Digital Commons Network^™

Effect Of Fintech Adoption On Commercial Banks’ Stability: Evidence From Gcc And North Africa, Ibrahim Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

This paper looks at how financial technology (FinTech) adoption affects bank stability, measured by distance to default. It uses a unbalanced panel of listed banks from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and North Africa over the period from 2010 to 2024. To consider differences in bank risk and institutional traits, the study uses random-effects panel regressions along with quantile regression models and interaction specifications. These methods allow the effects of FinTech to change depending on the level of bank risk and the size of the bank. The results indicate that FinTech development does not have the same effect on banks’ …

Duties To The Self (Body And Mind), Rasha Essam

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contends that self-duties are of vital significance, representing the obligations we owe to ourselves, and examines them through different life phenomena. Chapter One defends the existence of self-duties against a challenge raised by an (alleged) paradox. Chapters Two and Three then explore two particular self-duties related to the body and the mind, analyzed through the philosophical notions of self-objectification and moral testimony. Each chapter elaborates on these concepts with detailed real-life examples that illustrate how such experiences can undermine one’s humanity—as preserving one’s humanity is a core duty toward oneself. The purpose of this thesis is not only …

Investigating Tau Pathology In The Retina And Anterior Segment Structures Of The Eye In A 3-Nitropropionic Acid–Induced Tauopathy Mouse Model, Mohamed Sayed Ahmed Abdel-Kader Qasem

Theses and Dissertations

Background and Objectives: Alzheimer's disease, the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in older adults, is characterized by accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau and amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques in the central nervous system. Given the retina's shared embryological origin with the brain, its direct neural connectivity via the optic nerve, and similarities in vasculature and age-related degeneration patterns, retinal pathology may serve as an early, non-invasive biomarker for Alzheimer's disease. This study employed 3-nitropropionic acid (3NP) as a pathway-specific tauopathy model driven by mitochondrial dysfunction. The study particularly aimed to investigate whether retinal and corneal tau pathology reflects underlying tau-related neurodegeneration triggered by …

Securing Or Securitizing? Unveiling The Role Of Securitization “Audience” In Israel’S 2007 Bombing Of The Syrian Nuclear Site., Dunia Essam Hassanin

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the 2007 Israeli bombing on Syria's Al-Kibar nuclear reactor through the lens of securitization theory, concluding that intelligence served as crucial audiences in legitimizing the operation. Building on the Copenhagen School's paradigm, which defines securitization as the process by which actors build issues as existential threats necessitating extreme measures, this study fills a critical theoretical gap: the underdeveloped role of the audience. While classic formulations focus on public approval, this study suggests a more sophisticated notion of the Political Intelligence Audience: intelligence agencies that validate and operationalize securitization moves. The concept contends that groups such as the …

Flexible Fault-Tolerant Multi-Die Fpga-Based Architectures For Varying Space Environments, Yosof Ali Seif El Din Ali Maklad

Theses and Dissertations

It is well-known fact that spacecraft’s electronic components operate in an extreme harsh and varying space environments, beside changing orbit or passing through Van Allan Belts during orbital course results of radiation levels change. This thesis focuses on SRAM-based FPGA systems on-board of such spacecrafts, that are commonly utilized in space applications’ critical applications due to their capabilities and flexibility to reconfigure, since these systems are vulnerable to frequent negative impacts of ionizing radiation, thus inducing soft and hard errors leading to disastrous failures that could jeopardize the entire spacecraft. The soft errors’ effects are frequent yet can be mitigated, …

Assessing Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices (Kap) Towards The One Health Approach In Governmental Officers In Egypt, Nour Elsersawy

Theses and Dissertations

Background: the one health (OH) approach emphasizes the interconnectedness among human, animal, and environmental health and requires multisectoral collaboration to address complex health challenges. Egypt faces significant threats at the human-animal-environment interface, including endemic and emerging zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), food safety challenges, and vector-borne diseases. Despite established coordination mechanisms and the launch of the One Health National strategic framework (2023-2027) of Egypt, the extent to which oh principles are understood, embraced, and practiced by governmental officers responsible for implementation remains incompletely understood. Objectives: this study assessed and evaluated the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding the one health …

