Digital Commons Network^™

Anxious Futures: Capital, Nation And Advertising In Beirut, Lebanon, Caitlin Alais Callahan

Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary billboard advertising in Beirut fuels anxiety in Beirut’s citizens. In a city suffering from daily uncertainties caused by a devastating financial collapse in 2019, and mourning victims of the worst non-nuclear explosion to ever occur in the Port of Beirut in 2020, Beirutis are also faced with advertising which constantly reinforces uneasiness. Visual advertisements market visas to leave the country, purchasing second passports and money counting machines, forming quotidian reminders of the current state of the country. Using interviews and visual ethnographic material collected during the summer of 2023, this thesis discusses how billboards help to foster dialogue around …

Using Video Modeling To Improve Hygiene Practices For Students With Significant Cognitive Disabilities, Allison Hovey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of instruction delivered by video to teach hygiene skills to students with significant cognitive disabilities. The independent variable in this study is personal hygiene instruction delivered by a video model. The dependent variable in this study is the ability of a participant to complete a multi-step hygiene task. The dependent variable will be measured during each data session of intervention by two scorers using the same measures and procedures across phases. Visual analysis demonstrated a functional relationship between the hygiene skill video model intervention and an increase in the percentage …

Crafting Lives: Experiences Of Ethiopian Refugees In Cairo, Nayrose S. Abd El-Megid

Theses and Dissertations

There has been an ongoing influx of refugees for years driven by political instability, famine, and prolonged conflicts in the region, leading many individuals to seek sanctuary in other countries. Egypt has become a host country for many years, whether for settlement or transit, for various populations from different nationalities hoping to find refuge. However, amidst this influx, Ethiopian refugees often find themselves overlooked or usually associated on the sidelines with other African nationalities; their stories and struggles are marginalized in broader narratives of displacement. The experience of Ethiopians is heterogeneous and multidimensional in terms of their intersectional identities of …

Wayward Utopias: Time In Wilde And Goethe, Kafi Moghrabi Mr

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I study the dialectical relation between the Utopian imagination and a reality perceived in every way as antagonistic to hope. In the first chapter, I present Ernst Bloch’s Utopian vision, as presented in The Principle of Hope, which offers an exposition of the author’s Romantic Marxism. The second chapter engages Oscar Wilde’s only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, demonstrating how a life devoted to self-gratification only results in the constant deferral of Utopian longing, and how, undone, Dorian’s demise opens up Utopian possibilities as anticipated by Bloch. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s version of the …

Refugees Insertion And Labor Market Outcomes And: An Analysis Of The Egyptian Context, Salma Ebrahim

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the association between the inflow of refugees to Egypt and labor market outcomes during the period 2012-2018, using data from the Egyptian Labor Market Panel Survey (ELMPS). By applying Difference-in Differences and Probit models, the study compares labor market outcomes between Greater Cairo, characterized by high refugee inflow, and the Suez Canal region, which has a very low inflow. The labor force outcomes analyzed wages, formality and labor force participation. The results indicate that the refugee influx is associated with a decline in wages for both formal and informal workers in the treatment group compared to the …

Differential Effects Of Social Media On Body Esteem: An Ecological Momentary Assessment On Weight Satisfaction And Muscularity Importance, Megan Van Alfen Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated how social media use is related to body esteem (particularly weight satisfaction and muscularity importance) in adolescents. We conducted a 17-day Ecological Momentary Assessment study among 183 adolescents (12–17 years, 58% girls). Each adolescent reported on his/her social media use, weight satisfaction, and muscularity importance four times per day (68 assessments per participant; 6,863 completed in total). Using a person-specific, N=1 method of analysis (Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling), we found that at the between-person level, social media use is not associated with lower satisfaction with one’s weight and greater importance of looking masculine. At the within-person level, …

Zinc Oxide Nanostructures Synthesized By Hot Water Treatment For The Photocatalytic Degradation Of Organic Pollutants In Water, Ranjitha Kumarapuram Hariharalakshmanan

