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INScription: Department of International Studies (INS) Issue #12 (February 23, 2023, Issue 2)
No full textCollege of Arts and SciencesDepartment of International Studie
INScription: Department of International Studies (INS) Issue #16 (September 27, 2023, Issue 2)
No full textCollege of Arts and SciencesDepartment of International Studie
GIS-BIM Based Regional Seismic Risk Assessment for Dubai, UAE
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Civil Engineering by Ahmed Mansour Maky entitled, “GIS-BIM Based Regional Seismic Risk Assessment for Dubai, UAE”, submitted in May 2023. Thesis advisor is Dr. Mohammad AlHamaydeh and thesis co-advisor is Dr. Ahmed El-Kady. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).In the last two decades, the construction sector in UAE has been expanded to include a high range of tall and supertall buildings. Geographically, this region is surrounded by multiple earthquakes, such as the Zagros Fold and Thrust Belt. Additionally, the Makran Subduction Zone shows an activity source indicating a relatively high seismic risk. A similar situation motivated a research trend in China to simulate an earthquake on a city scale. The research objectives cover developing programming architecture to adapt to parallel computing concepts. Moreover, it targets creating simplified models that can indicate behavior key parameters with fewer DOFs. Both directions pushed into estimating the losses of the simulated hazard within moderate computers. However, the computational complexity of nonlinear simulations was not the only obstacle. The uncertainty in/among the problem modules; (ground motions intensity, structure simulations, damage analysis, and losses estimations) represents another significant concern. In 1995, the structural engineering community established performance-based engineering principles as a probabilistic design process instead of the traditional deterministic philosophy. Additionally, the Computational Modeling and Simulation Center (SimCenter) adopted this methodology into a software platform divided into microprograms. This architecture was designed to be generic to fit different problems according to the type of hazard, simulation, or data availability variation. In 2010, the Regional Resilience Determination (R2D) was released to provide a software package automating this methodology using a graphical user interface. A research plan is proposed to produce a step forward for realistic seismic simulation that includes the conclusion of previous studies and custom development for the UAE location. The objective is to produce an example of an end-to-end framework for seismic risk assessments that integrate with digital transformation trends such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) and the Geographic Information System (GIS). The scope of this investigation is a virtual dataset for RC tall buildings on a dense grid map that considers the variation in building location, material properties, building height, and seismic activity source.College of EngineeringDepartment of Civil EngineeringMaster of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE
Comprehensive Study of a Diabetes Mellitus Mathematical Model Using Numerical Methods with Stability and Parametric Analysis
No full textDiabetes is sweeping the world as a silent epidemic, posing a growing threat to public health. Modeling diabetes is an effective method to monitor the increasing prevalence of diabetes and develop cost-effective strategies that control the incidence of diabetes and its complications. This paper focuses on a mathematical model known as the diabetes complication (DC) model. The DC model is analyzed using different numerical methods to monitor the diabetic population over time. This is by analyzing the model using five different numerical methods. Furthermore, the effect of the time step size and the various parameters affecting the diabetic situation is examined. The DC model is dependent on some parameters whose values play a vital role in the convergence of the model. Thus, parametric analysis was implemented and later discussed in this paper. Essentially, the Runge–Kutta (RK) method provides the highest accuracy. Moreover, Adam–Moulton's method also provides good results. Ultimately, a comprehensive understanding of the development of diabetes complications after diagnosis is provided in this paper. The results can be used to understand how to improve the overall public health of a country, as governments ought to develop effective strategic initiatives for the screening and treatment of diabetes.American University of SharjahAl-Jalila FoundationAl Qasimi FoundationPatient's Friends Committee of SharjahBiosciences and Bioengineering Research InstituteGCC Co-Fund ProgramTakamul programTechnology Innovation Pioneer (TIP) Healthcare AwardsSheikh Hamdan Award for Medical SciencesFriends of Cancer Patients (FoCP)Dana Gas Endowed Chair for Chemical Engineerin
Pushing against a future dark side for community development: An editorial call to action
No full textCommunity Development as a journal has undergone streamlining, yet much work remains to improve the journal’s relations with its many stakeholders around the world and within the field of community development. Community Development, in collaboration with the Community Development Society, must respond to the calls of communities. This article conveys the voice of the Community Development editorial team relative to these critical calls. We begin by sharing the significance of honoring and reconciling our past, while carrying forward lessons learned. We then turn to many of the challenges in the field posed as questions: What are we missing? Where are we stagnating? Where are we not challenging the assumptions? Where must we build bridges between theory, practice, and education? And, how do we strive against a “dark side” future? Ultimately, our intent is to critique the journal and the field, pushing the narrative toward a more engaged and interactive CD field
Experimental Investigations of Friction Stir Welded Metal-Polymer Hybrid Structure
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Mechanical Engineering by Ali Abdel Ghani Ali Barakat entitled, “Experimental Investigations of Friction Stir Welded Metal-Polymer Hybrid Structure”, submitted in April 2023. Thesis advisor is Dr. Basil Darras and thesis co-advisor is Dr. Mohammad Nazzal. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).In the last decade, there has been a surge in interest in hybrid structures, particularly those that combine aluminum or magnesium alloys with polymeric materials. Mechanical fastening, riveting, and bonding are examples of traditional methods of joining metals and polymers. However, these methods have several limitations such as extended curing times, low dependability joints, and stress concentration. The fundamental difficulty in combining metals and plastics is the considerable disparity in structure and surface energy between both materials, which is a crucial reason that makes a sound connection difficult to produce. To overcome the limitations of traditional joining methods, a different approach to combining different materials is required. In comparison to traditional methods, friction stir welding as a joining technique for metal-to-polymer hybrid connections is a promising alternative. Recently, there has been a growing interest in research projects aimed at determining the feasibility of employing friction stir welding for joining dissimilar materials. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate friction stir welding of AA6061 aluminum alloy sheets to Polyamide 6 (PA6). In this work, the impact of welding parameters on the mechanical, microstructural, and material flow of the hybrid joint was addressed. A comprehensive evaluation of the process based on a multidimensional sustainability assessment model, as well as comparisons to other conventional joining techniques such as adhesive bonding and self-piercing riveting were addressed.College of EngineeringDepartment of Mechanical EngineeringMaster of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME
Six bold steps towards net-zero industry
No full textThe rapid and deep decarbonization of global industry is key to reaching climate policy targets, yet it remains an incredibly difficult challenge. We propose six bold steps for accelerating progress on achieving net-zero industrial carbon emissions by mid-century with a focus on lessons learned and emerging analysis from both the Global North and Global South, the latter of which we consider as low or middle income countries primarily located in Africa, Asia and Latin America. These steps are (1) quintupling financing, (2) expediting technology transfer, (3) investing in human resources, (4) setting binding targets, (5) steering social acceptance and (6) enacting a new global treaty and shaping climate clubs. Perhaps surprisingly, there are more than thirty effective historical and contemporary initiatives to learn from, showcasing a rich tapestry of previous efforts and templates to build on and to inform net-zero decarbonization efforts.UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC)European Research Council (ERC
Nitinol Stents: A Finite Element Analysis of their Interaction with the Wall of Blood Vessels
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Biomedical Engineering by Mohammad Zubeir Allum Saib entitled, “Nitinol Stents: A Finite Element Analysis of their Interaction with the Wall of Blood Vessels”, submitted in December 2023. Thesis advisor is Dr. Farid Abed. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).The recent decades have seen huge improvements in stent implantation in arteries affected by atherosclerosis. The latter entails the partial blocking or complete occlusion of the lumen. Self-expandable stents are being commonly utilized alongside traditional stents to provide scaffolding to stenosed arteries. Nitinol alloys are being widely used in the medical industry to produce such stents. However, a significant limitation hampering their efficacy is restenosis, triggered by neointimal hyperplasia and resulting in the loss of gain in lumen size, post-intervention. In this study, a nonlinear finite element model was developed to simulate stent deployment and its interaction with the surrounding vessel. The main aim was to determine contact pressures, forces, and shear stresses induced in an artery wall with plaque. This was followed by a parametric study of Nitinol superelastic properties as well as artery & plaque composition and thickness. The results demonstrate the drawbacks of plaque calcification, which triggered a sharp contact pressure surge at the interface, potentially leading to rupture and restenosis. A regression line was established to relate hypocellular to calcified plaques. Regarding the directionality of wall properties, contact pressure observations were not significantly different between isotropic and anisotropic arteries. Furthermore, the model having a thinner plaque experienced a lower peak contact pressure and radial force at the contact interface. In terms of frictional shear stresses, the device with the lowest martensite modulus was determined to be mechanically safer. It exhibited the lowest interfacial shear stress at the contact area and was deemed less likely to induce vascular injury, neointimal hyperplasia, and in-stent restenosis.College of EngineeringMultidisciplinary ProgramsMaster of Science in Biomedical Engineering (MSBME
Nested FOPI and PI Controller Comparison and Battery Energy Management for EV Traction System
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Electrical Engineering by Faris Ata Allah entitled, “Nested FOPI and PI Controller Comparison and Battery Energy Management for EV Traction System”, submitted in November 2023. Thesis advisor is Dr. Habib Ur Rehman and thesis co-advisor is Dr. Shayok Mukhopadhyay. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).This work investigates first the use of nested Fractional Order Proportional Integral (FOPI) and conventional integer order Proportional Integral (PI) controllers and examines the effect of having both controllers in inner and outer loops. Ziegler-Nichols (ZN) and Cohen-Coon (CC) rules are used for the PI combinations on a prototype EV traction system consisting of an Indirect Field-Oriented Control (IFOC) based induction motor (IM) drive system. The speed regulation and power consumption of seven different combinations of controllers’ cases are analysed and compared. Then, the focus shifts towards two of the seven cases, where a comparison is made of the battery bank temperature and overall speed regulation performance, when motor speed is controlled via a ZN-PI based integer order controller against an FOPI controller tuned via existing rules in the literature. Furthermore, the FOPI controller is made to use the same gains as the ZN-PI controller, but only the order of the integral is varied to non-integer values lesser than unity. An EV traction system model with battery temperature sensing is developed and intensive simulation results show that ZN-PI gains based FOPI controller has lesser battery temperature rise and State of Charge (SOC) reduction without sacrificing speed regulation performance, which proved that changing the order of the integral to values lower than unity, has positive effect on battery temperature, and SOC, without sacrificing speed regulation performance. Hardware implementation of the three simulated cases is conducted to verify the simulations results. Finally, a novel temperature aware Energy Management System (EMS) using Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC), is proposed to reduce temperature rise and SOC depletion of the EV Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery bank. This work has the potential to help in protecting and extending the EV battery bank life. Because small temperature rise and fast SOC depletion if sustained over a long period of time, may significantly harm an EV’s battery bank.College of EngineeringDepartment of Electrical EngineeringMaster of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE
Liposomes for the Treatment of Brain Cancer — A Review
No full textDue to their biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and surface-conjugation capabilities, liposomes are effective nanocarriers that can encapsulate chemotherapeutic drugs and facilitate targeted delivery across the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Additionally, strategies have been explored to synthesize liposomes that respond to internal and/or external stimuli to release their payload controllably. Although research into liposomes for brain cancer treatment is still in its infancy, these systems have great potential to fundamentally change the drug delivery landscape. This review paper attempts to consolidate relevant literature regarding the delivery to the brain using nanocarriers, particularly liposomes. The paper first briefly explains conventional treatment modalities for cancer, followed by describing the blood–brain barrier and ways, challenges, and techniques involved in transporting drugs across the BBB. Various nanocarrier systems are introduced, with attention to liposomes, due to their ability to circumvent the challenges imposed by the BBB. Relevant studies involving liposomal systems researched to treat brain tumors are reviewed in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies. Finally, the challenges associated with the use of liposomes to treat brain tumors and how they can be addressed are presented.American University of SharjahAl-Jalila FoundationPatient's Friends Committee of SharjahBiosciences and Bioengineering Research InstituteGCC Co-Fund ProgramTakamul programTechnology Innovation Pioneer (TIP) Healthcare AwardsSheikh Hamdan Award for Medical SciencesFriends of Cancer Patients (FoCP)Dana Gas Endowed Chair for Chemical Engineerin