Law And The (Re)Production Of Class Hierarchies In Egypt, Ahmad Abdelnaby

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates how Egypt’s legal system, structurally tilted toward the elite and constitutive of inequality, has interacted with the country’s entrenched culture of class-based discrimination to produce a legal culture uniquely comfortable with hierarchy. It contends that class-based discrimination in Egypt has evolved from a social prejudice into a juridical condition, one in which the law does not merely mirror inequality but actively constructs and rationalizes it. By examining the intersection between legal structure and Egypt’s entrenched moral order of class-based discrimination, the study reveals a legal culture that no longer hides its hierarchies behind the veil of neutrality …

Egyptian Feminist Critiques Of Neoliberalism, Asmaa Elmalky

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines Egyptian feminist critiques of neoliberal economic policies through a Third World feminist and feminist political economy framework. It argues that neoliberalism in Egypt has produced controlling power dynamics through restructuring labor markets, social reproduction, and legal systems in ways that disproportionately impoverish women, particularly working-class women. The research maps diverse feminist engagements with neoliberal reforms, including structural adjustment programs, privatization, labor reduction, and legal liberalization. These critiques were influenced by the debates between Third World and transnational feminism, the thesis emphasizes the importance of national specific analysis in understanding how global neoliberal policies are mediated through national …

The Mind Has A Firewall: An Attempt To Preserve Human Mind Integrity., Sayed G. Batran

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues for the recognition of mind integrity as a distinct human right. It contends that existing protections, such as bodily integrity, privacy, and freedom of thought, are no longer sufficient to shield an individual’s mental domain from new forms of external interference enabled by neurotechnology, artificial intelligence, and pervasive data-driven systems. Mind integrity is defined as the right to govern one’s own mental life—to form, revise, and hold thoughts, beliefs, and desires based on reasons one endorses—free from significant, non-consensual interference or manipulation, regardless of the method used. The thesis first identifies concrete risks and regulatory vacuums by …

Two Decades Since Cms V. Argentina: Concession Contracts, Necessity Doctrine, And The Imf’S Impact On Sovereign Economic Governance, Esraa S. Saied Abdallah

Theses and Dissertations

In the evolving landscape of international trade, particularly within the framework of Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs), the primary aim has been to promote and protect foreign investment. The 1980s witnessed a notable increase in investment treaties, coinciding with a global shift toward privatization that was significantly influenced by the impact of international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. By the 1990s, BITs had evolved to offer specific guarantees aimed at reducing the risks foreign investors faced in host states. However, despite the growth and transformation brought about by foreign investments, disputes arising under investment …

Assessing Public-Sector Readiness For Artificial Intelligence In Egypt, Renad Ahmed Anwar

Theses and Dissertations

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly adopted in public-sector contexts, yet successful implementation depends on organizational readiness, particularly in developing countries. This study assesses the readiness of Egypt’s public sector for AI adoption using a qualitative expert opinion methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior professionals from global technology firms with extensive experience working with public-sector entities in Egypt.

Guided by by an integrated framework combining organizational readiness theory, the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework, and public value and governance perspectives, the study examines strategic, organizational, human, technological, societal, and governance dimensions of AI readiness. The findings indicate that while Egypt demonstrates strong …

Reconfiguring The Category Of 'Sudan' Through The Literary Field: Representation, Disposability, Ambiguity And The 'Magical' In Four Post-Colonial Novels (2002-2022), Mourad Farahat

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I shall argue that contemporary African literature, with ‘’both its ethnographic imagination and anthropological complexity’’ (Orock, 2022, p.3), its use of ‘disruptive’ characters, and its focus on the embeddedness of the ‘collective’, the ‘common’ and the ‘vulgar’ in the personal (Mbembe, 2003), may help us mitigate some social scientific limitations on the study of Africa, and may aid us in understanding relations of power within the post-colony. I seek to show how contemporary Sudanese literature has already moved beyond the fixed social categories, lines, and limits which dominate some of the social scientific literature on Sudan. Literature …

The Impact Of Environmental Communication On Consumer Behavior: The Mediating Role Of Ascription Of Responsibility And Attitude, Nada Hussam El-Maghraby

Theses and Dissertations

The current study aims to examine the effect of environmental communication on promoting pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) in the Egyptian society. The study also tests the mediating roles of ascription of responsibility and attitude toward pro-environmental behavior on the examined relationship. Another aim of the study is to explore intention as a mediator in the relationship between attitude toward pro-environmental behavior and behavior. The research is based on the Norm Activation Theory (NAT) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A mixed-methods approach was implemented in this study. Quantitatively, a survey was conducted, and 406 responses were collected using convenience sampling …

