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Powering Electricity Forecasting with Transfer Learning
No full textAccurate forecasting is one of the keys to the efficient use of the limited existing energy resources and plays an important role in sustainable development. While most of the current research has focused on energy price forecasting, very few studies have considered medium-term (monthly) electricity generation. This research aims to fill this gap by proposing a novel forecasting approach based on zero-shot transfer learning. Specifically, we train a Neural Basis Expansion Analysis for Time Series (NBEATS) model on a vast dataset comprising diverse time series data. Then, the trained model is applied to forecast electric power generation using zero-shot learning. The results show that the proposed method achieves a lower error than the benchmark deep learning and statistical methods, especially in backtesting. Furthermore, the proposed method provides vastly superior execution time as it does not require problem-specific training.American University of Sharja
Integrating Electric Buses and Diverse Charging Technologies for Sustainable Public Transportation
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Electrical Engineering by Sama Elkholy entitled, “Integrating Electric Buses and Diverse Charging Technologies for Sustainable Public Transportation”, submitted in May 2024. Thesis advisor is Dr. Mostafa Shaaban. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).College of EngineeringDepartment of Electrical EngineeringMaster of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE
Modeling of brain tumors using in vitro, in vivo, and microfluidic models: A review of the current developments
No full textBrain cancers are some of the most complex diseases to treat, despite the numerous advances science has made in cancer chemotherapy and research. One of the key obstacles to identifying potential cures for this disease is the difficulty in emulating the complexity of the brain and the surrounding microenvironment to understand potential therapeutic approaches. This paper discusses some of the most important in vitro, in vivo, and microfluidic brain tumor models that aim to address these challenges.American University of SharjahAl-Jalila FoundationAl Qasimi FoundationPatient’s Friends Committee-SharjahBiosciences and Bioengineering Research InstituteGCC Co-Fund ProgramTakamul programTechnology Innovation Pioneer (T IP) Healthcare AwardsSheikh Hamdan Award for Medical SciencesFriends of Cancer Patients (FoCP)Dana Gas Endowed Chair for Chemical Engineerin
A Policy Management Framework to Mitigate the Impacts of Building Construction on Urban Climate
No full textA Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation in Engineering Systems Management by Ragad Almashhour entitled, “A Policy Management Framework to Mitigate the Impacts of Building Construction on Urban Climate”, submitted in March 2024. Dissertation advisor is Dr. Jerry Kolo. Soft copy is available (Dissertation, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).The construction industry is the largest and fastest growing industry in the world for reasons such as population increase, rising standards of living, and the constant demand for infrastructure. Buildings are a category of infrastructure and a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Directly and or indirectly, therefore, buildings make cities warmer, turn cities into urban heat islands (UHI), and contribute to the climate crisis. There is currently no discernable strategic policy and management approach in the extant literature and in practice, which municipalities worldwide use to permit or approve buildings based on the heat or GHG they emit into the atmosphere. This purpose is not served by the various existing voluntary compliance environmental audit systems. Unanimity on the impacts of buildings on urban microclimate requires that cities take decisive measures to address how buildings make cities hotter. In this light, this dissertation aims to draw on the technical and experiential knowledge of construction experts, professionals, and key actors, in order to formulate a policy and management framework that municipalities can use to mitigate the impacts of construction on climate change. The research employed a hybrid method consisting of the Delphi Technique and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to identify the main structural building factors that contribute to the UHI. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed in order to answer the research questions and achieve the research aim and objectives. The research also resulted in the design of a dynamic framework which municipalities worldwide can use to approve buildings based on their propensity to emit heat into the atmosphere. The framework is versatile and adaptable to local contexts worldwide. The research fills an environmental audit gap in the construction industry; contributes to research discourse on climate change; and, most importantly, provides municipalities with a pragmatic and cost-effective policy tool to address the challenges of UHI.College of EngineeringMultidisciplinary ProgramsPhD in Engineering - Engineering Systems Management (PhD-ESM
Exploring Malaria Endemicity Patterns and Tailored Interventions in Sudan Using Machine Learning
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Computer Engineering by Fatimaelzahra Elnageeb Sulaiman Saeed entitled, “Exploring Malaria Endemicity Patterns and Tailored Interventions in Sudan Using Machine Learning”, submitted in June 2024. Thesis advisor is Dr. Assim Sagahyroon. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).College of EngineeringDepartment of Computer Science and EngineeringMaster of Science in Computer Engineering (MSCoE
An Investigation of Health Impacts of Transportation Planning: A Framework Development and Simulation-Based Results
No full textA Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation in Engineering Systems Management by Mohamed Tarish AlQahtani entitled, “An Investigation of Health Impacts of Transportation Planning: A Framework Development and Simulation-Based Results”, submitted in April 2024. Dissertation advisor is Dr. Ghassan Abu-Lebdeh. Soft copy is available (Dissertation, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).College of EngineeringMultidisciplinary ProgramsPhD in Engineering - Engineering Systems Management (PhD-ESM
Founder Narcissism and IPO Performance
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Finance by Aizhan Uzakova entitled, “Founder Narcissism and IPO Performance”, submitted in May 2024. Thesis advisor is Dr. Kimberly C. Gleason and thesis co-advisor is Dr. Iness Aguir. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Approval Signatures, Completion Certificate, and AUS Archives Consent Form).Narcissism in CEOs takes its roots in psychology and has become a widely researched topic in management since the early 2000s. Many researchers empirically show that CEO narcissism impacts firm performance, innovation and growth, policies and risk, financial leverage, and unethical or illegal behavior. In this paper, I find the influence of CEO/founder narcissism on one of the most significant strategic events in the company's life: Initial Public Offering (IPO). I use two widely used measures – underpricing and cumulative abnormal returns to measure the IPO performance. The main predictor is Narcissistic Index (NI) developed and modified by Chatterjee and Hambrick (2007 and 2011) to measure narcissism in company CEOs. The sample contains 449 companies in the USA that went public from 2014 to 2017. The results of the regression model show that, although positively correlated, founder narcissism does not have a significant effect on IPO underpricing. However, there is a significant negative impact of CEO narcissism on post-IPO performance measured by cumulative abnormal returns on a 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month time span.School of Business AdministrationDepartment of FinanceMaster of Science in Finance (MSF
