AUB ScholarWorks (American Univ. of Beirut)
Not a member yet
33634 research outputs found
Sort by
Ottoman motives for approving the Shihabids sovereignty over mount Lebanon
No full textيتضمن مراجع ببليوغرافية (صفحات 15-17)يتناول هذا البحث الدوافع التي جعلت السلطنة العُثمانيَّة تُوافق على انتقال إمارة جبل لُبنان من بني معن إلى بني شهاب بعد وفاة الأمير أحمد المعني سنة 1108هـ الـمُوافقة لِسنة 1697م. فإنَّ علاقة المعنيين بِالعُثمانيين، مُنذ دُخُول الديار الشاميَّة تحت جناح الدولة العُثمانيَّة، لم تكن إلَّا سلسلةً من التمرُّدات في وجه السلطنة، بدأت في أوائل القرن السادس عشر الميلاديّ، وانتهت في أواخر القرن السابع عشر الميلاديّ، فحقَّ وصفها بـ«التمرُّد الدُرزي الطويل» على حد تعبير الدكتور عبد الرحيم أبو حسين، أستاذ التاريخ العُثماني في الجامعة الأميركيَّة في بيروت. ولـمَّا مات الأمير أحمد المذكور دون عقب، كان على الإمارة أن تؤول إلى أقرب ورثته شرعًا من أُمراء بني شهاب، أصهار بني معن. وعلى الرُغم من أنَّ منطق الأُمُور كان يستدعي السلطنة العُثمانيَّة أن تُعيِّن واليًا أو أميرًا يحكم الجبل ويكون على اتصالٍ مُباشرٍ بها، ويحول دون الاضطرابات المحليَّة والمطامع الأوروپيَّة في هذا القسم من الدولة المأهول بِالأقليَّات الطائفيَّة والزعامات الـمُتطلِّعة إلى التعاون مع الغرب لِأسبابٍ اقتصاديَّة وثقافيَّة ودينيَّة، إلَّا أنَّها وافقت على انتقال الأمر لِبني شهاب ورضيت بِحُكمهم للجبل، يدفعها إلى ذلك أسبابٌ مُتعلِّقة بالتطوُّرات السياسيَّة في أوروپَّا، وأُخرى محليَّة حدّت من التأثير الغربي على البلاد.This study discusses the reasons that led the Ottoman Sultanate to accept transmitting the rule of Mount Lebanon from the Ma'nid dynasty to the Shihabid, after the death of Emir Ahmed Ma’an in 1108 H. / 1697 CE. Ever since Syria became part of the Ottoman Empire, the Ma’nids launched a series of revolts against the Sultanate, starting in the early 16th century up till the late 17th century, which prompted Dr. Abdul Rahim Abu-Husayn, Ottoman history teacher at the American University of Beirut, to call it “the long Druze rebellion”. After the death of the childless Emir Ahmed, his emirate was to devolve to his closest legal heirs, the Shihabids, the Ma’nids closest of kin. Although logically the sultanate should have appointed a Wali or an Emir with direct connections to it, to rule over Mount Lebanon, prevent local disturbances, and halt European ambitions in this part of the empire populated by sectarian minorities and local leaders aspiring to cooperate with the west for economic, religious and cultural reasons; yet the sultanate agreed to this shift in authority, accepting the Shihabid rule, prompted by the political developments in Europe, and other local reasons that limited western influences on this part of the empire
The White dove
No full textA children's book, created by AUB students from the Education Department, for the course EDUC218 as a final project."Amira's White Dove" is a touching children's book that explores themes of loss, grief, and healing through the eyes of a young girl named Amira. Living in Ghaza with her father and brothers, Amira grapples with the absence of her beloved mother.
One night, troubled by a nightmare, Amira seeks solace from her father, yearning for her mother's comforting presence. Despite her father's reassurances, Amira's sadness persists until she encounters a white dove outside her window.
Through tender conversations with the dove, Amira finds comfort in sharing memories of her mother and expressing her grief. With her father's guidance, Amira learns to channel her emotions into creative outlets, finding healing in the process.
As the white dove becomes a symbol of hope and remembrance, Amira discovers that love transcends loss and that cherished memories have the power to bring comfort in even the darkest times.