Digital Public Service Delivery As An Institutional Outcome: Data Governance And Interoperability In The Egyptian Public Sector, Waad Hegazy

Theses and Dissertations

Moving beyond technology-centered theories of digital transformation, this thesis examines the institutional and governance factors shaping digital public service delivery in Egypt. It analyzes how governance structures, data governance arrangements, and interoperability frameworks influence the extent to which digital transformation initiatives result in integrated, scalable, and citizen-facing public services. Using a qualitative research design, the study draws on an analysis of relevant policy and program documents and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved in digital transformation initiatives in Egypt. The findings indicate that persistent challenges in digital public service delivery are driven less by technological constraints than by fragmented governance …

Comparative Evaluation Of Conventional And Sustainable Concrete Protective Coatings: Performance, Economic, And Environmental, Andro Ebrahim

Theses and Dissertations

Concrete structures are highly susceptible to deterioration from environmental, chemical, and mechanical factors, making protective coatings essential for ensuring durability and reducing maintenance demands. This study aims to compare and evaluate conventional and innovative coating systems for concrete protection across three dimensions—technical performance, environmental sustainability, and life cycle cost efficiency—and to assess whether coatings often regarded or marketed as sustainable genuinely achieve sustainability across these three pillars. Four representative coatings were selected for assessment: epoxy solvent-based, epoxy solvent-free, acrylic water-based, and cementitious. Technical performance was examined through laboratory testing, expert interviews, and multiple real project cases, providing a comprehensive understanding …

Uncovering Potential Therapeutic Targets For Spinal Cord Injury; Insights From Single-Cell And Cross-Species Transcriptomics, Sara Samy Abouzekry

Theses and Dissertations

Central nervous system (CNS) injury remains a devastating healthcare problem. Despite years of research, it remains almost impossible to achieve meaningful functional repair following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI). Spinal cord injury (SCI), a highly devastating subset of CNS trauma, is considered a challenge due to the extremely limited regenerative capacity of the nervous system in adult mammals. In contrast, certain species display remarkable repair abilities followed by moderate regenerative ability in neonatal mammals, indicating that regeneration is shaped by the evolutionary context as well as the developmental age.

To uncover the core molecular mediators of …

Dynamic Multi-Layered Hardware Obfuscation With Behavioral Drift Locking For Sat-Resistant Designs, Ahmed Yehia Salah Mohamed Emish

Theses and Dissertations

The globalization of the semiconductor supply chain has introduced critical vulnerabilities, including intellectual property (IP) piracy, reverse engineering, and hardware tampering. While traditional logic locking offers a baseline of defense, the emergence of powerful Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solvers has rendered many static obfuscation techniques ineffective. This work proposes a Dynamic Multi- Layered Hardware Obfuscation Framework that utilizes Behavioral Drift Locking (BDL) to provide a robust defense-in-depth against advanced adversarial models. The methodology integrates four synergistic layers: • Dynamic Key Management using a time-dependent rotation mechanism that updates keys every clock cycle to prevent static analysis. • Control Obfuscation through opcode …

A Study Of The Intellectual Property Rights Of Farmers With Special Reference To The Protection Of Plant Variety And The Farmers' Rights Act, 2001, Gomathi R Ms

Theses and Dissertations

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) confer exclusive rights on individuals over the creations of their minds. Intellectual property is protected through patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs, geographical indications, and other legal rights, enabling inventors to obtain economic benefits and legal recognition from their innovations. These rights provide exclusive usage for a prescribed period and have evolved significantly over the years, sharing similarities with ownership rights over tangible property. As intangible rights, IPR primarily consist of the property element and the object to which that property relates. Among the various forms of IPR, Plant Variety Protection (PVP) rights recognize the creativity and …

Mycobacteria Infection Induced Cascade Of Epigenetic Alterations Promote Training In Bystander Macrophages, Shah E. Jahan Gulzar Mr

