Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Spatial And Temporal Variations In Abundance And Composition Of Benthic Macrofauna Associated With Seagrass Beds In Abu Dhabi, Maitha Mohamed Al Hameli

Biology Theses

This study compared the seasonal variations of macrofaunal communities found within the seagrass beds of protected areas and non-protected areas in Abu Dhabi. The study took into consideration the spatial and temporal differences of the sites and seasons as well as other environmental factors, like trace metals concentrations, water temperature, sediment composition, salinity and pH. The main objective and aim of this study is to investigate changes in the community structure of macrofauna with changes in location and seasons. Environmental parameters and biological samples were collected in-situ and analyzed at UAEU labs from both sites, during both seasons (winter and …

Innovative Business Model For Smart Healthcare Insurance, Maryam Hasan Abdullah Al Thawadi

Information Security Theses

Information revolution and technology growth have made a considerable contribution to restraining the cost expansion and empowering the customer. They disrupted most business models in different industries. The customer-centric business model has pervaded the different sectors. Smart healthcare has made an enormous shift in patient life and raised their expectations of healthcare services quality. Healthcare insurance is an essential business in the healthcare sector; patients expect a new business model to meet their needs and enhance their wellness. This research develops a holistic smart healthcare architecture based on the recent development of information and communications technology. Then develops a disruptive …

A Study Of Environmental Factors Affecting Coral Species Growth In Western Region Of Abu Dhabi – Uae And The Arabian Gulf, Khulood Ahmed Eissa Al Ali

Biology Theses

This study aims to investigate possible effects of certain environmental factors particularly, high summer water temperature and increase of water salinity on the growth rate of endemic dominant coral species at the west coasts of the United Arab Emirates. The study investigated the dissolved trace elements concentrations and its relation to coral diseases.

The methodological investigations have been conducted in a defined two sites at Baraka and Al Saadiyat area. In Barakah, three quadrates of 1.0 m3 have monitored the growth of Porites harrisoni by both photographically as well as by direct measurements of the targeted coral colonies in each …

Alginate/Cucurbit [7] Uril/Dequalinium–Basedb Supramolecular Carbohydrates: Modulation Of Fret Signal By Temperature Control, Amir Sohail Noor Alam Jan

Chemistry Theses

Herein, we describe the synthesis of a bioactive, inexpensive, and easy-tohandle supramolecular carbohydrate polymer by grafting of cucurbit [7] uril macrocycle (CB7)-encapsulated dequalinium chloride hydrate (DCH) onto alginic acid carbohydrates (ALG) via amide linkage formation and show that light energy transfer based on energy migration can be controlled by altering polymer temperature without changing polymer composition. DCH (donor) and 2-anilinonaphthalene-6- sulfonic acid (acceptor) were used to generate Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) signals. Stationary and time-resolved photoluminescence spectra of the modified carbohydrate platform revealed that FRET resulted in a color change from violet (~387 nm) to blue (~429 nm), which …

Analysis Of Genetic Variation Of Western And Eastern Populations Of Socotra Cormorant (Phalacrocorax Nigrogularis) In The Uae, Salama Rashed Al Mansouri

Biology Theses

Understanding the genetic structure of threatened and endangered species is important in management and conservation efforts. Measuring the pattern and scale of genetic variation within and among populations is important for understanding population dynamics. It helps us improve our understanding of the ecological and genetic relation between the populations. The current research looks at the population structure of the endemic seabird of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Socotra cormorant (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis). The lack of genetic information, increased threats, and small breeding habitats of the Socotra cormorants, makes it important to investigate the genetic population structure in the …

A Framework For Personalized Content Recommendations To Support Informal Learning In Massively Diverse Information Wikis, Heba M Ismail

Dissertations

Personalization has proved to achieve better learning outcomes by adapting to specific learners’ needs, interests, and/or preferences. Traditionally, most personalized learning software systems focused on formal learning. However, learning personalization is not only desirable for formal learning, it is also required for informal learning, which is self-directed, does not follow a specified curriculum, and does not lead to formal qualifications. Wikis among other informal learning platforms are found to attract an increasing attention for informal learning, especially Wikipedia. The nature of wikis enables learners to freely navigate the learning environment and independently construct knowledge without being forced to follow a …