Theses and Dissertations

Photocatalysis using nanostructured semiconductors for the degradation of organic pollutants has received significant attention as an advanced water treatment method. A photocatalyst absorbs light with energy greater than or equal to its band gap and generates electron-hole pairs. These electrons and holes take part in redox reactions in water to generate reactive oxygen species, such as hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anions, which can break down organic contaminants. However, this method has some challenges, such as electron-hole recombination, which reduces the efficiency, high cost of nanostructure synthesis, and reduced durability of nanostructured photocatalysts in suspension form. The immobilization of photocatalyst nanostructures …

The Psychological Significance Of Cultural And Religious Values Among The Arab Population, Michel Sherif Mikhail

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Values, which are the guiding principles and beliefs of our lives, have an influence over one’s psychological health. This study aims to investigate how Schwartz’s four higher-order values (conservation, openness to change, self-transcendence, and self-enhancement) and religious values influence psychological health among the Arab population. Methods: A total of 1,023 respondent from nine Arab countries aged 18 to 71 filled an online survey with measures of the following constructs: Schwartz’s four higher-order values (Portrait Value Questionnaire-21), religious values (Sahin’s Index of Islamic Moral Values), and general psychological health (General Health Questionnaire-28). Results: Two models of multiple regression were …

Tactical Compromises: Authoritarian Survival Mechanisms Of Sudan’S Inqaz Regime (1989-2019), Dalia Abdelnabi

Theses and Dissertations

How did the Inqaz regime survive a civil war, economic crises, mass upheavals, and political stagnation for thirty years? This question guides the study’s analysis of the survival of one of the MENA’s most resilient authoritarian regimes. Authoritarian durability is an adaptive risk-taking process of implementing politically costly plans to survive in power. This research investigates authoritarian survival through power-sharing reforms and coup-proofing tactics. The study highlights the role of the autocratic ruling coalition in maintaining regime durability and argues that intra-elite dynamics are key to understanding an autocrat’s exit without a clear successor. To this end, I investigate the …

Policy Frameworks And Citizens’ Use Of Fintech Solutions: The Pros And Cons In Egypt, Salma Al-Mohamady

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of the significant influence of financial technology (FinTech) on the banking industry, consumer finance, and economic growth. It specifically concentrates on the swiftly changing FinTech environment in Egypt. The study investigates the impact of incorporating advanced technologies on worldwide financial practices, which has significantly transformed traditional banking models and facilitated the emergence of inventive financial services. The transition is clearly apparent in Egypt, where the expansion of FinTech has been driven by advances in regulations, adaptation to technology, and a population that is becoming more comfortable with digital solutions.

Using a combination of quantitative …

Unraveling The Nexus: Social Spending, Development, And Breaking The Cycle Of Poverty, Yasmin Shehata

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the role of development, as indicated by the Human Development Index (HDI), in shaping the connection between social public spending on health, education, and social protection and poverty in terms of the poverty headcount ratio at $3.65/day (2017 PPP). Empirical analysis is used to this end, employing a panel dataset of 68 countries at varied stages of development over the period 1995-2021. The empirical model is estimated using the Fixed Effects Two-stage Least Squares (2SLS). It is also re-estimated using the Instrumental Variable Generalized Method of Moments (IV-GMM) and Limited Information Maximum Likelihood (LIML) to test the …

The Effect Of Fiscal And Monetary Policy On Public Debt In Egypt, Malak Mohamed

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis aims to examine the effect of monetary policies and fiscal policies on public debt in Egypt during the period from 2006 until 2021. Egypt is witnessing aggravated levels of debt, with limited fiscal and monetary space. Therefore, the objective of the paper is to analyze the effect of discount rates, inflation rates, subsidies, taxes and economic growth on debt-to-GDP in Egypt using a VAR model with an extended test of Impulse Response Function. The results suggest that a positive shock in government expenditures initially decreases public debt but leads to a fluctuating increase in the debt-to-GDP ratio in …

