Digital Commons Network^™

Improving Post-Secondary Credential Attainment: A Case Study Of Action Research In A Workforce Development Context, Peter James Selden

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand what environmental, structural, group dynamic, programmatic, intermediate measure, or outcome measure factors influence the effectiveness of action research being used to improve postsecondary credential attainment for the Tulsa Talent Hub team. This case study focused on the perceptions of those team members that were involved in an action research or community-based participatory research project in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was facilitated by a team of individuals from Impact Tulsa. The researcher examined how each member that was interviewed perceived overall impact and effectiveness of the action research process used. Through qualitative analysis, the …

Exploring The Potential Of E-Government In Reducing Corruption – Case Of Egypt, Mahinour Abou Elseoud

Theses and Dissertations

Many countries have recognized the significance of electronic work transition to application, frequently known as e-government, with the purpose of improving their bureaucratic performance and reducing corruption. From an economic standpoint, transparency may boost government efficiency as it increases the government capacity and, eventually, fosters good governance by reducing corruption and inefficiency. As a result, this study aims to analyze the correlation between e-government and corruption, as well as whether e-government reduced the detrimental effects of corruption on public trust. To accomplish this objective, the thesis focuses on in-depth interviews with citizens of all ages, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds, as …

Stacking And Intersecting Nutrient 4rs On Potato, Samuel Hamilton Stapley

Theses and Dissertations

The 4Rs of nutrient management is a global agronomic initiative with an aim to improve the sustainability of major cropping systems and the environment. The objective for this project is to evaluate individual and stacked 4R management practices and how they intersect. A field trial near Grace, Idaho was conducted on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in 2020 and 2023. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer treatments included all combinations of two sources [urea or polymer coated urea (PCU)], two rates (82 or 100% of the recommended rate), and/or two timing/placements (all applied at emergence or 84% at emergence + 16% fertigation simulation) compared …

Kodai: Framework Towards Data Augmentation Of Large Language Models In Machine Learning, Rick Rejeleene

Theses and Dissertations

Machine Learning is rapidly advancing at an incredible pace due to an increase in computational size, and availability of data. Data is the cornerstone of machine learning algorithms. Information quality has a profound impact on the performance of machine learning systems. Supervised, Unsupervised, and Reinforcement learning are three major ways of performing machine learning. Self-supervised learning, part of unsupervised learning, has made breakthroughs in engineering and research by using Large Language Models (LLM). LLM are a type of neural network, used for language understanding and generation. Recently, LLM has taken a distinct lead by demonstrating state-of-the-art capabilities in natural language …

Foster Care, Aces, And Social Communication Development: A Mixed Methods Study, Caroline Marie Giuffre

Theses and Dissertations

A childhood spent in foster care has been linked to various adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) including neglect, maltreatment, and physical abuse. The presence of ACEs has the potential to negatively impact neurological development. Our study seeks to inform practicing speech-language pathologists on the potential risks of a history of foster care on the pragmatic domain of language: social communication. The current literature focuses more on general language development, such as expressive language or the prevalence of language delays. This article details our use of a survey study given to adoptive parents of foster children on their child’s social communication abilities. …

Fiscal Administration Versus Fiscal Policy: An Investigation Into The Determinants Of The Real Tax Revenues From Consumption Tax In Egypt, Nariman Zahran

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis highlights the importance of fiscal administration relative to fiscal policies. It presents a broad view of the developments in both fields and tests their effects on real revenues from consumption tax in Egypt from fiscal year 2002 till 2023. It initially explains the proxies used for fiscal administration: the size of the tax base and the collection lag. The major fiscal policy change in Egypt was shifting from sales tax to Value-Added Tax (VAT) during fiscal year 2016/17. The effects of fiscal administration and fiscal policy on real tax revenues will be assessed using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag …

Customer Churn Prediction Based On Sentiment Score, Shadha Al-Safi

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the telecommunications industry has witnessed intensified competition, wherein the expense associated with acquiring new consumers exceeds that of sustaining existing ones. Consequently, predicting customer churn prior to its occurrence has become essential. This study proposes a sentiment-based customer churn prediction model in which the sentiment of customers is predicted using Random Forest. Subsequently, the derived sentiment predictions are combined with additional features to predict customer churn. The ensemble technique is applied to predict churn, consisting of K-nearest neighbors, Support Vector Machines, Random Forest as base learners, and Multiple Layer Perceptron as a meta learner. Moreover, mutual information …

Social Movements And Resistance: Extinction Rebellion Against Dominant Structures, Samira M. Eltiby

Theses and Dissertations

Public dissent is the outcome of governments inaction regarding issues that populations deem as necessary. Social movements are groups that emerge due to dissatisfaction with the status quo that is presented by the current neoliberal world order. The new social movement that is studied in this thesis seeks emancipation, freedom, environmental justice and action, and the dismantlement of neoliberal capitalism as a system of production. This thesis examines the relevance of Gramscian analysis to the study of new social movements, with a focus on Gramscian hegemony and leaderless movements. The thesis uses Extinction Rebellion (XR), a UK-based movement that adopts …