The Impact Of Biotic Characteristics Of Uae Coastal Area On Movements Of Socotra Cormorant, Nouf Sameer Abdullah Saeed Al Qadi

Theses

Monitoring Socotra Cormorant population and conducting research on their breeding biology and feeding habits are considered the top priorities for ensuring the long-term protection of their breeding colonies and feeding grounds. The research was conducted by using ArcMap Software (10.5) to map Socotra cormorant migratory movements in the Arabian Gulf Region during the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 breeding seasons.; and to determine environmental variables that affect migratory movements using a GIS approach, which helps to identify areas of conservation value. The study provided needed information on the current distribution of Socotra Cormorant along with the distribution of marine ecosystems (mangroves and …

Assessment Of Conventional Wastewater Treatment Plants In Removing Pharmaceutical Compounds: A Case Study Of Al Ain City, Uae, Ahmad Mohammad I Hassan Alhalab

Theses

This thesis is concerned with the assessment of conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in removing pharmaceutical compounds (PCs). PCs have classes like analgesics, antibiotics, antiseptics, hormones, cosmetic products, personal care products. They are used extensively by humans and they don’t have actual guidelines describing their concentration in domestic wastewater discharge. Thus, they may still be present in treated sewage effluent (TSE) or sludge and could consequently pose adverse environmental effects. Limited work has been done to assess the removal of PCs at WWTPs in arid and semi-arid countries including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As such, this study aimed at …

Development Of Novel Peroxidase-Tio2/Zno Hybrid Catalysts For The Degradation Of Emerging Pollutants, Rana Fawzi Mohamed Mohamed Morsi

Theses

Water pollution by different organic compounds is one of the most important environmental issues that is attracting the attention of many scientists due to its direct potential bad effect on human health. These organic pollutants include pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial wastes, and personal care products that are released in water bodies from domestic and industrial discharge. Various chemical, physical and biological approaches have been proposed to degrade these contaminants from the polluted water. In the present study, we immobilized versatile thermostable enzymes, Soybean peroxidase (SBP) and Horseradish peroxidase on functionalized photocatalysts - TiO2 and ZnO to create novel bio-composite catalysts (SBP-TiO2, …

Shifted Third Kind Chebyshev Operational Matrix To Solve Bvps Over Infinite Interval, Bushra E. Khashem

Emirates Journal for Engineering Research

The main purpose of this research is to solve boundary value problems (BVPs) with an infinite number of boundary conditions. By reducing the infinite interval to finite interval that is large and approximating the variable using finite difference method, the resulting boundary value problem is reduced to linear system of algebraic equations with unknown shifted third kind chebychev coefficients. The applications are demonstrated via test examples.

Evaluation Of A New Approach For Qualitative Gas Analysis Based On Diffusion Properties, Abdalla Jamal Muhammad Abunamous

Theses

The design and construction of a 6-channel parallel gas diffusion system and its application to evaluating the proposed novel approach for gas fingerprinting are described. The present gas diffusion system allows the simultaneous recording of the pressure accumulation of the permeating test gas behind six different gas permeable membranes, respectively. The obtained simultaneous diffusion rates through different membranes demonstrated clear potential as a new technique for qualitative gas identification of the ten test gases used in the present work. The test gases were helium, neon, argon hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ethane, propane, and ethylene, which are representative examples of …

Direct Iterative Algorithm For Solving Optimal Control Problems Using B-Spline Polynomials, Suha Shihab, Maha Delphi

Emirates Journal for Engineering Research

New technique for achieving an approximate solution to optimal control problems (OCPs) is considered in this paper. The algorithm is based upon B-spline polynomials (BSPs) approximation with state parameterization method. An important property concerning the B-spline functions is first presented then it is utilized to propose a modified restarted technique to reduce the number of unknown parameters with fast convergence. The method is applied through four illustrative examples and is compared with other results.

