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Detecting Diabetic Neuropathy From Electronic Health Records Using Machine Learning
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Computer Engineering by Zahrasadat Solati Dehkordi entitled, “Detecting Diabetic Neuropathy from Electronic Health Records Using Machine Learning”, submitted in April 2023. Thesis advisor is Dr. Salam Dhou. 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
Risk Assessment in Construction Projects: Integrating Five Dimensions of Risk
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Construction Management by Antuanet Yahaira Saldana Nunez entitled, “Risk Assessment in Construction Projects: Integrating Five Dimensions of Risk”, submitted in December 2023. Thesis advisor is Dr. Sameh El-Sayegh. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).Managing risks is an essential yet complex task for project managers. The ranking of risks is important because it would be impossible to deal with every potential risk at every stage of the project. Having assigned risk factor values to each risk, the project team can create contingency plans to reduce project risk for the jobs with the highest risk factors. Traditional probability-impact techniques often fail for multifaceted modern projects, necessitating new approaches incorporating more risk dimensions. This research aims to develop a mathematical model that introduces a new risk rating factor, integrating all five dimensions of risks (probability, impact, strategic impact, manageability, and connectivity). The research methodology involved risk identification through comprehensive literature review, followed by two surveys to assess the new risk dimensions. Data analysis included using Relative Importance Index (RII), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and DEMATEL. Despite the focus on impact and probability, this study reveals manageability, strategic impact, and connectivity as vital additional dimensions. The first survey reinforced this, with over 70% applying impact and probability, though with sizable consideration of manageability and strategic impact too, confirming growing desire for multidimensional assessment. After initial 4-dimensional assessment, the top ten risks were re-analysed using an expanded 5-dimensional approach. This revealed inadequate or poor project planning, scheduling, and budgeting; project-funding problems; and poor workmanship and construction errors leading to rework as the top three risks. Comparative analysis reveals differences in risk rankings when transitioning from 2-dimensional to 5-dimensional assessment. Certain risks remain high priorities across dimensions. However, the perceived importance of other risks shifted notably. This demonstrates the merits of expanding beyond traditional parameters to identify risks that limited assessment could miss. A pioneering 5-dimensional risk model called the Multidimensional Risk Index (MRI) was developed to enable robust assessment. It introduces a unified rating synthesizing all five dimensions. This significantly advances methodology for multi-dynamic projects and is essential for accurate and efficient decision-making.College of EngineeringMultidisciplinary ProgramsMaster of Science in Construction Management (MSCM
Evaluation of Estrone Liposomes using Microfluidics for Breast Cancer Therapy
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Biomedical Engineering by Rouba Darwish Al Bostami entitled, “Evaluation of Estrone Liposomes using Microfluidics for Breast Cancer Therapy”, submitted in November 2023. Thesis advisor is Dr. Mohamed Abdelgawad and thesis co-advisor Dr. Ghaleb Al Husseini. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).Breast cancer, the predominant and frequently recurring cancer in women on a global scale, presents challenges to traditional chemotherapy methods. This is primarily due to issues such as systemic toxicity, low solubility, irregular biodistribution, and poor tumor site localization. Nanocarriers provide a solution by encapsulating the agent to safeguard healthy cells and minimize side effects. However, enhancing their effectiveness remains an obstacle. To overcome these challenges, a cell culture model that more accurately represents the in vivo environment is crucial for assessing various nano-based drug delivery systems (DDSs), including liposomes. Microfluidic devices provide innovative platforms for in vitro drug assessments by mimicking the in vivo conditions. This study developed a microfluidic platform to investigate estrone (ES) liposomes as DDSs for breast cancer therapy under static and dynamic conditions. While static conditions showed the influence of attaching ES targeting moiety on cellular uptake, an in vitro study under flow conditions demonstrated that higher shear stresses significantly enhanced the uptake of ES-conjugated liposomes by estrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF-7 cells compared to static conditions. This increased uptake could be due to receptor-mediated endocytosis, shear induced permeabilization of the cell membrane, or a higher