New Mathematics Teachers' Goals, Orientations, And Resources That Influence Implementation Of Principles Learned In Brigham Young University's Teacher Preparation Program, Caroline S. Gneiting

Theses and Dissertations

Research in mathematics education shows that new mathematics teachers struggle to implement reform teaching practices that they learned in their teacher preparation programs. In this study, the researcher observed and interviewed three new mathematics teachers (within five years of graduation) to further explore the question of why new teachers use or do not use what they learned in their teacher preparation program. The study uses an expanded version of Schoenfeld's decision-making theory of Orientations, Goals, and Resources. This theory proved useful in the analysis of the research data, providing a framework to incorporate and organize the numerous reasons suggested by …

Rethinking Female Genital Cutting Through Postcolonial Lens, Erika Carvalho

Theses and Dissertations

Due to global instabilities, the resulting international displacement and rising inter- cultural tensions within Western societies have relocated gendered cultural practicesat the center of contemporary debates on multiculturalism, social cohesion and migration. In this context, female genital cutting (FGC) has re-emerged as a symbol of savagery, portrayed as a symbol of “otherness”, a true global violation of women’s rights. While the increasing attention given to these practices is a testament to reinvigorated feminist activism, FGC has also been harnessed for the purposes of reproducing colonial discourses about the “Third World”, which have been integral to the revival of many policies …

Usability-Driven Security Enhancements In Person-To-Person Communication, Tarun Kumar Yadav

Theses and Dissertations

In the contemporary digital landscape, ensuring secure communication amid widespread data exchange is imperative. This dissertation focuses on enhancing the security and privacy of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) applications while maintaining or improving usability. The dissertation first investigates and proposes improvements in two areas of existing E2EE applications: countering man-in-the-middle and impersonation attacks through automated key verification and studying user perceptions of cryptographic deniability. Insights from privacy-conscious users reveal concerns about the lack of E2EE support, app siloing, and data accessibility by client apps. To address these issues, we propose an innovative user-controlled encryption system, enabling encryption before data reaches the …

Lebanon Needs Food, Water, Medicine And Social Media, Elisabeth Croese

Theses and Dissertations

Lebanon has a history of instability, weak governance, and a strong civil society. The country has been in a state of crisis for decades and currently, the state is experiencing multiple crises at once. Political tensions, an economic crisis, and plummeting of the Lebanese Lira, together with the COVID-19 crisis have amounted to the instability of the state. All these tensions escalated even further when Beirut experienced a huge explosion in the port on 4 August 2020, killing over two hundred people and injuring thousands.

Civil society organizations play a crucial role in the development and survival of Lebanon. In …

Rethinking Female Genital Cutting Through Postcolonial Lens, Erika Carvalho

Theses and Dissertations

Due to global instabilities, the resulting international displacement and rising inter- cultural tensions within Western societies have relocated gendered cultural practices at the center of contemporary debates on multiculturalism, social cohesion and migration. In this context, female genital cutting (FGC) has re-emerged as a symbol of savagery, portrayed as a symbol of “otherness”, a true global violation of women’s rights. While the increasing attention given to these practices is a testament to reinvigorated feminist activism, FGC has also been harnessed for the purposes of reproducing colonial discourses about the “Third World”, which have been integral to the revival of many …

Resisting Internalized Stigma (Ris): Acceptability And Feasibility Of A Cognitive Behavioral Stigma Intervention For Early Psychosis, Francesca Maria Crump

Theses and Dissertations

The clinical high-risk state for psychosis (CHR-P) was created to help identify individuals experiencing early signs of psychosis to help forestall worsening symptoms. CHR-P individuals may experience stigma that may stem from internal or external processes, including from receiving specialized care. Research has demonstrated associations between internalized stigma and psychosocial and functional outcomes, which underscores the need for interventions to help mitigate the impact of stigma while balancing the need for treatment. To date, there is only one stigma intervention specifically designed for individuals designated as CHR-P, which is psychoeducational in nature. Based on the recent call to action that …

Codeswitching In The Egyptian Arabic Movies: How Do Social Variables Trigger Codeswitching?, Randa Hassan

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This is a qualitative study designed to examine the growing linguistic practice of codeswitching in a sociolinguistic context. For this purpose, 7 Egyptian Arabic films were purposefully selected to investigate what social variables and contexts can be associated with codeswitching. Data was sampled in 43 experts from the 7 films. The data was analyzed in terms of the social variables of education, social class, identity, stance, and age, within the theoretical framework of the critical discourse analysis, the accommodation theory, and the social arena theory. Although the study started with these social variables in mind, data analysis revealed two …