Bitcoin And Stock Market Return Correlation: A Sectoral Analysis Of The S&P500, Michael Narouz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studies the correlation between Bitcoin returns and stock market price returns for the S&P500 US stock market index by dividing the index into 11 sectors based on the industry and checking for correlation between Bitcoin returns and the returns of the stocks in each sector individually. The GARCH model is used due to its ability to account for the empirical phenomenon of volatility clustering that is usually present in financial time series datasets such as those used in this thesis. The results show statistically significant positive correlation between Bitcoin returns and stock market returns for all 11 sectors, …

Educational Experiences Of Students With Visual Impairments In Higher Education: A Case Study Of A Private University, Ghadeer Alghurabi

Theses and Dissertations

The study's main goal is to investigate the educational experiences of students with visual impairments in a private university, considering their views, beliefs, and emotions. The study examines the university's disability policy using Cardno's methodology. Also, The study uses a qualitative research design to learn more about each student's unique experience. Moreover, this study has two components: policy analysis and empirical study (interviews). Policy analysis is used to analyze the disability policy, while student interviews shed insight into their experiences, including the educational challenges they faced, the influence of faculty members, and mobility issues on campus. Furthermore, the Crip theory …

Understanding The Relationship Between Perceived Childhood Experiences And Relationship With God, Remaz Bahaa

Theses and Dissertations

The present study explores the relationship between perceived childhood experiences and one’s current relationship with God in an Egyptian Muslim sample. While such relationship has been researched in Western contexts, there is a notable gap in understanding these dynamics within Muslim Middle Eastern cultures. In this study, 180 participants, brought up in Muslim households, were given the following questionnaires: both versions of the Parental Acceptance Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ) referring to the father and mother, Attachment to God Inventory (AGI), and Images of God (LAMBI Scale). The results presented the internal consistency of both the AGI and LAMBI scales with the …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of The Integration Of Esd Competencies In A Primary Four Curriculum In Egypt: A Case Study, Aya Elkholy

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examines the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) competencies within the Primary Four Science Curriculum in Egypt under the Education Reform Project EDU 2.0. ESD competencies are viewed as essential for empowering citizens to address real-world challenges. Utilizing a qualitative research design, the study employs document and content analysis of the teacher guide of the Techbook to investigate the incorporation of these competencies. Additionally, interviews are conducted with science teachers to gain insights into the application of the curriculum design. Interviews with curriculum developers directly involved in the curriculum development process with the Egyptian Ministry of …

Financial Inclusion And Human Development: A Comparative Analysis Of Mena And Brics, Mohammad Eid

Theses and Dissertations

Various efforts to enhance human development in several countries has been underway for years now, but the level of human development attained by countries in BRICS and MENA regions vary. This study empirically examines the role of financial inclusion and its impacts on human development; it investigates whether financial inclusion can be used to drive human development by examining and comparing its results in MENA and BRICS countries. The dependent variable is the score of Human Development index HDI. This study provides a unique comparative analysis of the role of financial inclusion and its effects on human development in MENA …

Dreams Of An Elsewhere Or Aspiring To Stay? Navigating Anxious Youthhood And Migration In Morocco, Chaimaa Radouani

Theses and Dissertations

Migration in Morocco has long been a topic of scholarly and public debate, with a particular emphasis on low-skilled labor migration. Nonetheless, there is still a significant need to figure out the aspirations of educated, skilled youth regarding their desire to move or stay in the country. This thesis investigates the aspirations of educated youth in Casablanca, Morocco, and how they are influenced by the changing dynamics of contemporary Morocco. It addresses youth aspirations and migration by examining the elements affecting their decisions within the context of the country’s current economic, social, and political contexts. The primary focus of this …

Physical Effects On The Worst-Case Delay Analysis And Signal Integrity Of Buses And Spirals, Mahmoud Mahany

Theses and Dissertations

Physical effects have a significant impact on the IC design which will be investigated in this thesis. Moving toward advanced technology nodes, magnetic effects become more dominant than capacitive effects. As the dimensions of the devices go down and the interconnect manipulates the circuit behavior more and more. Cross talking and voltage drops are affecting the design heavily, however - going to the full electromagnetic point of view - current return path (CRP) adds significant parasitics to the performance of the chip. Neglecting the CRP gives wrong intuition and simulation of the designs, especially that the environment and surroundings can …

Assessment For Sustainable Transportation Systems In Egypt, Hagar Mohamed Fares

Theses and Dissertations

The assessment of a sustainable transportation system poses a significant challenge for local governments, as it dramatically influences the promotion of environmentally friendly modes of transportation with the objective of safeguarding the public's welfare and health in their daily activities. The integration of such assessment should be implemented from the initial stages of system planning to its operational and maintenance phases, particularly in light of the increasing number of urban development activities nationwide. In order to facilitate decision-making processes, it is imperative to establish an efficient rating system that incorporates cultural and social constraints and comprehensively considers the three dimensions …

How Do The Entrepreneurial Motivations And Struggles Of Egyptian Women Entrepreneurs Challenge Existing Perspectives?, Salma Sherif

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines ten profiles of Egyptian women entrepreneurs and compares their perspectives to the widespread and main arguments in the existing literature reviewed on the topic; mainly their entrepreneurial motivation and challenges. The paper reveals similarities and contradictions, and introduces different angles to perceiving both aspects. The researcher concludes that contextualizing entrepreneurial motivations can, therefore, disclose deeper dimensions to the subject matter, and as for the challenges, it can change their relative importance. For the primary data collection, the paper follows a non-probability sampling approach by applying a purposive sampling technique. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted accordingly. The women …

Which Tools Can Aid The Management Of Intangible Cultural Heritage In Community Based Heritage Organizations In Cairo? A Case Study Of Shubra’S Archive, Mienke Zwemstra

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a comprehensive overview of cultural heritage management in Cairo, focusing particularly on intangible heritage and the potential benefits of digital tools in this field. It highlights the marginalization of community-based organizations in the broader narrative of heritage management in Cairo, along with the limited alignment and collaboration between local, national and international heritage institutions. Drawing from ethnographic research conducted at the Shubra’s Archive (SARD), this study identifies the challenges faced by such organizations, including the reliance on volunteers and international funding for mission implementation. It emphasizes the importance of strategic planning and collaboration with municipal and national …

The Inflammatory Exposome Of Major Depressive Disorder In An Egyptian Sample, Reem Deif

Theses and Dissertations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been recognized as a global public health concern affect-ing the lives of 264 million people with increasing prevalence worldwide. Inspired by the expo-somic research, this study aims to investigate the dynamic and complex interplay between dif-ferent demographic, lifestyle, environmental factors and bimolecular factors that are potentially involved in the pathology of MDD in a sample of Egyptian adults living in Cairo. This is in an attempt to acknowledge the biological underpinnings of MDD without underestimating the role of environmental influences. The context of Egypt provides richness to the current study given the national transition from …

Self-Determination Towards Regular Exercise Relates To Quality Of Life In Female College Students With At Least One Child, Toby Khung Chilai Roylance

Theses and Dissertations

Inspired by one of my daughters, Rachel Tam, and her journeys through motherhood while pursuing an MBA at Brigham Young University, this study was conceived from observing her struggle to balance academic responsibilities, motherhood, being a wife, and prenatal care. Her experience highlighted the significance of self-directed physical activity (PA) for young mothers pursuing higher education in a religious institution. This study explores the dynamics of PA, motivation, and well-being among 264 college-attending mothers from Brigham Young University Provo and BYU-Pathway Worldwide. These participants were selected from an online survey pool of over 1,500 female student respondents. All mothers in …

Towards An Inclusive Media Policy Framework Targeting Adolescents In Egypt, Saja Elgredly

