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A Carbazole-Based Aggregation-Induced Emission “Turn-On” Sensor for Mercury Ions in Aqueous Solution
No full textThe development of rapid detection methods to identify mercury ions in aqueous solutions is crucial for effectively monitoring environmental contamination. Fluorescent chemical sensors offer a fast and reliable approach to detect and analyze these metal ions. In this study, a sensor utilizing aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is introduced as a ’turn-on’ fluorescent sensor specifically designed for mercury ions in aqueous solutions. The sensor, based on carbazole, forms aggregates in aqueous solutions, resulting in a significant 800% enhancement of its fluorescence signal. When elemental iodine is added to the solution, the fluorescence of the aggregates is quenched by 90%. However, upon subsequent addition of mercury ions, the fluorescence is regenerated, and the intensity of the emission signal is directly proportional to the concentration of the ions across a wide concentration range. The carbazole-iodine complex acts as a fluorescent probe, enabling the detection of mercury ions in aqueous solutions.American University of Sharja
Utilization of machine learning techniques for improving the diagnosis of thyroid disorders
No full textA Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation in Engineering Systems Management by Areej Hussein Mohammed Mohammed entitled, “Utilization of machine learning techniques for improving the diagnosis of thyroid disorders”, submitted in February 2025. Dissertation advisor is Dr. Hussam Alshraideh and dissertation co-advisor is Dr. Abdulrahim Shamayleh. Soft copy is available (Dissertation, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).College of EngineeringDepartment of Industrial EngineeringPhD in Engineering - Engineering Systems Management (PhD-ESM
Bearing Capacity Factors for Strip Footings on Soft Clay Stabilized with a Trapezoidal Granular Trench
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Civil Engineering by Abdel Razzaq Abu Othman entitled, “Bearing Capacity Factors for Strip Footings on Soft Clay Stabilized with a Trapezoidal Granular Trench”, submitted in May 2025. Thesis advisor is Dr. Mousa Attom and thesis co-advisor is Dr. Mohammad Yamin. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).College of EngineeringDepartment of Civil EngineeringMaster of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE
Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates
No full textA Master of Arts thesis in International Studies by Sarah Zahaf entitled, “Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates”, submitted in April 2025. Thesis advisor is Dr. Neha Vora. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), mixed individuals are faced with the difficult task of navigating identity in a highly pluralistic, globally connected landscape. Considering that migrants constitute 88% of the UAE’s population, citizen and non-citizens residents both experience exposure to multiple cultures while trying to balance their heritage with new cultural influences. This is especially true in households with parents of different national, ethnic, or racial backgrounds, what I simply term mixed. This thesis examines how mixed young adults with dual or multiple cultural backgrounds in the UAE articulate their belonging and their sense of identity. Research on mixed backgrounds have highlighted a life of complexity, with individuals constantly facing both challenges and benefits of a multicultural background. Using narrative semi-structured interviews with a total of 34 people, this thesis explores how mixed young individuals in the UAE narrate evolving stories that blend Emirati, South Asian, Western, and many other influences in their lives; in so doing, it sheds light on the complex process of identity construction within the UAE.College of Arts and SciencesDepartment of International StudiesMaster of Arts in International Studies (MAIS
Exploring The Motivation of Emirati Women Entrepreneurs in the United Arab Emirates
No full textA Master of Business Administration (MBA) thesis by Najia Nasreen entitled, “Exploring The Motivation of Emirati Women Entrepreneurs in the United Arab Emirates”, submitted in April 2025. Thesis advisor is Dr. Hasnan Baber. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Approval Signatures, Completion Certificate, and AUS Archives Consent Form).This study explores the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations driving Emirati women to pursue entrepreneurship, using Self-Determination Theory as a guiding framework. Employing a qualitative methodology, the research is based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with ten Emirati female entrepreneurs. The study identifies key intrinsic motivators such as passion and self-fulfillment, autonomy and independence, and personal challenge or achievement, along with other factors like creative self-expression and social impact. Major extrinsic motivators included financial gain and family and social influence, with some participants also citing fear of limited job opportunities. The findings reveal that intrinsic motivation was more influential than extrinsic drivers in initiating entrepreneurial activity. These insights offer practical implications for policymakers, educators, and support organizations aiming to strengthen women’s entrepreneurial participation in the United Arab Emirates.School of Business AdministrationDepartment of Management, Strategy and EntrepreneurshipMaster of Business Administration (MBA
Hedging Strategies Using Financial Derivatives in Different Industries
