Digital Commons Network^™

Navigating The Future Advancing Autonomous Vehicles Through Robust Target Recognition And Real-Time Avoidance, Mohammed Ahmed Mohammed Hussein

Theses and Dissertations

The problem being tackled by this thesis is a very important one and very relevant to our days and times: it is about making improved target recognition and enhanced real-time response skills in AVs under simulated conditions. Our plan is to put some enhanced sensory capabilities into these vehicles and see if that makes them safer and more reliable. We are using as our base a particular object recognition algorithm (YOLOv7) and a particular simulation environment (CARLA). We utilized the CARLA 0.9.14 simulator on Ubuntu 20.04 as a more stable option than the initially used CARLA 0.9.15 on Ubuntu 22.04, …

Expectations Versus Reality In New Cairo's Gated Communities: An Interdisciplinary Analysis Of Socio-Spatial Features, Ala'a Marwan

Theses and Dissertations

This research aims to introduce a new framework to identify the disparities between gated community residents’ experiences and real estate developers' visions towards the development. As New Cairo experiences significant growth, many residents are increasingly relocating to gated communities. It has become crucial to assess users’ expectations before moving and their lived experience post-moving to allocate the gaps between their expectations and reality, otherwise, the GC developments will grow apart from users’ updated preferences. The research focuses on the socio-spatial qualities such as accessibility to services and facilities, community interaction, and vast green areas between buildings for privacy, all of …

A Framework To Harmonize Legal Provisions In Infrastructure Ppp Projects In Egypt Funded By Multilateral Development Banks, Menna Elkadi

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last decade, Egypt has witnessed an increase in the number of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects, specifically in infrastructure, as a result of the growing interest and popularity of various entities participating in such projects. Public infrastructure systems are no longer thought to be exclusively provided by the government; instead, the private sector’s contribution in the provision of such services is increasing. However, not every PPP program has been equally effective or has made the optimum use of planning and decision-making. The possibility of a project failure as a result of poor risk allocation is increased, if the potential …

Unrwa And Palestinian Refugee-Ness: Material Bureaucracy And Political Potential, Paul James

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the ways Palestine refugees and UNRWA engaged with the material objects of humanitarianism in the context of Palestinian displacement. In particular, the focus is on UNRWA’s basic ration program and the techniques of humanitarian governance illustrated by the use of ration cards that shaped and were shaped by the refugee population. The research asks how the ration card, as both a contested site of governmental rationality and object of political meaning-making, functioned as a technique for defining the Palestine refugee identity. To answer this question, the thesis draws on literature and conceptual work rooted in critiques of …

Evaluating The Performance Of Broccoli (Brassica Oleracea Var. Italica) In The Sandponics System Using Brackish Water With Biochar And Compost, Gabriel Oyebode

Theses and Dissertations

Some of the most pronounced effects of climate change on agricultural output include the depletion of freshwater resources and heightened salinization of arable land, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, adversely affecting crop yields. Many economic vegetable crops including members of the brassica family are sensitive to salt-stress. The use of organic soil amendments such as biochar and compost as complimentary nutrient sources in the sandponics system can improve the performance of crops. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of organic amendment on the growth performance and yield of broccoli and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) under brackish …

Exploring Pragmatic Functions And Linguistic Features Analysis For Some Terms Of Endearment In Egyptian Colloquial Arabic As Discourse Markers, Samar Abdeltawab

Theses and Dissertations

In Arabic and many languages, terms of endearment are used as discourse markers to express affection. However, their meanings differ depending on the pragmatic context in which they are said.