With its gentle storytelling and warm illustrations, "Amira's White Dove" offers a poignant exploration of grief, resilience, and the healing power of love, making it a heartfelt addition to any child's bookshelf
Adaptive Loss Minimization in Induction Motor Drives using Online State Estimation
No full textThis study proposes new model-based loss-minimization technique (LMT) for rotor field-oriented control (FOC) in induction machine drives. Compared to existing LMT applied for FOC, the suggested technique incorporates the cross-coupling effects of core losses into induction-machine modeling. The comparison is examined for several induction machines characteristics in order to generalize the functionality of the proposed LMT method. Moreover, based on the weaknesses observed in the conventional and the proposed LMT such as motor stability and machine flux limitations, another loss-minimization technique termed the hybrid LMT is introduced to overcome these issues. In addition, as model-based LMT require the knowledge of motor speed and torque values, this study therefore suggests to use nonlinear Kalman filter as parameters estimator , to adapt these functions; specifically, the square-root extended Kalman filter (EKF), square-root unscented Kalman filters (SRUKF), and square-root cubature Kalman filters (SRCKF). Moreover, to evaluate the filters performance, the study shows a comparison between the nonlinear filter types for Sensorless machine applications. The comparison discusses the machine model uncertainty by conducting a sensitivity analysis of filters estimates against varying noise covariances. The state-space model of induction motor varies due to nonlinearities, saturation and harmonic. Thus, this dissertation explores this variety and establishes that the use of single-model Kalman filter is not sufficient. Therefore, an interactive multiple mode (IMM) filter is used and compared with the single-model filters. Considering the loss minimization, the experimental results show a superior performance of proposed LMT as compared to traditional ones. As for the estimation issue, the experimental results demonstrate a higher performance of multiple model estimation against single model version, with emphasis on operating speed and torque range, estimation error, and stability
Genetic Testing in the Workplace: A Scoping Review
No full textGenetics, and genetic testing in particular, has social, ethical, and legal implications, especially in the workplace. One concern people have with genetic screening is that the focus would shift from controlling the environment and maintaining a safe and healthful workplace to excluding the vulnerable worker. Some argue that pre-existing genetic factors play a role in occupational morbidity, mortality, and injury, and accordingly, should lead to further prevention and control efforts. Others argue that environmental risk factors are more prevalent than genetic ones, and hence are more important for developing prevention and intervention strategies in occupational diseases, which would potentially decrease morbidity and mortality. Globally, there are different perspectives towards genetic testing. Given the controversiality of genetic testing, a scoping review was conducted to summarize the existing global knowledge on genetic testing in the workplace. A search of four databases (Scopus, Medline Ovid, CINAHL, and Web of Science) and grey literature websites was conducted to identify relevant literature published until April 5, 2023. Six thousand eight hundred fifteen (6,815) records were retrieved from the searches, and 165 articles were included for the final review. The articles focused on (1) associations between workplace exposures and genetic outcomes in different workplaces or contexts (healthcare and research, manufacturing, chemical, textile, energy industries, agriculture and food sectors, and the environment and waste management sectors), and (2) the ethical, legal, and social implications of workplace genetic testing. This thesis promotes the idea of using genetic testing in workplaces in a fair and equitable manner, emphasizing the importance of protecting genetic privacy while using genetics to improve occupational health. The text emphasizes the significance of harmonizing science, ethics, and law to guarantee that testing promotes health rather than engendering conflict. Future study should prioritize the integration of genetic testing in workplaces, investigating the potential long-term consequences, and formulating standards to tackle gaps in access. This will ensure the ethical utilization of genetic testing to enhance the health and safety of employees on a worldwide scale
Exploring the Industrial Sector in Light of The Economic Crisis in Lebanon
Get PDFLebanon has been facing an unprecedented economic crisis since 2019 which has devastating economic and social implications for the whole Lebanese population. This crisis didn’t come from a vacuum, on the contrary, it is due to decades of implementing governmental public policies that obtained a service-oriented rentier business model for the economy and society, hence leading along with other deep root causes to the crisis we are enduring. Indeed, Lebanon witnessed in the post-TAEFF accord phase a huge balance of trade deficit in its monetary accounts that led to the depletion of massive amounts of dollars to exit the country to cover the huge amount of imports the Lebanese purchased whether for basic or luxurious needs. On the other hand, there was an absence of public policies for the development of industrial promotion in Lebanon due to the absence of political will on one hand, and to the conflict of interests of the ruling political and economic elite, as well as the central bank monetary and fiscal policies that favored this economic social attitude of consumption. Hence, here comes the importance of this project to fill the gap in the relation between the neo-liberal policies adopted since the 1990s after the TAEF accord with the decline of the industrial sector share and importance, along with the implications of that on the economy and society. Then to answer my research question to what extent does the promotion of the Industrial sector (as a public policy approach) represent an efficient strategic reform for the Lebanese economic crisis based on a specific case study which is the success story of BEESLINE industrial company in Lebanon? In this project, I took a case study which is the BEESLINE company to show the capacity of Lebanese producers to increase their share in the economy and to provide some needs of the Lebanese population, and shed light on their work, especially after the economic crisis in the field of para -pharmaceutical industry. Also, I tackled in-depth interviews with the decision makers whether in the government or with international organizations delegates such as the IMF and WB, as well as interviews with economic experts in addition to interviews with the prominent figures of industry in several sectors.The main objectives of this project were to shed light on the importance of the adoption of an industrial promotion strategy as a public policy approach in the economic reform plan of the Lebanese government based upon an analysis of the BEESLINE company case study from the Lebanese industry to show the challenges and opportunities this industry faced. And to show the need to diversify the business model in Lebanon from a service-oriented direction to a multi-direction in which a productive economy is rebuilt again. Also, to study the government executive reform plans and the legislative actions and measures adopted or needed to develop an industrial promotion strategy
