of persons, such as Uber and Lyft applications. Through this application, the driver in his own vehicle transports customers who requested transportation service from the application. The transportation companies claim that the drivers are independent contractors, while on the other hand, the drivers claim that they are employees so that they are covered by the rights guaranteed in the Labor Law. This study aims to show the legal nature of these contracts between the companies related to the modern electronic applications of land transport …

The Three-Dimensional Visualization Of Mars Dust Storms Based On Deriving Digital Elevation Maps From Satellite Imagery, Meirah Ali Alzeyoudi

Theses

This work focuses on generating a Three-Dimensional Visualization of Mars's local dust storms utilizing satellite images from publicly available archives. The work aimed to create a Three-Dimensional Visualization of two Local Dust storms, the first local dust storm occurred on May 20, 2020, in the Chryse Planitia Region of Mars, while the second one occurred on 8 June 2021, on the northern side of the Utopia Planitia Region of Mars. The visualization will assist in providing a better understanding of the dynamics of Dust Storms on Mars by indicating and analyzing the main features of dust storms on Mars. Also, …

Mathematical Models For Thalassemia, Hamda Mohammed Al Dhaheri

Theses

Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder caused by gene mutation or deletion in a blood protein called hemoglobin. Treatment of thalassemia requires a life-long blood transfusion and removal of excessive iron in the blood stream, which usually causes a big pressure on health care systems. Various forms of thalassemia control measures have been used to reduce the prevalence of thalassemia major. This has resulted in a substantial reduction in the prevalence of thalassemia. However, the thalassemia carrier population remains high, which could lead to an increase in the thalassemia major population through carrier-to-carrier marriages. Thus, we developed two mathematical models …

ﻣﺴﺘﻮﯾﺎت رﺿﺎ اﻟﺠﻤﮭﻮر ﻋﻦ ﻣﺪى اﻹﺳﺘﺠﺎﺑﺔ ﻹﺣِﺘﯿﺎﺟﺎﺗﮫ ﻓﻲ ﻣُﺆﺳﺴﺎت اﻹدارة اﻟﻌﺎﻣﺔ اﻟﺨَﺪﻣِﯿﺔ: "دراﺳﺔ إﺳﺘﻄﻼﻋﯿﺔ ﺗﺤﻠﯿﻠﯿﺔ ﻓﻲ إﻣﺎرة أﺑﻮظﺒﻲ", ﺣﻠﯿﻤﺔ ﺳﻌﯿﺪ اﻟﮭﺎﻄﻟﻲ

Theses

To maintain the efficiency of government services in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the government agencies are interested in measuring public satisfaction with various aspects of their performance, such as the level of responsiveness to the needs of the public, the quality of services provided, and the behavior of employees during their daily work. To maintain customer public service standards and to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction in various government departments, these institutions have developed practical public service quality criteria to achieve the Abu Dhabi government's key performance indicators. However, many relevant studies do not reflect the actual performance …

Molecular Characterization Of Germination Of Date Palm Seeds Maintained At Microgravity In Outer Pace (International Space Station), Wesam Izzeldeen Khader

Theses

Over the past decade, the UAE has experienced unprecedented innovations in the space sector. Collaborating closely with universities and space agencies around the world, the country's efforts have advanced steadily but quietly under the public radar. The proposed research focuses on basic research to complement the UAE initiative to send date palms to Mars for future space missions. Plant growth analysis of date palm seeds was performed after maintaining at zero gravity in outer space in the International Space Station (ISS) and simultaneously under normal gravity at ground level. In this context, this work was carried out to analyze the …

Application Of E-Learning In The Smart City Projects, Asma Ghanim Al Arai

Theses

The concept of smart city is getting popular over time. It uses communication of technology and information to maximize operational organization. It shares information among the public to improve citizen welfare and the services of the government. Smart learning or E-learning is also one of the components of a smart city. Cities are the crucible hub of human innovation. Through smart cities, the community strives to integrate and cover environmental, bio, digital and financial technologies to solve urban problems. The E-learning process is based on formalized teaching, and it enhances with the help of electronic resources. Internet and computers play …