Despite the abundance of research on terms of endearment in various languages, there is a noticeable lack of studies examining the pragmatic functions and linguistic features of these terms in Arabic. This research aims to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive exploration of the pragmatic functions and investigating the syntactic and morphological characteristics of selected terms of endearment in Egyptian colloquial Arabic. It offers a detailed analysis of their …

The Role Of Social Support In Protecting Against Perinatal Depression Among Egyptian Women, Radwa Raafat Abdelshafi

Theses and Dissertations

Perinatal Depression (PND) is a global public health issue affecting many women as they transition to motherhood, and carrying detrimental consequences for both mothers and infants. Research in low and middle-income countries shows higher PND prevalence rates than in high-income and Western countries. In addition, social support has been shown to strongly protect or reduce the impact of PND. This study aimed to address a gap in research on PND in Egypt, and to build an understanding of the social support ecological system of new mothers. A survey was conducted with 81 first-time middle-class mothers living in Greater Cairo between …

Esg Significance In Relation To Corporate Bankruptcy Prediction, Sama Elkady

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis aims to enhance corporate risk assessment through studying ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) significance in modeling bankruptcy. Through using artificial intelligence’ natural language processing (NLP), we develop a proxy for ESG scoring based on companies annual reporting retrieved through EDGAR. We integrate the derived ESG score with traditional financial ratios used to calculate Altman’s Z-score (1968) in predicting bankruptcy. Through S&P’s Compustat, we obtain a sample of 108 healthy & bankrupt firms -spanning 14 years of fiscal observations- and match them through time and industry. We use stepwise GLM regression to estimate bankruptcy probability observing that ESG and …

The Principles Of Islamic Moral Philosophy And The Possibility Of Re-Conceptualizing Classical Islamic Aesthetics Of Architecture, Muhammad Feteha

Theses and Dissertations

This study is primarily concerned with the intersection of the moral and aesthetic theories of Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 1111). Al-Ghazālī’s theory of aesthetics has been the subject of thorough scholarly investigations and diverse interpretations in the field of Islamic art history since the 1940s. This thesis critiques the premises upon which the use of al-Ghazālī’s writings in studies of Islamic art and architecture were built. It suggests that they lead to what could be described as “the contradiction of unethical beauty.” To overcome this contradiction, it offers a comprehensive interpretation of al-Ghazālī’s aesthetics through analyzing the concept ḥusn in …

Advanced Construction Scheduling: Capturing Conditional And Stochastic Relationships, Amr Elsabagh

Theses and Dissertations

Proper planning is a key factor in all business endeavors. This is especially important in the construction industry as a project is sensitive to countless factors that affect the project's time and cost. This created the need for agile and flexible schedules for close monitoring and dynamic planning for construction projects. The currently prevailing scheduling techniques are CPM and PERT, which professionals in the field widely use. These methods create static schedules that are vulnerable to any changes in the schedule logic, which often happens during construction projects. In addition, these Scheduling techniques do not capture the uncertainties and complex …

Organizational Change Management In Egypt; Contractors’ Perspective, Karim Ayoub

Theses and Dissertations

Organizational change management in the construction industry is a vital process for companies to consider in their operations. Successful implementation of the process allows the companies to go a step further in the market due to their competitiveness derived from better performance and efficiency. However, applying change to the organization and introducing new structure is a challenge for any company seeking better performance, but worth it if it is implemented properly. In general, this research sheds light on the organizational change management implementation in construction contractors in Egypt. Where, this study aims to demonstrate the organizational change management initiatives and …

Revisiting The Diffusion Of Innovations Theory In The Digital Era: Adoption Of Artificial Intelligence In Social Media, Aliaa Khaled Elshabassy

Theses and Dissertations

The present study aims at revisiting the applicability of Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory in the digital era, particularly in relation to recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence and their use in social media. The role of generational differences in influencing the adoption and non-adoption of these technologies is also explored. Drawing on the rich insights of qualitative data, the researcher adopts a multi-method approach comprising seventeen interviews with academic and professional experts and four focus group discussions among different generations to collect first-hand insights on AI adoption in the present time. AI was itself used for qualitative data analysis, including …