Solution Of Fuzzy Fredholm Integral Equation Via Modified Homotopy Method, Raghad I. Sabri, Rasha Jalal Mitlif, Fatema Ahmed Sadeq

Emirates Journal for Engineering Research

In this paper, we proposed a modification to the Homotopy method by introducing accelerating parameters for solving fuzzy integral equations.The modified method is employed to find exact solutions for fuzzy Fredholm integral equations . The results imply that the modified method is very simple and effective.

Gst Detoxifying Enzymes And Pyrethroid Insecticide Resistance Evaluation In The Red Palm Weevil In The Uae, Nasra Said Al Waheibi

Biology Theses

The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an important date palm tree insect pest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the world. It causes severe damage to the date palm tree in the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This insect entered the UAE in 1986 and since then it has been the most economic pest in the country. Larva is the damaging stage, which is concealed inside the tree trunk; a factor that makes early detection very difficult. Infested trees become weaker over time and can be easily broken by wind. Several chemical insecticides …

Honeybees In The Uae: Diseases, Associated Microbial Communities, And Parasitic Varroa Mites, Maitha Saif Abdullah Alshamsi

Biology Theses

Apis mellifera honeybees are the most important pollinator worldwide. Numerous diseases and parasites are causing the decreasing numbers of the A. mellifera honeybee. The main objective of this thesis was to study the A. mellifera honeybee pathogens and parasites along with the Varroa destructor mite. The study included (1) Studying bacterial communities associated with A. mellifera and A. florea in the UAE. (2) Conducting a molecular detection of A. mellifera honeybee pathogens in the UAE. (3) Studying Varroa mites and Varroa-associated pathogen in the UAE. DNA and RNA were extracted from A. mellifera honeybees and V. destructor mites. Subsequently, …

Two-Dimension Magnetotelluric Data Inversion Of Al-Mubazzarah Area (Al-Ain, Uae), Sadieh Mirza Khosravi

Biology Theses

Magnetotelluric (MT) is a geophysical technique that utilizes the naturally existing electromagnetic fields to study the electrical substructure of the Earth. The key role of MT in geothermal exploration is to detect and delineate geothermal resources and to locate the exploitable reservoirs through which hot fluids at depth can be extracted. A well-known hot spring in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is located in the Al-Mubazzarah area, Al Ain city. The MT method is used to study the electrical conductivity distribution beneath the Al-Mubazzarah area. This study focuses on the characterization of the subsurface electrical features and the geological structures …

Fabrication Of Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Nanocomposite-Based Sensor For H2s Gas Detection, Fajr Ibrahim Musa Ali

Theses

Low power consumption, low limits of detection, and low cost are the compelling demands in the world of gas sensors development that motivate the search for new materials. Recently, gas sensors based on organic-inorganic nanocomposite materials have attracted much attention due to their high performance and low working temperatures in comparison with the commercial sensors for Hydrogen sulfide (H_₃S) gas. The development of H_₂S gas sensors is vital because H_₂S is one of the major air pollutants produced in large quantities in petroleum/natural gas drilling and refining. H_₂S gas is extremely toxic, …

Microgravity, Hydrological And Meteorological Monitoring Of Shallow Groundwater Aquifer In Alain (Uae), Serin Mosleh Darwish

Civil and Environmental Theses

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is situated within an arid zone where the climate is arid, and the recharge of the groundwater is very low. However, rapid expansion, population growth and agriculture activities have negatively affected these limited water resources. The shortage of water resources has become a serious concern due to the over-pumping of groundwater to meet demand. In this study, a combination of time-lapse measurements of microgravity and depth to groundwater level in selected wells in Al-Ain city was used to estimate the variations in groundwater storage. Relative gravity measurements were acquired using the Scintrex CG-6 Autograv from …

Selection Of Best Sites For Aquifer Storage And Recovery In The Eastern District Of Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates, Karim Ali Mahfouz Abdou Khalil

