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Urban Pollinator Vertical Garden: Design Strategies for Sustainable Human - Pollinator Interaction in Urban Environments
Get PDFThe project focuses on the urban spaces as vibrant ecosystems, integrating pollinator habitats, vertical gardens, and green spaces. It emphasizes community engagement and education to promote environmental responsibility and calls for global urban stakeholders to prioritize collaboration and innovation for sustainable urban development. Ultimately, it aims to create resilient and vibrant cities for future generations
Criminal Activity Monitoring System: Targeting Africans and East Asian Communities in Dubai
Get PDFThis dissertation investigates crime patterns among African and East Asian communities in Dubai, focusing on geographic hotspots, temporal trends, victim demographics, and the use of machine learning for predictive crime modeling. The research addresses the challenges faced by these communities, including labor exploitation, financial fraud, and human trafficking, within the socio-economic context of a rapidly growing urban city. Building on existing studies of urban crime, this research aimed to explore the spatial, temporal, and demographic dynamics of crimes and assess the potential of predictive models to assist law enforcement in crime prevention and resource allocation. A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating descriptive and machine learning analysis. Data were collected from open-source crime datasets and enriched with socio-economic variables and temporal details. Techniques such as clustering, classification using Random Forest and Logistic Regression, and anomaly detection were applied to uncover insights. Geographic hotspots were identified, temporal crime trends analyzed, and predictive models were evaluated for their effectiveness in classifying crime outcomes. The findings revealed significant spatial and temporal patterns. Bur Dubai, Jebel Ali, and International City emerged as hotspots, with labor exploitation concentrated in industrial zones and financial fraud and trafficking dominating urban hubs. Temporal analysis showed crime peaks in March, October, and December, suggesting seasonal influences. Demographically, socio-economic vulnerabilities were strongly linked to crime severity, with low-income groups disproportionately affected by labor exploitation and financial fraud. Machine learning models demonstrated potential, with the Random Forest Classifier achieving 78.33% accuracy, but limitations were evident, particularly in handling imbalanced datasets and predicting high-severity or unsolved cases. The research contributes to the literature by highlighting the intersection of geography, demographics, and crime dynamics in Dubai’s expatriate communities. It underscores the need for targeted interventions, such as labor law enforcement in industrial zones and fraud prevention programs in urban hubs. Key recommendations include enhancing data collection systems to include real-time and granular socio-economic data, adopting advanced machine learning techniques to address class imbalance, and promoting community policing to strengthen trust and collaboration. The study’s limitations, such as reliance on secondary data and the narrow focus on two communities, set the parameters for future research. Expanding the scope to include other expatriate groups and integrating live data streams would enhance the understanding of Dubai’s crime dynamics. Furthermore, exploring the socio-economic impact of policy interventions over time could provide valuable insights for policymakers and law enforcement agencies. This research highlights the importance of data-driven approaches in urban crime analysis and policymaking, offering actionable insights for fostering safer and more inclusive communities
Dubai’s Future Mobility: Systems Thinking & Scenarios
Get PDFTransportation is one of the essential pillars of any smart city. The future of transportation in Dubai faces enormous hurdles in urban mobility, including a growing population density, congestion, and environmental issues. Without careful planning and policy actions, these problems would certainly worsen in the future. Thus, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate the future of urban mobility in Dubai and to suggest solutions for constructing a sustainable, efficient, and equitable transportation system by employing future foresight tools. Dubai has emerged in recent years as a global center for technological innovation, altering its built environment and reevaluating its approach to transport. However, rapid technological advancements make it more important to evaluate their impact on the future mobility of the city. Scenario planning is used to create alternative futures centered on different combinations of technological advancements, social mores, and regulatory frameworks. In this study, the interpretivism research philosophy is used, and an inductive research approach is used. The primary data collection is used with the help of interviews and trend analysis, and data is analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings showed that artificial intelligence and mentioned disruptive trends and wild cards will have different impacts on the future of mobility, and based on axes of uncertainties and scenario planning, strategies should be considering those driving forces if they got materialized
The Essentials of Creative Writing
Get PDFReview of Stephanie Vanderslice. Teaching Creative Writing: The Essential Guide. Bloomsbury, 2024. 175 pages
Determining Sustainable Urban Renewal: A case of quantifying sustainability for Adaptive Reuse within Mumbai’s Textile Mill Sector
Get PDFThis study explores adaptive reuse as a sustainable approach to urban development in Mumbai, India, focusing on the revitalization of a heritage textile mill site. It investigates how historical significance and evolving community needs can shape design decisions, while assessing sustainability through Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and energy efficiency metrics. Mumbai’s defunct textile mills, once central to its industrial growth, now pose challenges to urban vitality. Through a literature review, the paper examines their historical, social, and cultural relevance and the decline of the mill industry. Adaptive reuse emerges as a key strategy to reimagine these structures, offering an environmentally responsible alternative to demolition and new construction. Case studies are used to analyze factors influencing adaptive reuse—community engagement, environmental impact, and regulatory frameworks. In the context of Mumbai’s rapid urbanization and resource scarcity, adaptive reuse is positioned as a crucial solution for sustainable redevelopment. The paper evaluates one mill building through three reuse scenarios—residential, commercial, and mixed-use—assessing each for LCA and energy performance against the existing condition. The findings inform design and policy recommendations for integrating adaptive reuse into Mumbai’s broader urban planning framework