Theses and Dissertations

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) remodels host cell functions to support its intracellular persistence. While the effects of Mtb infection on infected macrophages are well characterized, responses of uninfected bystander cells in the same microenvironment remain poorly understood. Here, we show that Mtb infection triggers widespread epigenetic reprogramming not only in infected macrophages but also in neighbouring bystander cells. These bystander macrophages acquire active chromatin marks, exhibit distinct transcriptional changes, and display enhanced immune responsiveness, thereby increasing resistance to both homologous and heterologous infections. We identify interleukin-1 beta secreted by infected cells as a key mediator of this process. Functionally, trained bystander …

Can Blockchain-Adoption Announcements Create Market And Operating Value In Banks? Evidence From An Event Study For Global Banks Initiatives, Nourhan Said

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis offers quantitative work in exploring the market value and operation advantages associated with blockchain initiatives in listed banks. We utilized an event study approach to analyze the market value added to banks adopting blockchain technology on a short term. The sample consist of 126 event observations spanning 30 different countries in the period between 2016 and 2024. The study also focuses on the signals and cues that drive the changes in the banks’ abnormal returns and cumulative abnormal returns. Different project attributes like the blockchain type, blockchain application, and objective as well as bank characteristics like the bank …

The Impact Of Supermarket Layouts On Female Shopping Behavior: A Spatial Configuration Analysis, Yara Fahmy

Theses and Dissertations

As supermarkets continue to evolve into hybrid spaces for both consumption and social interaction, understanding how spatial design shapes shopper experience has become increasingly essential. This study investigates the impact of supermarket layout—specifically free-flow configuration—on female shopping behavior within the New Cairo context. Recognizing women as primary decision-makers in household purchasing, the research adopts a gender-informed lens to uncover behavioral patterns, navigation preferences, and layout perceptions. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study integrates macro-scale online surveys (N = 173 female shoppers) with micro-scale data, including behavioral observation and path tracking of 65 female shoppers, post-shopper interviews, and spatial configuration analysis …

Toward Transformative Social Protection: Integrating Economic Empowerment And Addressing Graduation Challenges In Egypt’S Takaful And Karama Program, Mennatalla Ahmed Zayed

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates how Egypt's Takaful and Karama Program (TKP) can enhance long-term poverty reduction and program sustainability through the inclusion of economicempowerment interventions. Based on the frameworks of Social Risk Management 2.0 and Transformative Social Protection, the study places Egypt's experience in the context of international discussions about conditional cash transfers, multidimensional poverty, and graduation models. The study uses a qualitative methodology, conducting semi-structured interviews with academics, civil society experts, and policymakers. The interviews' findings are supported by content analysis of policy documents and impact evaluations on TKP and Forsa. According to the research analysis, cash transfers help alleviate …

Ceo Duality And Environmental Efficiency : Empirical Case Study On Chinese Publicly Listed Companies Between 2015-2024, Mariam Ahmed El Taher

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The paper investigates the potential effects of CEO duality—where the CEO also chairs the board—on environmental efficiency in Chinese listed companies between 2015 and 2024. Energy intensity, or total energy use per unit of revenue, serves as a stand-in for environmental efficiency. In the full sample, CEO duality is consistently linked to higher energy intensity (≈19–27 units; p< 0.01) using firm, year, and (in the pooled models) sector fixed effects with firm-clustered standard errors, suggesting lower environmental efficiency under unified leadership. In line with creditor discipline, market capitalization is typically negative and substantial, headcount is positive, and leverage (Net Debt/EBITDA) is negative. Moderation tests reveal that leverage significantly reduces the duality–inefficiency link (Duality×Leverage ≈ −0.49; p< 0.05), while interactions with board conflicts, working capital, gender diversity, and disclosure/independence are statistically insignificant.

The study uses an instrumental-variable estimation to account for potential endogeneity, where CEO duality may itself be influenced by unobserved firm characteristics or past performance. Diagnostic tests (Anderson LM, Cragg–Donald F, and Sargan) confirm that the instrument, which is based on …

Electromagnetic Simulations For Vulnerable Road User Safety In 5g/6g Wireless Systems, Colin Mcnerny

Theses and Dissertations

Protecting vulnerable road users is imperative. As 5G wireless technology matures and 6G standards are established, new operational technology emerges to reduce traffic accidents. There is widespread evidence to support the need for pedestrian awareness in modern traffic ecosystems as a significant number of vulnerable road users are injured or killed every year due to observable traffic failures. Computational electromagnetic (CEM) solvers are used to model, simulate, and analyze the performance of antennas deployed to meet this challenge. Validation studies using the Altair FEKO CEM solver demonstrate scenarios where vulnerable road users are at risk. The simulation data in this …