Theses

The Emirate of Abu Dhabi relied on groundwater as the main source of fresh water for several decades in the past. This resulted in the deterioration of the non-renewable groundwater aquifers; and thus, desalination plants have become the major source of freshwater supply in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Diminishing natural groundwater is a serious threat to freshwater security in arid regions. Because UAE has the world’s highest per capita water consumption rate, more than 70 desalination plants have been built in the last two decades. A major concern, therefore, is the vulnerability of these desalination plants to pollution and …

The Development Of A Health, Safety And Environment Management System For An Integrated Gender Separated Campus In The Middle East Region – A Case Study, Fatima Sbait Salmeen Al Wahshi

Biology Theses

In recent years, concerns regarding health, safety, and environmental issues increased. This led to the development of integrated Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Management Systems in many organizations, including universities. The study of the current HSE management system of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) has been conducted as a typical National university in the Middle East Region with the added unique feature of a large integrated campus with gender separation. Emphasis has been given to the E-shared laboratories of the UAEU as the interface between the two sides (male/female) of the campus. The E-shared laboratories incorporate most of the …

The Effects Of Socotra Cormorant Nesting Activities On Terrestrial Invertebrates Diversity And Abundance, Hiba Obaid Darwish Alshehhi

Biology Theses

Seabirds breed on off-shore islands or cliffs often in large aggregations during their 2- 6 month breeding seasons. During this period, seabirds perform an important role in the allochthonous transport of marine nutrients into these terrestrial environments. Depending on the size and density of these aggregations, the impact could be alteration of soil chemistry, vegetation or invertebrate diversity and distribution patterns, primarily through the deposition of large quantities of guano. We studied the impact of breeding aggregations of the Socotra Cormorants (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis) on Siniya Island, Umm Al Quwain, United Arab Emirates, typically ranging between 26,000 to 41,000 breeding pairs. …

Time-Resolved Photoluminescence Of 6-Thienyl-Lumazine Flourophore In Cellulose Acetate Nanofibers For Detection Of Mercury Ions, Noura A. Humaid Al Shamisi

Chemistry Theses

Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements were used to characterize the photophysical properties of 6-thienyllumazine (TLm) fluorophores in cellulose acetate nanofibers (NFs) in the presence and absence of mercuric acetate salts. In solution, excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) from TLm to water molecules was observed at pH from 2 to 12. The insertion of the thienyl group into lumazine (Lm) introduces cis and trans conformers while keeping the same tautomerization structures. Global and target analysis was employed to resolve the true emission spectra of all prototropic, tautomeric, and rotameric species for TLm in water. However, in the NFs solid film no ESPT from TLm …

Development Of A New Analytical Method For Separation And Quantitative Determination Of Synthetic Cathinones In Urine Using Gas Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Jasim Ali Mohamed Alzaabi

Chemistry Theses

This thesis is concerned with a new class of drugs known as synthetic cathinones, which overruns the drug markets in recent years as “legal highs” drugs, under different commercial names such as bath salts. All synthetic cathinone derivatives consist of a chiral center and usually sold out as a racemic mixture. Usually, one of the two enantiomers will have stronger central nervous system (CNS) stimulatory activity and the other one may have no significant CNS activity or addictive properties. A new sensitive and selective analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of ten synthetic cathinones enantiomers in spiked urine …

Simulation Of T2 Mri Relaxation Enhancement By Magnetic Nanoparticles, Yahia Adeeb Tawfiq Hamdan

Physics Theses

The effect of high concentration of magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) transverse relaxation rates (R₂=1/T₂ and R₂*=1/T₂*) were studied using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Theoretical models assume that particle occupies a small volume fraction of the sample space. This work aims to test if available models based on Motional Averaged (MAR) and Static Dephasing Regimes (SDR) can still represent relaxation rates at large volume fractions. Furthermore, echo-time effects were tested on both gradient-echo and spin-echo sequences in order to examine if diffusion is involved. Findings will clarify if models need …

A Dendritic Cell Algorithm Based Approach For Malicious Tcp Port Scanning Detection, Nuha Yousef Al Masalmeh