Improving The Energy Efficiency Of Residential Buildings In Egypt Through Whole Building Simulations, Habiba Aly

Theses and Dissertations

Residential buildings consume around 40% of total electricity consumption in Egypt. This research investigates the energy saving potential of the Green Pyramid Rating system (GPRS) and Tarsheed rating system on the building envelopes of mid-rise middle income residential buildings in Cairo through energy modelling and simulation. The study evaluates the economic feasibility of the recommendations of the two rating systems through Life Cycle Cost (LCC), Simple Payback Period (SPP), Discounted Payback Period (DPP), Net Present Value (NPV), and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Calculations. This research also aims to develop energy efficiency recommendations to achieve 30% energy savings above the …

Prevention Of Food Fraud In Egypt: Policy Implementation Challenges And The Way Forward, Hager Yehia Shalaby

Theses and Dissertations

Prevention and control of food fraud is now an emerging policy goal for different governments. Food fraud is intentionally adulterating food intended for personal gain and deceiving consumers. Adulterated food continues to be a significant threat to Egypt's food sector because of its negative impact on the food industry's reputation. Additionally, it jeopardizes the success of initiatives to increase investment, tourism, and exports in Egypt. Addressing fraud is, by definition, the most challenging food control system form because it directly addresses a personal stake benefiting from fraud behavior. In light of the importance of food fraud prevention as an emerging …

Exploring Ngos’ Perspectives And Their Role In Education Reform In Egypt, Ioanna Moriatis

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study elicits NGO perceptions regarding Egypt’s Ministry of Education and Technical Education’s (MOETE) reform efforts, their interest in participating in education reform and policy advocacy, and their existing relationship with the ministry. Drawing on the findings from semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 13 representatives of education NGOs based in Cairo and Giza, this thesis takes a qualitative approach toward answering the following research question: How do NGOs targeting K-12 youth perceive their role in shaping education reform in Egypt? Despite having to navigate a host of obstacles to accessing public schools and working with the MOETE, the NGOs represented …

Students' Perceptions Of Non-Native Arabic And Native Arabic Teachers, Mohamed Firgany

Theses and Dissertations

Educators teach Millions of Arabic language learners worldwide, most of whom are not native speakers. Despite their efforts in teaching, developing educational materials, and significant contributions to scientific research, there is a lack of research on them within the context of the Arabic language.

In this project, I explore students' perceptions of teaching practices for native-speaker teachers (NSTs) and non-native-speaker teachers (NNSTs), along with the advantages and disadvantages associated with each. Additionally, I aim to understand the impact of certain variables such as gender, age, nationality, language proficiency, and the purpose of studying on these perceptions.

Through 173 survey responses …

When And Why Do Arabs Verify? Predicting Online News Verification Intention During The 2023 Gaza War, Menna Elhosary

Theses and Dissertations

Guided by the network gatekeeping and secondary gatekeeping theoretical frameworks, this study employed a 2 (news headlines: pro-Palestine/anti-Palestine) x 2 (news sources: the Times of Israel/Al-Jazeera English) experiment embedded in an online survey on a purposive sample of Arab social media users (N= 452), aiming to understand the antecedents of online news verification during the 2023 Gaza War1. The study investigated the motives that might have encouraged or discouraged Arabs from verifying the war-related news circulated on social media. A model was proposed to examine the role of confirmation bias in shaping perceptions about sources and messages, thereby impacting online …

Third Mission Accelerator Labs (Tmals): An Exploratory Study On The Strategic Evolution Of Sustainability In University-Business Incubators (Ubis), Abdalla Hassanein

Theses and Dissertations

Globally, higher education institutions (HEIs) are devoting rising resources in order to remain competitive, impactful and attractive within the ever-changing socio-economic developments and to well position and communicate their value among their stakeholders (Lafuente-Ruiz-de-Sabando, et al. 2018). Students today want to do more than just get a degree; they want to create businesses, develop new markets, and start social movements (Kay et al., 2010). Under the open innovation model, universities' third mission (TM) includes deeper linkages and engagements with the private and public sectors, emphasizing the development of entrepreneurial mindsets, skills, and incubation services to encourage new business ventures, in …

The Brain Drain Of The Egyptian Physicians: A Look From Both Sides, Hebatalla Ahmed Mohamed Ismail

Theses and Dissertations

The brain drain of well-educated and trained workers is a problem that faces many nations. The pandemic revealed the importance of being ready with all resources, especially the healthcare workers. In Egypt, according to records of the Egyptian medical syndicate, half of the registered physicians in the syndicate are working abroad. In this study, we aimed to understand the relationship between individual satisfaction regarding work or family, his capability factors, and his intention to leave the country to work in another one. A quantitative approach was used by a self-administered online questionnaire. The results showed that 66.4% of physicians who …