Determinants Of Physicians' Brain Drain In Egypt, Mennatallah Elbeheiry

Theses and Dissertations

Egypt is enduring a significant shortage of physicians, despite the annual graduation of approximately 10,000 medical students from its 27 medical schools. In 2016, the physician density was alarmingly low, with only one doctor per 12,285 people. This shortage is exacerbated by a physicians’ brain drain, as Egypt is a leading exporter of physicians to countries like the United Kingdom and Australia. As of 2020, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate reported 212,835 registered physicians, yet 56 percent of them work abroad, and only about 62,000 are actively employed in public hospitals, serving a population of over 110 million. The government’s efforts …

A Robust Framework For Graph Construction In Vision Graph Neural Networks, Ismael Elsharkawi

Theses and Dissertations

In Computer Vision, the method of representing an image has a profound effect on the performance of a model. Traditionally speaking, an image is treated as a grid of pixels and can be processed via Convolution Neural Net- works (CNN). An image can also be treated as a sequence of patches. Vision Transformers and MLP-Mixers (Multi-Layer Perceptron Mixers) are two types of models that process an image as a sequence. A more generic representation than grids and sequences would be graphs. That is why Vision Graph Neural Network (ViG) construct a graph for an image and process the image as …

The Role Of Biofilm Matrix On The Growth, Survival, And Diagnosis In Enterobacteriaceae, Kavi Bharathi R

Theses and Dissertations

Bacteria in nature live together encased in a matrix creating community ecosystems called biofilms, this structured space protects them from hostile environments. This study aimed to understand the role of the biofilm matrix in the growth and survival of Enterobacteriaceae. Our hypothesis proposes that subgroups of individuals within a biofilm can specialize in the production of different matrix components.

Matrix expression is metabolically costly, despite its unicellular simplicity, microbes can coordinate complex behaviour like sharing of matrix between producers and non-producers as an adept evolutionary strategy. Their resilience to stress during biofilm formation was studied to assess their abilities to …

Assessment Of Risk Factor Prediction Using Machine Learning Techniques And Hybrid Approach Based On Soft Sets, Menaga A

Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality worldwide, and India reports a significantly high death rate due to its large population base and the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases. National statistics indicate that 20–27% of deaths in India are attributed to CVDs, with the proportion steadily rising over the years. Recognizing the urgency of early detection and risk prevention, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced “The Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (2013–2020),” emphasizing early identification, risk reduction, and timely treatment. In this context, decision-making applications have gained importance across domains especially healthcare …

Behavioral And Neuroactivational Correlates Of Psychosocial Stress-Induced Cocaine Seeking In The Rat, Nicole Hinds

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Nicole Maria Hinds BEHAVIORAL AND NEUROACTIVATIONAL CORRELATES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS-INDUCED COCAINE SEEKING IN THE RAT 2024 Molecular Cell Biology & Neuroscience Doctor of Philosophy Cocaine Use Disorder is characterized by a high risk for relapse that can persist over extended periods of abstinence. Psychosocial stressors are well-established to promote drug craving and relapse in humans but have rarely been employed in preclinical relapse models. Consequently, the underlying neural circuitry by which these stressors drive cocaine seeking has not yet been thoroughly explored. This project aimed to identify brain regions recruited during psychosocial stress-induced cocaine seeking in rats, with a …

A Precoding, Companding, And Nonlinearity Reduction Approach To Optimize High-Speed Ado-Ofdm For Visible Light Communication, Swaminathan S

Theses and Dissertations

Using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for data transfer, visible light communication (VLC) presents a strong substitute for radio frequency communication. Yet, because of the non-linearity of LEDs, conventional Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) approaches in VLC are limited regarding spectrum efficiency, peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR), and system linearity. Multi-carrier asymmetrically Clipped Optical OFDM (MADO-OFDM) is introduced in this study. For VLC operations based on Optical Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (O-OFDM), a model-driven Deep Learning (DL) approach has been presented. Utilizing an Auto Encoder (AE) network technology reduced the non-linearity of the LEDs. A proposed improved ADO-OFDM protocol, called MADO-OFDM, adaptively modifies the …