Ethical Constraint-Based Mpc With Adaptive Weight Scheduling For Autonomous Vehicles In Diverse Scenarios, Hend Mohammed Aafia`

Theses and Dissertations

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are increasingly deployed in complex and safety-critical environments, raising fundamental questions about how ethical principles should be operationalized within real-time control systems. While existing research has extensively addressed ethical decision-making at the planning and behavioral layers, ethical intent is commonly translated into predefined trajectories and delegated to low-level controllers under the assumption of safe execution. This separation introduces a critical gap between ethical reasoning and physical feasibility, particularly in scenarios involving nonlinear vehicle dynamics, actuation limits, constrained perception horizons, and time-critical interactions with vulnerable road users. This thesis proposes an Ethical Model Predictive Control (E-MPC) framework that …

Examining The Science Of Reading Focusing On Phonemic Awareness And Multicultural Literature To Enhance Reading Achievement Among African American Students, Danielle L. Gantt

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods action research study examined how implementing the CKLA, Core Knowledge Language Arts, curriculum, founded in the science of reading, enhanced the reading achievement among first-grade African American students. The purpose of the study was to explore how phonics instruction, specifically phonemic awareness, and multicultural literature would improve literacy. The study was guided by Ivankova’s six-phased mixed methods model integrating quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data collected included the DIBELS, Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, benchmark and progress monitoring assessments. The qualitative data included student work samples, multicultural literature lessons, and open-ended student responses. The quantitative …

“Language Learners As Ethnographers: A Case Study On A Pedagogical Approach To Developing Intercultural Communicative Competence”, Nihal El-Gameel

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the extensive theoretical models and frameworks for Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC), pedagogical approaches to teaching culture remain underexplored. This study examined the effectiveness of integrating a pedagogical framework—the OSEE framework developed by Deardorff (2000)—within a language classroom context. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected through audio-recorded reflections, a questionnaire, an interview, and a final project video presentation in a single-case study design. Data analysis followed Miles and Huberman’s (2014) model of qualitative analysis, employing a funneling approach tailored to each research question: the first applied Chen and Starosta’s ICC model (1996;1999) the second used deductive thematic analysis to …

Interest Rate And Inflation Control In Egypt: Evaluating Policy Efficiency (1976-2023), Fatma Abouzeid

Theses and Dissertations

Inflation has been a persistent problem in Egypt peaking with unprecedented levels throughout the past decades affecting economic stability and living standards in the country. Controlling inflation through interest rate has been a major tool adopted by the monetary authorities in Egypt with no real satisfactory outcome with respect to inflation levels. This links to a theoretical debate in economic literate on the relationship between interest rate and inflation which represents a major controversy in the field. The study examines this controversy in the case of Egypt to reach a conclusion on the actual relationship between these two central economic …

Utilization Of Plastic Waste In The Concrete Industry, Nancy Abdelmoneim Sakr

Theses and Dissertations

Plastic recycling has emerged as a crucial strategy that aligns with environmental, social and economic sustainability indicators. Currently, substantial volumes of plastic waste are either deposited in landfills or incinerated, neglecting the potential to harness its embodied energy and the energy consumed for producing virgin materials. A key advantage of plastic lies in its promising mechanical properties. Concrete mix design is fundamental to a wide range of construction applications, including brick walls, reinforced concrete slabs and concrete pavements. Despite the adoption of recycled plastic in construction materials in various countries, its widespread implementation remains limited. This is primarily due to …

Legal Reform And Cultural Resistance: Examining The Role Of Law And Custom In Ending Fgm In Egypt, Souhaila Hafez Abo Seada

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the persistent gap between legal reform and social practice in efforts to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Egypt. Although FGM has been criminalized since 2008, with stronger penalties introduced in 2016 and 2021, the practice continues, revealing the limits of law when it operates alongside powerful social, religious, familial, and medical norms. Using a qualitative case-based approach grounded in legal pluralism and Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis, the study draws on 11 semi-structured interviews with participants from civil society, religious institutions, the legal profession, the medical sector, and communities where FGM persists, alongside legislative, demographic, and documentary …