Implementation and Dissemination of the \u27About Eating\u27 Program: Evaluating Participant Engagement, Usability, and Module Interest
Get PDFAbstract Background: Online nutrition education can improve food choices among underserved populations. The About Eating New York (AENY) program is a web-based, self-paced series of modules designed to enhance nutritional literacy, resource management, and confidence in healthy eating. Leveraging dissemination and implementation (D&I) science, AE partnered with community organizations across New York’s ten fiscal regions to extend its reach. Methods: This study analyzed secondary data from the AENY dissemination effort. Participants were recruited via social media and community organizations. Pre- and post-program surveys and end-of-lesson surveys assessed demographics, engagement, and perceptions of usability. Quantitative analyses included descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVAs, and chi-square tests. Qualitative feedback was reviewed. Results: Despite outreach efforts, target recruitment was not fully achieved. Among 371 enrolled participants, those receiving SNAP rated AE as more useful (t(47)=2.65, p=0.011), and those with greater financial worry completed more lessons (t(186)=-2.41, p=0.017). However, financially stressed participants had lower confidence in making healthy food choices (t(47)=2.65, p=0.011). Post-program data showed modest improvements in meal planning, grocery list use, and spending plans. Lessons were rated as easy to read and navigate and found increasingly valuable as participants completed more modules (r=0.46, p=0.002). Small gains in eating competence were observed, though most remained “Not Eating Competent.” Conclusions: AE engaged financially vulnerable groups, providing practical budgeting and planning strategies. Although incremental behavioral improvements were noted, translating engagement into sustained confidence remains challenging. Future refinements should enhance recruitment strategies, tailor content to participants’ needs, and maintain a strong D&I focus, ultimately increasing AE’s reach and impact on underserved communities
A PROTOTYPE HIGH POWER DC-DC CONVERTER FOR REGULATING GENERATOR OUTPUT VOLTAGE IN A SERIES HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE
Get PDFAs fully electric and hybrid electric vehicles become more commonplace, a strong incentive for innovation in electric powertrain technology has been created. Though the instantaneous power available from an electric motor may appeal to consumers of powersports vehicles, this has been an area with relatively little advancement towards electric architectures. One primary concern of electrifying such a platform is the need for large battery packs that tend not to perform well in the harsh weather conditions often seen in powersports such as snowmobiling. As such, hybrid electric architectures may prove to be a successful middle ground between fossil fuels and electric drive systems. This paper presents a design of a high-power voltage regulator circuit designed to decouple control systems for the internal combustion and electric halves of a novel hybrid electric snowmobile powertrain. An overview of design considerations, software development, and testing procedures is given with the intention of providing a foundation for future projects improving upon the prototype snowmobile. Additionally, the design and testing of a prototype printed circuit board (PCB) implementing the proposed solution is discussed with a focus on the selection of components and layout considerations. Regrettably, a catastrophic hardware failure impeded the complete testing of the designed circuit, but a plethora of useful information regarding the design process and control theory of the proposed system was obtained
EVALUATING LEATHERBACK TURTLE CONSERVATION USING THE IUCN RED LIST
Get PDFThe International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is a key resource for assessing species extinction risks and serves as a framework for global conservation planning. This study focused on the Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), a species currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, evaluating the conservation policies and measures implemented by selected English-speaking countries. The study employed a policy analysis approach, reviewing national and international treaties relevant to leatherback conservation. The findings revealed that while many countries align their policies with global treaties, some gaps remain, particularly in addressing threats to adult leatherbacks and ensuring comprehensive protection across their migratory paths. By examining the actions these countries have taken to prevent the escalation of the leatherback\u27s status, this research aimed to assess how national policies align with global treaties, identify policy gaps, and provide actionable insights to enhance conservation strategies
Investigating the Relationship Between Cellular Senescence and Pulmonary Fibrosis
Get PDFThis study investigates the complex relationship between cellular senescence, aging, and pulmonary fibrosis through a comprehensive analysis of bulk RNA-seq data from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and scleroderma. Using differential expression (DE) and age-associated differential expression (AADE) analyses, we revealed a paradoxical pattern: senescence-related gene sets were significantly downregulated in disease comparisons but progressively upregulated with aging within these same diseases. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that gene sets associated with DNA damage/telomere stress and oxidative stress were among the most enriched senescence inducers in fibrotic disease states, while cellular senescence and SASP pathways appeared increasingly enriched with age. Through latent factor analysis using SLIDE, we identified four significant factors strongly associated with senescence pathways across different disease conditions. These latent factors showed significant enrichment for histone genes, which were consistently downregulated in disease conditions independent of age, suggesting a possible role for chromatin remodeling in senescence-driven fibrosis. These results provide insights into the mechanistic links between senescence and fibrotic lung diseases, highlighting potential targets for therapeutic intervention while emphasizing the importance of considering both disease context and aging when interpreting senescence-related transcriptional signatures in pulmonary fibrosis