Plants, Protests, Pachakuti: How Trees March And How People Tree, Ashley A. Lundquist

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the multi-faceted role of plants, specifically Wituk and Manduru, in Amazonian protests and environmental advocacy. By examining the communicative and relational ontologies inherent in Runa culture, the study elucidates how plants influence social movements and contribute to environmental protection. Wituk and Manduru create paint. Paint facilitates good communication which creates good relationality. Good relationality allows for increased capacities and inhibits greedy consumption allowing for a balanced world order. Through the use and agency of Wituk and Manduru, movements become multi-species phenomena in which ecological entities combine with Runa bodies. The relationships shared between Runa, Wituk, and Manduru …

Optimizing The Pass Program: Using Improvement Science To Enhance Holistic Support For First-Year Medical Students, Suzanne Julia Mosko

Theses and Dissertations

Medical students often face unique academic and personal challenges that can hinder their success and well-being, particularly in the first year. This dissertation examines the impact of the Proactive Academic Support System (PASS) Program, a program designed to provide timely, holistic support to first-year medical students. Guided by improvement science and the Universal Design Principles for Student Development Programs and Services framework, the study implemented two change ideas aimed at reducing the time between grade release and PASS meeting completion, thereby enhancing communication and engagement with students. The study focuses on one Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycle that assessed …

Role Of An Smc-Like Protein, Recn, In Reca-Mediated Homology Search During Double-Strand Break Repair Via Homologous Recombination, Afroze Abdehaque Chimthanawala

Theses and Dissertations

The most deleterious form of DNA damage is the formation of a double-strand break (DSB). If left unrepaired or repaired incorrectly, DSBs can result in genome rearrangements, mutations, or even cell death. Hence, cells across domains of life have resorted to homologous recombination (HR) for the faithful repair of DSBs. A critical step in homologous recombination is the search for the intact homologous sequence by the break ends, termed ‘homology search’. This process is not well understood in vivo, especially when the break site and intact homologous template are not positioned adjacently.

Spatial reorganization of chromosomes is maintained by structural …

Daily Pain Experiences And Coping Approaches Among Women In Midlife With Elevated Risk For Cardiovascular Disease, Laura Travers

Theses and Dissertations

Millions of adults experience significant pain each year, costing individuals and our economy millions of dollars in lost productivity and negatively impacting quality of life. Pain is more common among women than men and is a known barrier to women’s physical activity (PA) engagement. Yet, PA helps manage pain and buffer against conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). For women in midlife with CVD risk factors (e.g., hypertension), little is known about daily pain fluctuation and the coping skills employed to manage pain. The current study examined daily pain and pain coping experiences among women ages 40-60 with one or …

Using Rna-Sequencing To Explore Mechanistic Markers, New Therapeutics, And Immune Imbalance: A Study Of Cancer And Autoimmunity Through The Lens Of Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, And B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Naomi Lydia Rapier-Sharman

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer and autoimmune diseases both impose a substantial healthcare burden on the US and world populations. In 2016, there were over 17 million cases of cancer, leading to nearly nine million deaths. Additionally, autoimmune diseases cause substantial mortality and morbidity and are present in 3-5% of the general population. Despite the increased attention scientists now give diseases that are impacted by immune imbalance, we have yet to find regimens to treat the core cause(s) of tissue dysfunction without drastically decreasing the quality of life for many patients with either cancer or autoimmune disease. For instance, anti-CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) …

Revealing Students’ And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Challenges And Strategies In Arabic Reading Comprehension, Osama Othman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the perceptions of Arabic as a Foreign Language (AFL) students and teachers regarding the influence of eight textual features on reading comprehension. These features are: vowelization, word patterns, roots, vocabulary, case endings, word order, punctuation marks, and text organization. It also investigates reading comprehension strategies employed by both groups to overcome comprehension challenges associated with these features. Data were collected from 102 AFL students and 26 AFL teachers through questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 6 students and 11 teachers. Results revealed that students generally rated the influence of these features more highly than teachers. The …