collision rate between liposomes and cells at high shear stresses. This highlights the synergistic effects of receptor-mediated targeting and fluid shear stress in an in vivo-like environment. These findings advance the understanding of ES-conjugated liposomes as efficient DDSs for breast cancer treatment, emphasizing potential clinical applications and enhancing the in vitro-in vivo correlation. Ongoing work will explore additional factors influencing cellular uptake within microchannels, including liposome size and ES concentration. Future investigations will also involve optimizing multiple channel geometries to study the effect of flow variations on liposomal cellular uptake, integrating multiple cell lines within a microfluidic chip, and introducing external triggering mechanisms, such as ultrasound.College of EngineeringMultidisciplinary ProgramsMaster of Science in Biomedical Engineering (MSBME
The Effects of Comics on Second Language Vocabulary Development
No full textA Master of Arts thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Yvette Rizcallah entitled, “The Effects of Comics on Second Language Vocabulary Development”, submitted in November 2023. Thesis advisor is Dr. Ozgur Parlak. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).In the last two decades, L2 researchers have shown interest in employing visual aids to promote L2 vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension (Al-Seghayer, 2001; Basal, Aytan, & Demir, 2016; Kim & Gilman, 2008; Liu, 2004). However, a relatively small number of studies investigated the impact of visual aids on the development of L2 academic vocabulary within a classroom context. To contribute to this line of research, the current study explored the extent to which the use of comics in an EFL classroom affects L2 academic vocabulary acquisition. Following a pretest-posttest design, 98 middle schoolers studying at a private high school in the United Arab Emirates were assigned to comic, script, and control groups. As part of the intervention, eight target words were taught incidentally through task-based instruction which focused on character analysis through a series of narratives. The comic group carried out the tasks using comics, the script group using the scripted version of the same conversations used in comics, while the control group did not receive any form of instruction. Participants’ receptive vocabulary development was measured using a form recognition test, and their productive vocabulary development was measured using a meaning recall test. Inferential statistics results obtained through linear mixed-effects models fitted using the lme4 package in R showed that both the comic and the script groups had statistically significant gains on the posttest and the delayed posttest, whereas the control group did not show any gains. The results also showed that the comic group achieved higher recall and retention scores on the posttest and the delayed posttest compared to the script group. Findings are discussed in relation to using visual aids to promote L2 vocabulary acquisition.College of Arts and SciencesDepartment of EnglishMaster of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA TESOL
Freehand Drawing - ART 111
No full textSyllabus for the Department of Art and Design course "Freehand Drawing - ART 111", by Instructor(s) Eirik Heintz for the Summer 2023 semester.College of Architecture, Art and DesignDepartment of Art and Desig
Disentangling Family Firm Heterogeneity: Evidence from a Cross-Country Analysis
No full textThe existing typologies, classifications that identify types of family firms based on specific characteristics, aim to enhance our understanding of the heterogeneity of family businesses. However, these typologies fall short in thoroughly exploring and predicting be-havioural and performance consequences associated with being categorized within specific classifications. Furthermore, the majority of the existing analyses have been empirically tested in one single country. To address these two research gaps, we use a sample of 814 small- and medium-sized family firms operating in 21 countries, collected by the STEP Pro-ject Global Consortium. This sample is employed to classify family firms based on their corporate governance similarities and explore their behavioural and performance patterns. Building on the principles of the configurative approach, we find that each of the four fami-ly firm configuration—group of family firms with related corporate governance mechanisms—has a unique yet similar combination of patterns in terms of transgenerational entrepre-neurship practices, non-economic goals, and firm performance. Additionally, expanding on the isomorphic effect, we find evidence indicating that certain world macroregions exhibit a greater propensity for specific corporate governance configurations compared to others
A Two-Step Femtosecond Laser-Based Deposition of Robust Corrosion-Resistant Molybdenum Oxide Coating