Antibacterial And Anticancer Activities Of A Fosmid Clone From Atlantis Ii Red Sea Brine Pool., Marina Nabil

Theses and Dissertations

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and cancer are among the top global human health issues requiring urgent control practices. AMR caused 5 million death cases around the world in 2019. This number is expected to reach 10 million deaths by 2050. Cancer deaths reached 10 million in 2020. Additionally, anticancer drug resistance is a common cause of death among cancer patients. Screening for novel compounds is one of the strategies recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to control drug resistance in microbial and cancer cells. Marine natural products (MNPs) are characterized by chemically diverse structures with various bioactivities, especially in extreme …

Blooming Through The Cracks: The Case Of Syrian Women In Egypt After 2011, Ola Dayeh

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted in 2023 and aims to understand the impact of displacement on Syrian women’s involvement in the public sphere in Egypt. After the transition of the Syrian revolution into an armed conflict, Syrians witnessed a large wave of displacement, looking for safety away from their homeland. The research defines displacement as the movement of people who are forced to leave their place of residence. The focus is directed on the situation of Syrian women who were displaced to Egypt after 2011, and it proves the claims that there is an increase in women’s engagement in the public …

Phosphomolybdic Acid-Doped Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 Hybrid: Nanostructured Material With Synergistic Antibacterial Effect, Mariam Mohammad Abdelkhalek

Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial infections represent a major global health concern, causing millions of deaths and significant economic burdens. The development of nanostructured surfaces with antibacterial activity can revolutionize infection control practices. In this study, a hybrid material of Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) doped with phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) was synthesized and characterized by FESEM, EDS, XRD, FTIR, and N2 sorption isotherm. The antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli as a model organism was tested by colony forming unit (CFU) reduction assay, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and time-kill curve. PMA@ZIF-8 performance as an antibacterial agent was superior to its individual constituents, suggesting synergistic effect of …

Student Perceptions Of Icc Development And The Reasons For It During Casa@Auc, Stephen Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Research has described how studying abroad has become a major goal in the Arabic world, focusing on understanding the ideas and way of life of another culture and people. Study abroad programs increase students' “Intercultural communicative competence” as indicated by researchers like Maharaja (2018) and Lee and Song (2019). The current study is a case study involving three participants. It focuses on students' perceptions of the influence of the CASA@AUC study abroad program on their intercultural communicative competence (ICC) as reflected by ACTFL performance indicators they are capable of executing. Results of the study indicate that they have reached advanced …

Native Speakerism In Egypt: The Perceptions Of Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers (Nnests) And Their Employability, Dina Bebars

Theses and Dissertations

Discriminatory hiring practices toward non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) have been researched, debated, and criticized globally. Yet, such recruitment practices are still prevalent in the TESOL field due to perceptions of the linguistic prowess of the native English-speaking teacher (NEST). Given the existence of such practices, this study aims to identify the criteria that employers look for when hiring English language teachers in Cairo, to examine how nativeness is ranked within these criteria, and to investigate if there is a connection between the perceptions of administrators, parents, and teachers regarding NNESTs and hiring practices. A mixed-methods research design was employed to …

Solutions Journalism And Climate Change Journalistic Narratives: Comparative Insights From Egypt And The United Arab Emirates, Nouran Nour Abdelghaffar

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the heavy nature of the climate crisis, climate change news tends to be massively negative. Too much negative information can cause severe psychological impacts and spur news avoidance. Along these lines, solutions-focused climate change reporting presents a juncture for introspection. Solutions journalism is rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems. Focus on the positive while not ignoring the negative; a solution approach could help expand climate coverage by changing the traditional depressing narrative and sharing stories of effective responses. Despite the academia’s growing interest in solutions journalism, there is not an abundance of literature available in …

“What Factors Cause African American Males To Persist Or Depart Before The End Of Their Second Year Of College?”, Rickey Dornell Thompson Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate how African American male students persist through or depart before the end of the second year of their college journey. African American male students tend to drop out of college after their first year and sometimes after their first semester of college. There were several variables and themes that emerged in this study. The dependent variable is the persistence of African American males through their second year of college. The mediating variables, that aimed to explain the relationship between the dependent and independent variables were extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. The …

Deep Learning Model Compression On Edge Devices For Audio, Afsana Rahman Mou

Theses and Dissertations

Audio classification plays a crucial role in interpreting and understanding soundscapes, enabling applications like voice assistants, sound event detection, and music analysis. However, deploying deep learning models for audio classification on edge devices presents significant challenges. These models often require substantial computational resources and memory, which are limited on edge devices. Balancing performance, efficiency, and accuracy remains a key hurdle in this field. In this research, we explore various deep learning architectures, including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and Audio Spectrogram Transformer (AST), for the purpose of audio classification on the ESC 50 and Audio Set datasets. …