Theses and Dissertations

For years, adolescents have been lost between adulthood and childhood. This is even reflected in the policies that directly affect their lives and well-being. In Egypt, there has hardly been a clear political line on how the media should deal with adolescents. As this age group belongs to childhood, most of the laws and regulations are hardly dedicated to address them despite their different characteristics. Within the Egyptian context, there are children's laws concerned with basic children's rights and other laws that relate to the media. However, we notice a gap in adolescent-friendly laws, policies and regulations, especially in the …

Bridging The Gap Between Neuroscience And Education: What Are Teachers’ Perceptions Of Applying “Neuropedagogy” To High School Classrooms?, Hanan Rashwan

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers can use neurobiological explanations to evaluate students' behavior and performance and create more supportive learning settings in their school environment. There is a growing interest among educators regarding the potential benefits of incorporating neuroscience into teaching practices. However, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of how to effectively integrate cognitive neuroscience into teacher education programs to maximize its impact on student learning and teacher development. This study focuses on understanding teachers' views on the integration of neuroscience principles in educational settings by utilizing a questionnaire and interviews to gather data from participating teachers. The findings reveal that the …

Unlocking Prosperity: The Role Of Icts In Alleviating Poverty In Middle East And Africa, Yousra Elnemr

Theses and Dissertations

Most countries in the Middle East and Africa region (MEA) have recently witnessed digital improvements despite the increase in poverty rates. This thesis investigates the potential relationship of Information and Communication Technologies and poverty reduction using annual unbalanced panel data for 21 MENA countries and 48 Sub Saharan African (SSA) countries from 1990 to 2022. By focusing on two primary ICT indicators representing ICT usage and access—internet penetration and mobile subscriptions— our research applies Fixed-Effects Two Stage Least Square (2SLS) economic model to explore their relationship with the poverty headcount ratio at the $2.15 per day international poverty line. The …

Digital Intelligence In Egypt’S K-12 Public Schools: Educators’ Perspectives, Mohammed Al Mousa

Theses and Dissertations

Technological integration has been a dominant feature of Egypt’s education recently, especially after the announcement of the Education 2.0 initiative, which aims to transform Egypt's education to digital-based and skill-based learning (UNICEF, n.d.), Ever since, public schools in Egypt started adopting technology into teaching practices through online classes, digital textbooks, e-learning platforms, and digital examinations. This educational transformation requires teachers and students to possess the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values to become effective and responsible users of the transforming digital education system and the digital world in general, which are collectively known as Digital Intelligence (DQ). Despite the substantial role …

Emotionally Stimulated Activism On Tiktok: The Impact Of Exposure To Audiovisual Moral Violation On Collective Action In The “Woman, Life, Freedom” Movement, Laila Abbas

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis unravels new, decentralized mechanisms for mobilization that challenge the traditional understanding of the ‘group-based psychology of collective action.’ By focusing on the Iranian “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, the study proposes a model that integrates traditional motives for collective action, emotions of different valence, and TikTok audiovisual moral violation stimuli. The proposed model allows for a more complex empirical understanding of the phenomenological experience needed for participation in digital environments. Theoretical assumptions in the current work were guided by the Social Identity Model of Collective Action (SIMCA), the Encapsulated Model of Social Identity for Collective Action (EMSICA), and the …

Assessing The Effects Of Climate Change On Vulnerability To Poverty: The Case Of Heat Waves And Construction Workers In Egypt, Rachad Bani Samari

Theses and Dissertations

“Doomsday, humanity’s extinction, the end of days”. Apocalyptic adjectives abound to highlight the danger looming over the planet, as the earth is warming up due to global warming and climate change. The picture painted over the canvas has consistently projected a gloomy image of low-income countries and of the poor. As the earth is gently boiling with heat, low-income groups in the Global South are predicted to be most affected. However, most of such warnings and studies focused on sectors directly dependent on suitable weather conditions such as agriculture, and sea tourism. While the climatic phenomena of heat waves may …