No full textA two-step femtosecond-pulsed laser deposition (fs-PLD) process is reported for the rapid development of uniform, poreless, crack-free, and well-adhering amorphous coatings of source materials with a high melting point. The first step comprises a high-rate raw deposition of the source material via fs-PLD, followed by a second step of scanning the raw sample with fs laser pulses of optimized fluence and scan parameters. The technique is applied to develop substoichiometric molybdenum oxide (MoOx, x < 3) coatings on mild steel. The thickness of the layer was ~4.25 μm with roughness around 0.27 μm. Comprehensive surface characterization reveals highly uniform and relatively moderate roughness coatings, implying the potential of these films as robust corrosion-resistant coats. Corrosion measurements in an aqueous NaCl environment revealed that the coated mild steel samples possess an average corrosion inhibition efficiency of around 95% relative to polished mild steel.American University of Sharja
Modeling the behavior of CFRP-strengthened RC slabs under fire exposure
No full textThis paper presents the development of a numerical model that simulates the fire response of reinforced concrete (RC) slabs externally strengthened with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP)laminates using two different techniques, externally bonded (EB) and near-surface mounted (NSM). A three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear finite element (FE) model is developed to predict the thermal and structural behavior of strengthened RC slabs subjected to fire. The model incorporates temperature-dependent thermal and mechanical properties of concrete, steel reinforcement, and CFRP, as well as mechanical bond interaction between CFRP and concrete interfaces. The predicted temperature profiles, ultimate loads, and midspan deflections are compared with previously published experimental data. Results from the proposed model show a good correlation with the experimental data throughout the fire exposure duration. The validated model can be adapted to conduct parametric studies intended to inspect the effect of important factors that influence the behavior of strengthened RC slabs under fire
Design and Culture in Contemporary Italy - ARC 394
No full textSyllabus for the Department of Architecture course "Design and Culture in Contemporary Italy - ARC 394", by Instructor(s) Igor Peraza for the Summer 2023 semester.College of Architecture, Art and DesignDepartment of Architectur
Simulation Based Optimization of Logistics Decisions Under Horizontal Collaboration
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Engineering Systems Management by Shaza Mouhib Hammoud entitled, “Simulation Based Optimization of Logistics Decisions Under Horizontal Collaboration”, submitted in June 2023. Thesis advisor is Dr. Mohamed Ben-Daya, and thesis co-advisor is Dr. Rami Afif As’ad. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).Logistics operations nowadays are facing challenges pertaining to the increase of fuel cost, underutilized trucks capacity, and rising environmental concerns. As such, companies are continuously looking for solutions to address those challenges, where horizontal collaboration has proved to be one such effective strategy. Horizontal collaboration in logistics is typically formed between at least two companies working on the same level. It allows supply chain partners to exploit the economies of scale of consolidating their orders. However, synchronizing the orders of these partners to be shipped using the same fleet of trucks is a complex problem. This requires making trade-offs between the inventory holding cost on one end, and the transportation cost on another. Therefore, this thesis intends to provide a resolution using a joint replenishment inspired strategy referred to in the literature as the can-order policy. For the case of two parties, the can-order policy has three thresholds that enable each company to initiate its own order or join the order of the other company or do nothing. For instance, when a company initiates an order, another company can join the order if its inventory level reached a threshold value called the can-order level. Indeed, determining the values of these three thresholds that minimize the total logistics cost coupled with the ₂ emissions is a challenging task. To that end, this thesis adopts a simulation-based optimization approach to build the collaborative shipping model between two companies and optimize the can-order policy parameters. The model is built considering demand and lead time uncertainties, homogeneous truck capacity and service level constraint. The result of the “what if analysis” shows that the can order policy is able to synchronize the orders in a horizontal collaboration setting. In particular, the horizontal collaboration yields higher cost savings as compared to the standalone case when the unit holding cost is low and companies are identical in the sense that they have the same demand, unit cost, and holding rate values. Also, it results in significant reduction in ₂ emissions when both the demand and weight of the products are low.College of EngineeringDepartment of Industrial EngineeringMaster of Science in Engineering Systems Management (MSESM