Water Quality Assessment In Smart Cities In India, Asma Adel Rashed Alsuwaidi

Theses

This research aims at assessing the quality of water in India for the case of the 100 smart cities initiative in 2015 (Hoelscher, 2015) and propose which cities are eligible for the smart city design. K-mean and Hierarchical clustering techniques are used to divide 614 water monitoring locations in India into 6 different clusters and WHO water quality parameters are used as reference to suggest eligibility of each monitoring location for becoming a smart city. Results of this study can help planners to speed up the process of assessment and take necessary actions to enhance the water quality. The information …

Understanding Scoliosis: What Caregivers And Patients Need To Know, Megan Moore

Theses

Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the vertebral column that typically occurs in children approaching puberty. 80% of scoliosis cases are idiopathic (Scoliosis Research Society, 2022). The severity of a scoliosis curve is measured in degrees and is usually diagnosed when it is greater than 10 degrees. A severe curve exceeds 45 to 60 degrees and can require surgical treatment (Scoliosis Reduction Center, 2020). Severe scoliosis causes physical deformities, such as unaligned ribs, hips, and shoulders, but also may reduce the amount of space in the chest, affecting the function of the heart and lungs (Mayo Clinic, 2022). The purpose …

أثر استخدام تقنیة الاتصال عن بعد في المحاكمات الجزائیة على ضمانتي العلنیة والشفویة: دراسة مقارنة, الیازیة راشد السبوسي

Theses

Remote litigation is an application of modern technology that countries have established and added to the judicial system. Remote attendance appeared more at the time of the Corona pandemic, as the countries that had not previously used modern means in their judicial system have begun to advance it, and this is in contrast to the countries that used this system before the emergence of this pandemic. Among the pioneering countries in using remote communication technology is the UAE, where it started using this technology in 2017, that is three years before the pandemic, when the legislator enacted a special law. …

Practical Led-Based Spectral Imaging For Cultural Heritage Studio Photography, Olivia R. Kuzio

Theses

"Wouldn't it be better if 99% of institutions were working toward 99% accuracy, rather than 1% of institutions working toward 100% accuracy?" — John Barrett (Senior Photographer, Bodleian Libraries) during the AHFAP panel discussion "The Practical Implementation of Imaging Standards" in February 2022. In an increasingly virtual world, cultural heritage collections are more frequently experienced on a screen than in person. For especially precious or ephemeral works, reproductions may serve as the primary means of interacting with them. Often, series of works or related pieces are held in different collections, and it may be logistically complicated to exhibit them together …

Empirical Investigations And Dataset Collection For American Sign Language-Aware Personal Assistants, Abraham Trout Glasser

Theses

Proliferation of voice-controlled personal-assistant devices poses accessibility barriers for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) users. It is estimated that 128 million people use a voice assistant in the United States, and 4.2 billion digital voice assistants being used around the world, e.g. through over 60,000 different smart home devices that support Amazon's Alexa, which is one instance of virtual assistants [97,134]. The ongoing (at the time of this dissertation) coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the uptake of home-based, voice-controlled devices. As artificial intelligence researchers and developers are working on American Sign Language (ASL) recognition technologies, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research is …

Road Traffic Management Using Vehicle-To- Everything (V2x) Communication, Azzeddine Ben Khadra

Theses

Traffic congestion is the primary concern in dense cities; while the increased number of automobiles is becoming uncontrollable in some cities, it is more challenging to manage or change how people use cars. To contribute to solving traffic congestion in cities, this project examines the study of transferring vehicles to be competent in a way that can help the government entities analyze the received vehicles’ data and for better decisions on reducing traffic congestion as well as the real-time monitoring of traffic wherever it is located using the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication methodology. This study proposes a hardware “system” that can …

Predicting Food Safety Compliance For Food-Serving Establishments Inspections, Huda Amin Al Zarooni

Theses

There is an enormous increase in the number of food-serving establishments with the growing urbanization, which increases the challenges for government organizations in supervising their compliance with the food safety code. Food-borne illnesses could result in severe health and economic impacts and require efficient surveillance to ensure public safety and eliminate the negative impacts. This challenge can be addressed by applying data analytics in supporting the government supervision role.