Information Security Theses

The proliferation of cyber-attacks is accompanied by an urgent need to develop sophisticated detection tools. Some of these tools are based on algorithms inspired by the Human Immune System (HIS). The Dendritic Cell Algorithm (DCA) is one of such HIS inspired methods, which is based on the Danger theory model. In this thesis, two types of DCA algorithms are identified, namely the deterministic a classical DCA in order to improve the algorithm's applicability and performance to detect TCP port scanning. This algorithm consists of components based on the behavior of Human dendritic cells, which involves four categories of the input …

Rising Temperatures In Hot Regions – How Many Species Would Be Able To Survive?, Sounak Ghosh

Biology Theses

Temperatures are rising throughout the world but not uniformly. Different latitudes have varying degrees of temperature rise and the most rapid changes are happening in the higher northern latitudes while only minor warming is taking place in the hot tropical regions. It has been widely assumed that the biggest ecological impacts will be seen in the cooler northern latitudes and that the impacts in hot tropical regions will be much smaller. However, if species in hot regions are already close to their thermal limits and if species in cold regions are far below them, it may be that small temperature …

Synthesis And Biological Applications Of Some Novel Urea And Thiourea-Quinoline Derivatives, Aysha Mohammed Subaih Jaarouf Alkaabi

Theses

Extensive literature survey reveals that 8-Hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ), urea, thiourea and piperazine exhibit wide biological activity profile such as anticancer, anti-Alzheimer, anti-viral, antibacterial and antifungal activity. Novel urea and thiourea-quinoline derivatives connected by piperazine moiety have been synthesized and purified using appropriate techniques (extraction, crystallization and column chromatography) followed by characterization using IR spectroscopy and NMR spectroscopy (both ³H and ¹³C).

Biological activity, metal chelation properties and the photo-physical properties were studied for these novel compounds. Anti-bacterial study shows moderate activity for most of the compounds against P.aereginosa, S.aureus and Enterococcus at concentration 250 μM. Antifungal study showed high potency …

Synthesis And Biological Applications Of Some Novel Urea And Thiourea-Benzimidazole Derivatives, Lamia Ali Siddig Ali

Theses

The objective of this research is the synthesis and characterization of novel urea and thiourea-benzimidazole derivatives and to test their biological activities. The 17 novel compounds (57a-j), (58a-d), 62, 63, and 65 have been synthesized, purified by different techniques such as extraction and column chromatography, and then characterized by using suitable spectroscopic techniques including ^¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, fluorescence, and IR spectroscopy techniques.

The biological activity of these compounds has been studied. The antibacterial activity was evaluated at different concentrations (μg/ ml) against 6 types of bacteria (Esherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus …

Preparation And Characterization Of Novel Azocinnamates And Steroidal Azo Ethers, Abdullah Maamon Alhemyari

Theses

This thesis is concerned with the synthesis of novel azo-cinnamates and of steroidal azo ethers and with the analysis of the spectroscopic and thermal properties of these materials. The compounds were identified as possible photoswitchable liquid crystals. The molecules were prepared by multi-step sequences, involving etherification, azo coupling, and Appel-type reactions as the key steps in the case of the azo-cinnamates, and Finkelstejn reactions and Williamson-type etherification reactions as the major transformations in the case of the steroidal azo ethers. The preparation of the azo-cinnamates was a further example of an esterification reaction run under Appel-type conditions using BrCCl₃/PPh₃. The …

The Ecological Impacts Of Climate Change In Hot Regions – Are Hawksbill Turtles Living Above Their Optimum Temperature In The Uae?, Obaid Ali Alshamsi

Theses

It is getting warmer throughout the world but it is not getting warmer by the same amount in all regions, leading to speculations that the biggest impact will be the impact on species living in the hot regions is widely assumed to be slight in comparison to the temperate and higher latitude regions. Temperature changes in hot regions are smaller, but it may be that the species in those regions have reached their optimum temperatures. In which case the effects of even a small temperature increase could be steeply negative. To test this thoroughly in terms of demographic parameters I …