Curcumin-Loaded Aluminum and Magnesium Metal-Organic Frameworks: Exploring their Stability and Applications
No full textCurcumin is known to be “the wonderful drug of life” since it was proved to be an excellent candidate for many therapeutic applications such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-cancer activities. However, despite extensive reports on its health benefits, curcumin remains hardly employed as a medicinal agent due to its low solubility and poor bioavailability. Moreover, curcumin is very unstable and tends to degrade quickly which further limits its applications. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have gained great attention in the field of drug loading due to their diversity and tunability, so they are seen as great candidates for hosting curcumin. In this thesis, aluminum fumarate MOF (AlMOF) and magnesium formate MOF (MgMOF) were tested for their ability to hold curcumin by the wet impregnation technique, and the parameters were optimized. The stability of the resulting systems were also tested by examining the degradation of Cur-MOFs over time and comparing it to the degradation rate of curcumin in its free state. This was used to assess the ability of the MOFs to protect curcumin and to enhance its stability. In addition, the antioxidant activity of curcumin was tested in its free state and in the Cur-MOF systems, and the results are studied to address the boosted antioxidant activity of the Cur-MOF systems. The ability of curcumin to sense metals was also evaluated for different metal cations. Moreover, the systems were also tested for their potential to deliver curcumin at different temperatures. These results open the door to an in-depth study of Cur-MOF systems as great therapeutic agents due to their enhancement of the therapeutic properties of curcumin, all while protecting it, favoring its solubility, and maintaining its stability
Personality traits and high cigarette dependence among university students: Insights from Lebanon
No full textThe survey was distributed by e-mail to undergraduates and graduate students registered at AUB and LU. Data was collected from February 25 to March 31, 2022. The participants were provided with the objectives, details, and written informed consent form of this study through an e-mail recruitment text and on the first page of the survey. They were asked to sign the online consent form before starting the survey. Moreover, participants did not receive any financial incentives, and all data collected was anonymized to safeguard confidentiality and ensure data reliability. To avoid double sampling, we employed specific strategies for AUB and LU students. The study's variables fall into three distinct clusters: personality traits based on the Big Five model, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, and the variable measuring smoking dependence
Carrot, Cake, and Their Healthy Friendship
No full textA children's book, created by AUB students from the Education Department, for the course EDUC218 as a final project.Let’s discover together the adventures of Carrot, a young athletic bunny and Cake, a chubby little one as they learn all about exercising and eating healthy food
A Proof of the Class Number Formula
Get PDFThe Class Number Formula helps compute several invariants of a number field, including its Class Number, by relating them to the behavior of its Dedekind Zeta function. The Class Number of a field is useful because it helps determine the extent to which unique factorization fails in the associated number ring. A proof of the general Class Number Formula is presented and a more refined version is computed for the real quadratic case
Consumers Perceptions on Street Food and its Safety in the context of Mass Tourism: A Case Study in Lebanon
Get PDFBackground: Street food has become increasingly popular due to its convenience, offering various food options ranging from traditional dishes to international cuisines. Nevertheless, food safety concerns persist, including contamination from inadequate cooking and hygiene practices.
Objectives: The objective of this study is to analyze consumers’ behavior and perceptions of street food in Batroun, which has become a popular destination in Lebanon, and to assess compliance with food safety standards during the city's annual Christmas Market held in December.
Methods: This cross-sectional study involved consumers and non-consumers of street food. Participants completed a questionnaire covering demographic information, purchasing behavior, factors influencing choices, perception of sanitary conditions, and post-consumption experiences. Additionally, a food safety assessment of the street food outlets was conducted, which involved the collection of swabs and food samples, followed by microbiological analysis. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS statistical software (version 27).
Results: The study included 226 street food consumers aged 18 to 64, who indicated that taste is the primary factor influencing street food purchasing. Males and younger adults were more likely to be consumers than females and older individuals. Other factors affecting consumption included financial status, nutritional value, and price among others. Most participants considered street food safe; however, many non-consumers highlighted concerns about its consumption. In addition, 60 swabs from 20 street food kiosks were collected during the Christmas Market in Batroun revealing the presence of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus on some food-contact surfaces. Also, the microbial quality of street foods was assessed, with all 24 samples falling within the good range for E. coli and Salmonella spp.
Conclusion: There is a high street food consumption during the Christmas market especially among males and younger individuals. Microbial analysis of swabs and samples revealed generally satisfactory hygiene standards, although there are concerns regarding potential contamination. Future studies could examine whether there are variations in consumer perceptions or food safety among festive events across the year