The Influence Of The Un Watercourses Convention On The Development Of A Policy Design In The Nile River Basin, Zienab Ali Abdelhady

Theses and Dissertations

The adoption in 1997 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UN Watercourses Convention or UNWC) marked a milestone in the codification and progressive development of international water law. Similarly, the signature in 2010 by the majority of the Nile Basin states of the Nile River Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) was a major step towards a permanent legal and institutional framework as well as a significant shift from the currently applicable legal regime in the basin. The research concludes that the principles enshrined in the UNWC can assist future regional treaty …

Securing A Virtual Reality Classroom Using Unity, Okemute Samuel Idonor

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how security features might be incorporated into a Unity created virtual reality (VR) classroom, with a particular emphasis on important concerns including user privacy, data security, and illegal access. The increasing usage of virtual reality (VR) technology in educational settings has made it crucial to ensure the security of these immersive systems, especially when it comes to safeguarding sensitive user data. Designing and implementing a secure VR classroom prototype that could successfully protect against common security concerns, such as unauthorized access and data breaches, was the main goal of this project. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Role-Based Access Control …

Memory In Haruki Murakami's 'Norwegian Wood', Merry Ling

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood challenges conventional perceptions of memory as a linear process tied to self-understanding and reconciliation. Through the protagonist Toru Watanabe's struggle to confront his traumatic past, Murakami presents memory not as a straightforward tool for resolving the present but as an elusive, fragmented phenomenon. Toru's hesitance to release his attachment to the past, alongside his interactions with characters who embody different approaches to memory and trauma, underscores the complexity--and often the impossibility--of achieving closure. While the novel appears overwhelmed with tragedy, trauma, and loss, and offers no clear resolution for Toru, Murakami's subtle …

An Integrated Approach To Enhance The Performance Of Rainfall Forecasting By Leveraging Stacking Based Machine Learning And Deep Learning Techniques, Umamaheswari P

Theses and Dissertations

Rainfall forecasting is critical for a variety of reasons, the most important of which is the substantial impact it has on many sectors of the community and the environment. It helps farmers with planting schedules, crop choices and irrigation techniques, all of which directly impact food production and agricultural yields. Rainfall forecasting is also vital in sectors such as hydroelectric power generation, since knowledge about water availability is essential for electricity generation. Accurate rainfall forecasts play very important roles in disaster planning and flood control. They enable authorities to take precautionary measures and, where necessary, plan for the evacuation of …

Novel Synthetic Circuits For Cellular Theranostic Applications, Leah Nicole Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer is a complex disease that leads to over 600,000 deaths in the United States each year. Immunoengineering, the process of harnessing a patient's immune system to treat disease, has proven to be a promising therapeutic approach for cancer. For example, the FDA has approved seven chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies. However, these therapies address less than 11% of cancers diagnosed in the United States. In this work, we develop innovative tools to enhance immunoengineering and the efficacy of cell therapies like CAR-T. We introduce and validate synthetic phosphorylation networks with fluorescent and luminescent extension (SPN-FLUX), a synthetic receptor …

Mental Rotation: Psychometric Analysis Of The Online Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations And Relationships Between Mental Rotation Skill And Engineering Undergraduate Success, Savanna Dautle

Theses and Dissertations

“Literature shows that spatial skills, and in particular, mental rotation skills, are predictors of success in STEM. Students who have strong spatial visualization skills are more likely to demonstrate better academic performance and higher graduation rates in STEM. Several instruments are used to measure mental rotation skills, most of which are paper-based… To measure the range of skills typically seen in undergraduate engineering students, the PSVT:R has been historically preferred for its use of a variety of 3-dimensional shapes, which are appropriately challenging to visualize, and for its established reliability and validity [using classical test theory]. An [online] version of …