The inspections conducted by the Government generate a huge amount of data that can be leveraged by data analytics and improve the efficiency of the operations and optimize the service provided …

Using Decision-Tree Analysis For Predicting Wildfires Impact On Vegetation In Australia, Saif Al-Khuraisat

Theses

This research aims to use machine learning algorithm to predict wildfires impact on green landscape based on weather conditions while exploring factors that could influence the possibility. By utilizing the generated results, it could help decision-makers and authorities to come-up with best possible strategy to prepare for and respond to wildfires. Being prepare will work toward the economy best interest by saving unintended expenditure in time of crises also saves the cash liquidity along the economy on the long-term. For example, back in East cost of United States of America in Florida, in 1998, the estimated economical losses because of …

Smart Hvac System For A Residential House In Kerala, India And Study Of Green Building Regulations In Thrissur, Kerala, India And Dubai, Uae, Sariga Sunilkumar

Theses

The objective is to analyze the green building regulations in Dubai, UAE and Thrissur, Kerala. By comparing these regulations. An understanding of the factors that impact the residents of the building built using these green building regulations and what can be learned from each regulation, and if there is a common factor connecting these two cities with different climates. The rising temperatures in fact have reduced similarities between the two, as Thrissur is a tropical wet climate and Dubai is hot however the temperatures and humidity levels during the summer are similar. The comparative analysis will allow for the determination …

House Price Prediction Using Machine Learning Model, Abdulla Alfalasi

Theses

Data Analytics and Machine Learning play an important role in extracting insights and patterns from datasets. The primary objective of using the above techniques for real world problems is to understand the intricacies of the problem, which is impossible with the help of manual human effort. The below chart shows the price trend (per sq. ft) over the past 10 years in Dubai, with a steady rise during the years from 2014. The 2020 pandemic plummeted the global prices due to the lack of demand and travel restrictions, which is clearly depicted in the chart. But at the very end …

First-Principles Calculations On The Electronic Structure, Mechanical, Vibrational, And Thermal Properties Of The Ca₃Bin Antiperovskite Alloy, Reem Maher Mohamad

Theses

Antiperovskites are the counterparts of perovskites. They have diverse properties that make them physically rich and technologically relevant. In the recent years, the alkaline earth based antiperovskites, especially the ones with small semiconductor bandgap, have captured tremendous attention due to their properties which make them efficient to be used in optoelectronic and thermoelectric applications. In this thesis, we are shading light on the alkaline antiperovskite ����₃������ due to its narrow bandgap. Thus, it can be considered as a promising candidate for thermoelectric and optoelectronic applications. Specifically, it is used to harvest waste thermal energy into electricity at low …

Heat Transfer In Mini-Channel Heat Exchanger With Smooth And Pin-Fins Surfaces, Mohammed Molham Daadoua

Theses

This research aims to investigate heat transfer of single-phase and two-phase fluids in mini-channel heat exchanger with smooth and pin-fins surfaces. The main goal of the study is to develop a high-performance heat exchanger for thermal management in various processing applications. This research is carried out using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and experimentations. The proposed method is to use enhanced structured pin-fins surfaces in a mini-channel heat exchanger to improve heat transfer. The pin-fin microchannel heat exchanger is investigated using a CFD method with single-phase fluid (water, air). The experimental investigations are conducted using single-phase and two-phase fluid involving …

What Drives Larval Condition For Northern Anchovy (Engraulis Mordax)? Implications For Coastal Pelagic Species Recruitment Fluctuations And Fishery Management Practices, Michelle Robidas

Theses

Discerning the causes of population boom and bust cycles for coastal pelagic species (CPS) has been a major focus of fisheries management research for over a century. Year-class strength is contingent on larval survival and condition, which can be influenced by larval size at age and growth rate. These two factors, in turn, can be affected by maternal investment and environmental variables such as water temperature, salinity, oxygen, and chlorophyll a. We evaluated each of these factors from 127 two to eight week-old Northern Anchovy (Engraulis mordax) larvae off the coast of San Diego to San Francisco, …

Gatekeeping Access To Emergency Departments: A Survey Of Hmo Policies, Regina Conway-Phillips

Theses

The purpose of this study is: (1) to determine if the practice of "gatekeeping" to control access to emergency departments by clients is a prevalent practice in nationwide Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs}; (2) to determine if a consistent HMO-wide definition of "life-threatening" emergency medical condition exists; (3) to delineate emergency triage systems used by HMOs; (4) to determine what medical directors perceive is the impact of gatekeeping access to emergency department (ED} services on the timeliness of HMO members receiving ED services; and (5) to see if differences exists in for-profit and non-profit HMO gatekeeping policies.