Doxorubicin release and uptake from Trastuzumab and Folic acid liposomes with ultrasound
No full textA Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation in Materials Science and Engineering by Nour Majdi AlSawaftah entitled, “Doxorubicin release and uptake from Trastuzumab and Folic acid liposomes with ultrasound”, submitted in December 2024. Dissertation advisor is Dr. Ghaleb Husseini and dissertation co-advisor is Dr. William Pitt. Soft copy is available (Dissertation, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).Smart drug delivery in cancer therapy, using surface-functionalized liposomes and triggers like ultrasound (US), helps minimize the side effects and enhance drug accumulation at tumor sites. This research investigated the effects of physically mixing Doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded liposomes decorated with folic acid (FA) and decorated with Trastuzumab (TRA) to treat breast cancer. It examined the US-mediated release of DOX from control, FA-modified, TRA-modified, and mixed FA and TRA liposomes at three different volume fractions. The size of the synthesized liposomes was found to be well within the range for the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect to take place (<200 nm in diameter). The liposomes had a uniform lipid content and were stable under physiological conditions and at 4 °C. Moreover, the TRA conjugation was confirmed using the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay while the FA conjugation was established using nuclear magnetic resonance (HNMR). Then, DOX release using low-frequency ultrasound (LFUS) at 20 kHz and three power densities (6.2, 9, and 10 mW/cm²) and high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) at 1 MHz and a power density of 2.5 W/cm² was examined. Mixed liposomes showed the best release performance in both LFUS- and HFUS-triggered conditions, with M75 liposomes showing the highest release using both LFUS and HFUS sonication. The LFUS and HFUS release data were fitted to three different kinetic models (zero-, first-, and second-order). The LFUS data was best fit by the zero-order model while the HFUS data was best fitted by the first-order model. In vitro uptake was studied using flow cytometry in FRα+ and HER2+ HCC-1954 breast cancer cells. The cells treated with the M25 group showed the highest cellular uptake with an 8.5-times increase compared to the control liposomes group when sonicated with LFUS. Similarly, the M25 group exposed to HFUS with microbubbles (MBs) enhanced DOX uptake by 10-times compared to the control liposomes. Finally, the cell viability of the developed formulations was assessed using the MTT assay. Physically mixed liposomes reduced the viability of sonicated cells more than individually targeted liposomes, especially the M25 group. These findings highlighted the potential of combining physically mixed liposomes and US to treat breast cancer.College of Arts and SciencesMultidisciplinary ProgramsPhD in Materials Science and Engineering (PhD-MSE
Analysis and improvement of steady-state and transient biofilter models for VOC control
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Chemical Engineering by Basil Moawia Abderahman Mustafa entitled, “Analysis and improvement of steady-state and transient biofilter models for VOC control”, submitted in April 2024. Thesis advisor is Dr. Zarook Shareefdeen. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).The biological treatment of contaminated gases has become of great importance, particularly in urban areas, where ensuring access to clean air is a critical aspect of addressing climate change, as outlined in one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Various industrial facilities such as wastewater treatment plants, food processing units, and solid waste recycling applications are responsible for contaminated air loaded with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, xylene, ammonia, etc. Biofiltration is an efficient, well-known biological technology that utilizes microorganisms to metabolize the contaminants through oxidation. Biofiltration has been progressively considered a robust alternative to the physiochemical conventional treatment methods (i.e., incineration, chemical oxidation, absorption) because of its advantages over the latter in terms of economic and environmental aspects. Biofilter mathematical models under steady-state and transient conditions are essential to design, scale-up and to predict biofilter performance under different operating conditions. Mathematical models under steady state and transient conditions provide a concrete description of the biological process and help in understanding different phenomena of such complex systems. This study focuses on developing a zero-order transient analytical two parameter biofiltration model that can predict the removal of single VOC in a biofilter. Sensitivity analysis was used to identify the key parameters importance. The new simple, two parameter analytical model showed good prediction capabilities when subjected to transient conditions. Moreover, the model showed robustness when used in validating various experimental biofiltration data from the literature.College of EngineeringDepartment of Chemical and Biological EngineeringMaster of Science in Chemical Engineering (MSChE
Green flight paths: a catalyst for net-zero aviation by 2050
No full textLarge-scale sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production and use is essential to achieving net-zero aviation by 2050. In this perspective, we argue that catalysing SAF production from the very low level of 2022 (0.1% of the 2050 required level for net-zero) can be achieved via the establishment of ‘‘green flight paths’’ (GFPs) that kick-start SAF implementation through targeted support from key international partner countries. The development of GFPs builds on the Clydebank Declaration from COP26 for green shipping corridors, which is aimed at transforming emissions at sea. Similarly, we define here GFPs as specific aviation routes where financially viable supply chain opportunities for zero-emission air-travel are incentivised. We examine here how GFPs are likely to be spearheaded by countries, such as the UK and the UAE, which are both large international aviation markets that have the political, technical and production capabilities to be world-leaders in pursuing the earlier stages of investment (which are inherently riskier) in developing SAF commercial production capacity for the decarbonization of their aviation sectors. We further discuss how from an energy justice perspective, GFPs are ideal for catalysing SAF adoption and cost reduction in a just way by placing the burden where accountability is required.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC