13780 research outputs found
Sort by
5D Framework to Maximize Revit\u27s Potential in BIM for Commercial Projects
Get PDFThis research investigates the integration of a 5D framework within Building Information Modeling (BIM) using software to optimize efficiency in the design and construction of commercial projects, specifically within the hospitality, retail, and residential sectors. While the advantages of BIM are well documented, its full potential remains underutilized, particularly in large-scale commercial developments that significantly impact national economies. A structured methodology was employed to address this gap, beginning with a systematic literature review (SLR) to explore existing applications of 5D-BIM in commercial projects, focusing on trends, challenges, and implementation strategies. Expert interviews were conducted to gain insights from professionals experienced in BIM-enabled cost management, validating key findings and refining the research framework. A conceptual framework was then developed, integrating project governance, BIM policies and standards, digital platforms, BIM Level of Development (LOD), costestimation classification, and continuous improvement strategies to enhance 5D-BIM implementation. This framework was applied to multiple commercial projects, including hotels, malls, and residential compounds, assessing its effectiveness in improving cost management, quality assurance, and documentation accuracy. The literature review provided a foundational understanding of BIM adoption within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, highlighting its significance in commercial developments and the predominance of BIM in Egyptian government-led projects. A survey was conducted to construct a checklist of BIM procedures, pinpointing critical aspects requiring evaluation. Emphasizing the need for robust training programs, centralized platforms, and continuous updates to improve model accuracy and collaborative effectiveness. Despite its substantial benefits, challenges remain, including data dependency, limited expertise in specialized designs, and market fluctuations. Addressing these challenges requires future advancements in predictive analytics, AI integration, and adaptive BIM models capable of mitigating risks associated with economic uncertainties. The results contribute valuable insights into the digital transformation of commercial construction, offering a structured approach for enhancing BIM adoption and optimizing project management practices
A Tragedy of Incommensurability: Indigenous Rights and the Limits of Human Rights Law
Get PDFThis thesis explores the tragedy of incommensurability between indigenous rights and international human rights law. Despite the emergence of frameworks like the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), indigenous calls for sovereignty remain fundamentally unintelligible within a liberal order structured to preserve settler-state legitimacy. Tracing the historical and theoretical evolution of indigenous advocacy, this study critiques the strategic shift from demands for self-determination to claims of cultural rights. It argues that this shift offers no real alternative: self-determination and cultural rights are functionally equivalent, as both are ultimately filtered through legal and political frameworks that cannot encapsulate the ethos of indigenous autonomy, history, or relationality. International human rights law, built on liberal universalism, tolerates indigeneity only when stripped of its political substance and assimilated into state structures. Through an analysis of legal theory, settler-state practices such as federal recognition, and movements like #NoDAPL, this thesis demonstrates that the promise of rights is not liberation but continued containment. True indigenous emancipation demands a radical reimagining beyond the human rights paradigm, rejecting frameworks that render sovereignty perpetually deferred or domesticated
Modeling Inflation Transmission Among Construction Materials and Predicting Future Prices Using Machine Learning
No full textThe construction market is a complex system that is affected by a variety of factors, including macroeconomic indicators, such as inflation, interest rates, and economic growth. For the construction market stakeholders, accurately predicting future construction costs is essential for maintaining financial stability and setting appropriate pricing strategies. Over the past decade, global economic disruptions have significantly impacted national economies, and Egypt is no exception. The Egyptian construction market has experienced record volatility in materials costs and inflation. This has made it challenging for project owners, contractors, as well as cost consultants in the construction market to predict the cost of their projects. Many researchers addressed the issue of rising inaccurate cost prediction by developing different tools to capture the correlation between economic indicators and construction costs, however, transmission of price inflation of construction materials in a volatile economy was something often overseen by researchers. The goal of this research is to investigate the dynamics of inflation transmission between construction materials and utilize the findings to develop and test a data-driven machine learning model for forecasting future costs of key materials. This research is primarily addressing the Egyptian market due to its steadily growth in recent years, driven by the rapid population in the country and the increasing urbanization adopted by country developers and supported by the government of Egypt and the challenges the Egyptian construction sector is suffering from due to the economic challenges and unprecedented price fluctuations. Monthly prices of 16 construction materials in Egypt were collected over the period from 2009 to Q1 of 2025. Employing a robust methodology, the research utilized a Vector Auto regression model (VAR) to model interrelations between different materials and further understand the correlations through a Granger Causality Test. Results of the model were interpreted through a network analysis to describe the specific characteristics of the construction materials in relation to how their prices influence or are influenced by inflation within the network of analyzed materials using centrality measures to quantify materials susceptibility (In- Degree Centrality), transmission capacity (Out-Degree Centrality), and Intermediary role (Betweenness Centrality). Modularity-based clustering further categorized materials based on their price interconnections, revealing inflation transmission pathways across material sectors. Finally, a neural network model, implemented in Python, was developed to predict future material prices by leveraging the identified relationships and inflation trends. This research offers a prominent practical tool for construction stakeholders assessing the predicting materials prices and understanding the dynamics of internal correlation between key materials in the construction industry affecting the overall project budget and performance to enhance price estimations and prepare for increasing costs
International Law on Foreign Investment: Neo-Colonialism or Economic Progress?
No full textThis paper aims to examine the historical and contemporary causes of global economic imbalances, focusing on the legacy of colonization and its informal continuation into the modern investment system; It argues that the current economic disparities between the overdeveloped countries and the developing ones are deeply widened due to formerly colonial exploitation of developing nations’ resources through militant colonizing powers at the expense of developing nations. Thus, colonialism established a global economic system, enriching the economic power of developed nations over developing nations, shaping the current generic principles of the international foreign investment system, particularly through arbitral interpretations of the Fair and Equitable Treatment standard (FET) principles. A system that develops a resemblance to colonialism; however, in an extended legalized dominance through foreign investment of the developed nations\u27 nationals, resulting in further entrenchment of global economic inequality. This study contends that problematic interpretations limit the policy space of developing countries and undermine their sovereign right to regulate their internal affairs. By engaging with investment arbitration jurisprudence through a case study of ICSID waste management cases and goals of decolonization, this paper calls for restructuring the international investment framework to ensure fairer outcomes and respect for the economic sovereignty of developing nations. Thus, the paper raises the following question: Do arbitral interpretations of the International Foreign Investment Agreements\u27 Fair and Equitable Treatment clause reflect an implied neocolonial interference in the regulatory rights of developing nations through investor nationals of developed states? Keywords: Colonial legacy, International Investment Law, Fair and Equitable Treatment, Waste Management, Arbitral Jurisprudence, Economic Inequality, Foreign Investment, Sovereignty, Regulatory Rights, Developing Countries
Addressing Challenges in Accessing Secondary and Tertiary Healthcare Services for Migrants and Refugees in Egypt
Get PDFThe growing number of vulnerable migrants and refugees worldwide presents a significant challenge to host countries, particularly in terms of accessing healthcare services. Egypt hosts over 9 million migrants and refugees, with 1.5 million in a vulnerable situation. Despite the country’s efforts in providing adequate healthcare to these vulnerable groups, some challenges persist. This paper addresses the barriers that vulnerable migrants and refugees face when seeking secondary and tertiary healthcare services in Egypt, analyzing the legal, economic, social, and health system factors that contribute to this problem. In 2018, the Egyptian government began an ambitious journey to reform its healthcare system to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. The reform aims to address fragmentation, improve access to high-quality care, and provide financial protection against catastrophic and impoverishing health expenditure for the entire population. While the Egyptian government has taken steps to include migrants and refugees in the national health policy framework, notably through the Universal Health Insurance Scheme (UHIS), implementation gaps persist. This study uses qualitative research methods, including stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions, to gather in-depth perspectives on the challenges and opportunities related to enhancing healthcare access for migrants and refugees. The analysis was guided by the WHO’s six building blocks framework, which includes leadership and governance, health financing, access to medical products, service delivery, health workforce, and health information systems. The findings reveal that despite multiple efforts by different actors, there are gaps in some areas. This paper proposes three policy alternatives, covering short- to long-term implementation timeframes, to address these challenges. In the short term, two options are proposed: the introduction of a microinsurance scheme and the establishment of a joint fund to support health service delivery. In the long term, the paper advocates for the full integration of refugees and migrants in the UHIS on par with Egyptian citizens. These alternatives are evaluated against a set of criteria, including financial viability, political feasibility, technical capacity, and equity consideration. The analysis concludes that while all three policy options present viable pathways to improve healthcare access for migrants and refugees, the integration into the universal health insurance system constitutes the most impactful and sustainable intervention
Adapting to Inflationary Pressures: Household Coping Strategies in Urban Egypt (2016– 2025)
Get PDFOver the past decade, Egypt has faced persistent economic challenges including repeated currency devaluations, high inflation rates, subsidy reforms such as the gradual reduction of food and energy subsidies, and the ripple effects of global crises that have significantly impacted household well-being, especially in urban areas. These pressures have eroded purchasing power and heightened food insecurity, especially among low- and middle-income families. Although substantial attention has been paid to macroeconomic indicators, there remains a critical gap in understanding how households adapt on a daily basis to manage financial stress and sustain their livelihoods. This inquiry is especially timely, as household resilience plays a central role in social stability and long-term economic development in the face of compounding shocks.
This thesis explores how urban households in Egypt have responded to economic hardships by adjusting their consumption patterns and making difficult expenditure decisions. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines quantitative analysis from nationally representative survey data with qualitative insights drawn from in-depth interviews with low- and middle-income households. The findings reveal a spectrum of coping strategies, including reducing food quantity and quality, cutting healthcare and education spending, and making lifestyle sacrifices. These strategies vary across income levels, household sizes, and educational backgrounds, with middle-income families often bearing the heaviest burden as mostly excluded from most forms of assistance due to their income level, yet increasingly unable to keep up with the growing financial pressure
Security and Terrorism Vs Free Expression: Analytical Study on The European Court of Human Rights
Get PDFThe 11 of September attacks provide a paradigm shift when it comes to protection of national security. It results in a trending vision that prioritized security over national security, which makes it essential to think about balancing national security with free expression as a pillar of democratization. This study focusses on how the balance between freedom of expression and national security interests is achieved. It studies the legal approached of the European court of human rights and its legal assessment to strike this balance. The findings of this analytical study asserts that in order for the ECtHR to achieve this balance, it implements the 3-part test indicated in the second paragraph of article 10, which include that the interference with free expression must be prescribed by law, pursued a legitimate aim and necessary for democratic society. The court examines each case to determine whether a restriction is legal or not up to those 3 requirements. Despite the fact that the court implement proportionality and margin of appreciation in its assessment of context and content, it is still remained unclear for legal thinkers, how the court logically determine the weight for each factor. This led to an open debate over the coherence and consistency. This study finds that the court’s discissions lack consistency and coherence, when it comes to the principle of proportionality and margin of appreciation implementation. This study believes that the ECtHR lacks the assessment of laws of the respondent state to determine whether they are compatible with the convention. Rather, it only assesses the implementation of those laws, namely the interference itself
Deep Learning-Based Change Detection in High-Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery
Get PDFRemote sensing has become a key tool for monitoring Earth’s surface over time, offering valuable insights into both natural and human-driven changes. Among its many applications, change detection focuses on analyzing multi-temporal imagery to reveal how specific areas evolve across different time periods. It plays a pivotal role in Earth observation applications, including urban development monitoring, environmental degradation assessment, and disaster response. However, existing approaches often struggle with limited contextual awareness, high sensitivity to noise, and imprecise localization of change boundaries, especially with high-resolution imagery. This thesis investigates the complex problem of change detection in remote sensing imagery by proposing two novel deep learning frameworks: transformer change detection network (TrCD- Net) and triple attention network (TANet), each designed to capture nuanced transformations across multi-temporal datasets through distinct modeling strategies. TrCD-Net utilizes a transformer encoder to model long-range spatial dependencies and ensure consistency across temporal inputs, followed by a unified decoder with a semantic integration module that promotes spatial precision and refined feature fusion. TANet incorporates a hybrid architecture that integrates convolutional operations with a multi-representational attention strategy, including specialized mechanisms in both spatial and frequency domains. These modules enhance the model’s ability to prioritize discriminative features, suppress noise, and accurately localize changes. This research highlights architectural innovation, enhancing change detection performance and robustness to natural variations such as seasonal and illumination changes. To support this aim, the models are evaluated across diverse land cover types and sensing platforms to ensure generalization and reliability. Results show that both TrCD-Net and TANet outperform existing state-of-the-art methods. Visualizations confirm improved spatial precision and clarity. Comprehensive ablation studies validate the design choices, confirming each component contributes meaningfully. The frameworks show strong potential for applications requiring accurate, fine-grained change detection. Future work may explore multi-modal data fusion and lightweight architectures for resource-constrained environments
Centimeter Level Location Tracking System Using Commercial-off-the-Shelf Devices
No full textIndoor localization systems are crucial for a range of applications, including navigation, augmented reality, and emergency services. However, achieving centimeter-level accuracy indoors remains a persistent challenge. Existing solutions based on WiFi, Bluetooth Low Energy, or dedicated Ultra-Wideband infrastructure often suffer from high calibration overheads, limited scalability, and significant deployment costs. Despite the growing availability of personal trackers with Ultra-Wideband capabilities, such as Apple AirTags, their use for human localization has remained a largely unexplored research topic.
This thesis addresses this gap by investigating how personal trackers can be repurposed for accurate, calibration-free, and infrastructure-free indoor localization. First, we propose two complementary systems: UbiLoc, which enhances traditional multilateration through AirTag selection and weighting techniques for static setups. Then, we introduce AirLoc, a dynamic GraphSLAM-based system capable of localizing users even when AirTags are mobile.
We evaluate both systems through extensive experiments in two real-world indoor environments. UbiLoc achieves median localization errors between 26 and 31.5 cm, while AirLoc delivers median accuracy between 5 and 5.4 cm, even under dynamic conditions. We also assess system robustness under varying AirTag densities and examine key factors such as battery usage and privacy implications.
Although personal trackers were originally designed for object tracking, these findings demonstrate that personal trackers can form the backbone of scalable and user-centric indoor localization. This opens new opportunities for low-cost, widely deployable localization systems that require no calibration or dedicated infrastructure, paving the way for smarter and more adaptive environments
Addressing Climate Vulnerability and Policy Gaps of heat waves in Upper Egypt: The Case Study of Al-A’qaab Village in Aswan
Get PDFHeatwaves are currently one of the most dangerous climate hazards globally. Egypt is experiencing an increase in the intensity and frequency of heatwaves, which affects health, economy, infrastructure, and the ecological system. Upper Egypt is one of the most vulnerable regions in Egypt to rising temperatures, particularly in Aswan Governorate. The risks of heat waves are increasing vulnerability among vulnerable groups, such as women and low-income individuals. However, there is a clear gap in protection policies against heat waves, along with a lack of studies examining the effects of heat waves on individuals in Aswan. Accordingly, this thesis aims to investigate the impact of heat waves on women\u27s livelihoods in the village of Al-A\u27qaab, Aswan Governorate. This thesis employs a qualitative research design, relying on semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 28 participants. The results revealed that heat waves are not just a climate phenomenon, but a complex issue that exacerbates inequalities. The findings show that heat waves are not only a weather event but a complex crisis, as their effects are exacerbated by a combination of environmental, infrastructural, social, and economic challenges, posing a threat to their physical health and daily lives. In addition, amid these challenges, women have developed several strategies, adapted from their local environments, to cope with heatwaves. Furthermore, there is a lack of heat wave adaptation policies that should protect vulnerable communities from the adverse effects of heat waves. Thus, the study highlights the urgent need for comprehensive national policies and strategies for adapting to heat waves, which are gender-sensitive and inclusive of vulnerable populations in Upper Egypt