Assessing Ecosystem Health Through Contaminants In The Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, Nancy Torres

Theses

Although the Tijuana River Estuary (TRE) remains the largest, most-intact coastal wetland in Southern California, it has a history of major changes, much of this related to its location immediately north of the US / Mexico Border. One of the primary challenges is cross-border flows from the rapidly growing city of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, and the delivery of wastewater, debris, and sediment to sensitive coastal wetland ecosystems. There is a need to more fully investigate these environmental changes to assess the ecosystem health of the Tijuana River Estuary over time, especially related to pollution impacts. This can inform an …

From Fully-Supervised Single-Task To Semi-Supervised Multi-Task Deep Learning Architectures For Segmentation In Medical Imaging Applications, S M Kamrul Hasan

Theses

Medical imaging is routinely performed in clinics worldwide for the diagnosis and treatment of numerous medical conditions in children and adults. With the advent of these medical imaging modalities, radiologists can visualize both the structure of the body as well as the tissues within the body. However, analyzing these high-dimensional (2D/3D/4D) images demands a significant amount of time and effort from radiologists. Hence, there is an ever-growing need for medical image computing tools to extract relevant information from the image data to help radiologists perform efficiently. Image analysis based on machine learning has pivotal potential to improve the entire medical …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture For Growing West Coast Venus Clams, Avery Wallace

Theses

With demand for sustainable sources of seafood on the rise, California is looking to expand aquaculture with a focus on innovative culturing methods and use of native or resident species. Therefore, this study examined the potential for culturing native North American west coast venus clams (Chione californiensis and Chione undatella) using integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA). An ITMA approach was chosen because it is a culture method that uses species from different but functionally complementary trophic levels that have been found to reduce the potential negative effects of traditional monoculture. California sea cucumber (Parastichopus californicus) and the seaweeds red ogo (Gracilaria …

Normalization And Generalization In Deep Learning, Griffin Hurt

Theses

In this thesis, we discuss the importance of data normalization in deep learning and its relationship with generalization. Normalization is a staple of deep learning architectures and has been shown to improve the stability and generalizability of deep learning models, yet the reason why these normalization techniques work is still unknown and is an active area of research. Inspired by this uncertainty, we explore how different normalization techniques perform when employed in different deep learning architectures, while also exploring generalization and metrics associated with generalization in congruence with our investigation into normalization. The goal behind our experiments was to investigate …

Frequency Control Of Microgrid Network Using Intelligent Techniques – Ann, Pso And Anfis, Ann Mary Toms

Theses

The electric grid is a complex system that transmits electricity from the point of generation to the point of consumption. According to the IEA, worldwide energy-related carbon emissions in 2021 will be 36.3Gt, 60% greater than at the start of the industrial revolution. Researchers have used intelligent solutions for power system frequency regulation to ensure that the system's frequency is maintained. A proper frequency control of the microgrid necessitates the modeling and study of the systems. To emulate the operation of the human brain, frequency control employs a variety of artificial intelligence-based computer algorithms. This thesis generates a complete state …

Game Design Learning: Understanding And Supporting The Game Design Process In Higher Education, John Healy

Theses

This thesis presents a study of the game design process in higher education. The PhD research makes several contributions to the field by developing a model of game design learning through the analysis of qualitative data and creating a number of learning supports informed by this model. The research also proposes the signature pedagogy of game design learning as the studio project and explores the relationship between game design and other design disciplines. These contributions advance the understanding and practice of game design education, benefiting researchers, educators, and designers. As the popularity of digital games has grown in the 21st …