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Finance (MSF) by Sergei Likhachev entitled, “Hedging Strategies Using Financial Derivatives in Different Industries”, submitted in May 2025. Thesis advisor is Dr. Donghyeok Jang. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Approval Signatures, Completion Certificate, and AUS Archives Consent Form).This paper examines the impact of financial derivatives that companies usually use in terms of hedging external potential risks on the firm value among public companies from all industries that are traded in the United States stock market from 1998 to 2024. This study examines the impact of hedging on the firm value based on whole data sample, industry subsample and crisis subsample analysis. The results of the research show that hedging has weak negative impact on the firm values, while industry analysis reveals that impact of hedging is more industry-specific as companies experience both positive and negative impact on the firm value. Crises analysis emphasizes the significance of hedging in affecting the firm value, but the direction of the effect is mixed due to crises-specific features and premises.School of Business AdministrationDepartment of FinanceMaster of Science in Finance (MSF
Precarity and Platformed Care: R/Dubai as a Digital Third Space for Expatriate Support-Seeking
No full textA Master of Arts in International Studies by Sharon Aruparayil entitled, “Precarity and Platformed Care: R/Dubai as a Digital Third Space for Expatriate Support-Seeking”, submitted in July 2025. Thesis advisor is Dr. Bethany Shockley. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form). Embargo expires November 20, 2026.This ethnographic study examines r/Dubai, a semi-anonymous Reddit community, as a digital infrastructure of informal support and care for migrants during the 2023 UAE layoffs. Drawing on theories of platform affordances, third spaces, and affect, the research explores how migrants navigate precarity through weak-tie intimacy enabled by Reddit’s asynchronous, pseudonymous design. Analysis of 150 highengagement threads reveals patterns of emotional recurrence, pragmatic and affective responses, and the reproduction of offline inequalities within this digital public. The findings highlight how linguistic fluency, platform literacy, and subreddit moderation shape access to visibility and care, while also exposing tensions between solidarity and exclusion. The study underscores the fragility of digital migrant publics as spaces of provisional pastoral care in contexts marked by conditional citizenship and labor precarity. Limitations include the focus on English-speaking users and publicly visible content, underscoring that this work offers a snapshot of platformed care rather than a representative account of all migrant experiences in Dubai. These insights contribute to understanding the socio-technical dynamics of migrant digital communities and the role of platform design in mediating survival and support.College of Arts and SciencesDepartment of International StudiesMaster of Arts in International Studies (MAIS
CNT-Enhanced PVDF Membrane with Polyphenol Surface Functionalization for Treatment of Produced Water
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Chemical Engineering by Syed Farzan Shah entitled, “CNT-Enhanced PVDF Membrane with Polyphenol Surface Functionalization for Treatment of Produced Water”, submitted in November 2025. Thesis advisor is Dr. Naif Abdulaziz Darwish and thesis co-advisors are Dr. Nabil Abdel Jabbar and Dr. Sameer Al-Asheh. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).College of EngineeringDepartment of Chemical and Biological EngineeringMaster of Science in Chemical Engineering (MSChE
Reclaiming Voice in AI-Mediated Personal Statements: A Critical AI Literacy Framework for L2 Writers
No full textA Master of Arts thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Thuraya Sulaiman entitled, “Reclaiming Voice in AI-Mediated Personal Statements: A Critical AI Literacy Framework for L2 Writers”, submitted in November 2025. Thesis advisor is Dr. Neslihan Bilikozen. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).College of Arts and SciencesDepartment of EnglishMaster of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA TESOL
Exploring Effects of Mental Stress with Data Augmentation and Classification Using fNIRS
No full textAccurately identifying and discriminating between different brain states is a major emphasis of functional brain imaging research. Various machine learning techniques play an important role in this regard. However, when working with a small number of study participants, the lack of sufficient data and achieving meaningful classification results remain a challenge. In this study, we employ a classification strategy to explore stress and its impact on spatial activation patterns and brain connectivity caused by the Stroop color–word task (SCWT). To improve our results and increase our dataset, we use data augmentation with a deep convolutional generative adversarial network (DCGAN). The study is carried out at two separate times of day (morning and evening) and involves 21 healthy participants. Additionally, we introduce binaural beats (BBs) stimulation to investigate its potential for stress reduction. The morning session includes a control phase with 10 SCWT trials, whereas the afternoon session is divided into three phases: stress, mitigation (with 16 Hz BB stimulation), and post-mitigation, each with 10 SCWT trials. For a comprehensive evaluation, the acquired fNIRS data are classified using a variety of machine-learning approaches. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) showed a maximum accuracy of 60%, whereas non-augmented data classified by a convolutional neural network (CNN) provided the highest classification accuracy of 73%. Notably, after augmenting the data with DCGAN, the classification accuracy increases dramatically to 96%. In the time series data, statistically significant differences were noticed in the data before and after BB stimulation, which showed an improvement in the brain state, in line with the classification results. These findings illustrate the ability to detect changes in brain states with high accuracy using fNIRS, underline the need for larger datasets, and demonstrate that data augmentation can significantly help when data are scarce in the case of brain signals.American University of SharjahCollege of EngineeringDepartment of Electrical Engineerin