14129 research outputs found
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Towards a conceptual framework for AI-driven anomaly detection in smart city IoT networks for enhanced cybersecurity
Full text linkAs smart cities advance, Internet of Things (IoT) devices present cybersecurity challenges that call for innovative solutions. This paper presents a conceptual model for using AI-enabled anomaly detection systems to identify anomalies and security threats in smart city IoT networks. The foundation is supported by the Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). In this framework, the importance of user engagement in ensuring effective AI-driven cybersecurity solutions is underlined with an emphasis on technological readiness and human interaction with AI. By fostering a security-conscious culture through continuous education and skills development, this research provides actionable insights for enhancing the resilience of smart cities against evolving cyber threats. The proposed framework lays the groundwork for future empirical studies and offers practical guidance for policymakers and urban planners dedicated to safeguarding the digital infrastructures of potentially tomorrow's cities – the smart cities.Publishe
Designerly resistance: Professional object design in support of Lebanon’s street protests
No full textDesign activism theory calls on designers to take responsibility for using their design skills to make real social change though influencing the mindset of their audience. This paper discusses the specific case of architect and designer Guillaume Crédoz who collaborated with the protestors during the 17 October Revolution in Lebanon to help them carry out acts of political disobedience against corruption and government injustice. The history of design lacks examples of professionally designed objects meant to mobilize the public within protest settings, and the examples of Crédoz demonstrate that such objects can be functional, engage the user, express discontent, and support oppositional attitudes in the name of a more just society. At the same time, they can effectively support protestors in their efforts to resist. Designers can play a supportive role in introducing change through functional objects with a disruptive aesthetic.Publishe
Predictors of Acculturation and Adaptation in a Sample of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
No full textWhile the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has a record of approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, no studies have focused on understanding the processes of acculturation and sociocultural/psychological adaptation among them in Lebanon. The aim of this study was to evaluate Syrian refugees’ patterns of acculturation and adaptation; to evaluate their association with social and psychological factors such as perceived discrimination, cultural distance, and attachment; and to look for predictors of acculturation and adaptation. The sample consisted of 241 Syrian refugees between 18 and 64 years of age. Correlations were found between acculturation and adaptation, both of which were impacted by reasons for displacement. Moreover, results showed that low cultural distance, perceived discrimination, and insecure attachment predicted both psychological and sociocultural adaptation, whereas lower perceived discrimination, attachment avoidance, and high attachment anxiety predicted high host acculturation. Findings are discussed in light of potential interventions facilitating refugees’ adaptation to the Lebanese culture.Publishe
Toward an inclusive metaverse: maneuvering between acceptance of disability and need for uniqueness
Full text linkPurpose
While there has been a growing interest in the field of Metaverse-related research, its impact on vulnerable segments of the population, particularly those with special needs, is yet to be fully examined. This research develops the underlying scant theoretical knowledge related to the attachment of people with disabilities to the Metaverse and its effects on their need for uniqueness and acceptance of disability, and hence their sense of inclusivity and overall well-being.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a quantitative approach using an Internet-based survey. The sample size consisted of 530 Metaverse users with a physical disability in the USA. The proposed model integrates virtual place attachment alongside disabled consumers’ need for uniqueness, and acceptance of their physical disability. SPSS and LISREL were utilized for data analysis and SEM.
Findings
The study underscores the complexity of the interplay between virtual place attachment, disability acceptance and the need for uniqueness among physically disabled users in the Metaverse. It investigates how the attachment to virtual spaces by people with disability influence their psychological well-being.
Originality/value
This research adds to the interactive marketing and disabled consumer psychology literature exploring the theoretical and practical implications from an attachment and need for uniqueness theory perspectives.Publishe
Teacher Leadership: Perceived and Conceived
No full textThesis (M.A.) -- Education, May 2024.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-129).In the current ever-changing teaching and learning environments in schools, teachers – who directly influence students’ achievement – are seeking more chances for leadership inside class, collegiality with their peers and decision-making at a school level. Yet, teachers in the Arab World and Lebanon specifically seem to lack practicing their leadership. Literature has shown that teachers share divergent conceptions and/or perceptions on practicing their teacher leadership. The purpose of this study is to explore the degree to which the conceptions of teachers working in private, semi-free private and public schools in South Lebanon, align to their perceptions towards teacher leadership. Data was collected through an embedded mixed-methods research design using an online survey. The survey has a qualitative open-ended question and a quantitative questionnaire that is the Teacher Leadership Inventory survey by Angelle and Dehart (2010). The survey was administered online to 232 K-12 teachers working in both sectors. After a thematic analysis of qualitative responses, and a statistical analysis done by SPSS, and then analyzing both datasets, the study found that the sampled teachers positively conceive and perceive sharing expertise as one dimension, do not necessarily conceive nor they perceive their leadership as willingness to do more than required. The study also suggested that those teachers perceive teacher leadership when it comes to sharing leadership and involvement with peers, yet they do not conceive it. The findings lastly suggested that the teachers conceived teacher leadership as an informal influence, but perceived it to be partially associated with formal roles.1 online resource (xiii, 133 leaves): col. ill
When digital spaces matter: The influence of uniqueness and place attachment on self-identity expression with brands using generative AI on the metaverse
No full textGenerative artificial intelligence technologies are transforming brand-customer interactions by offering highly personalized and dynamic virtual experiences. This underscores the importance of studying their significant impact on customer experiences in the Metaverse. Accordingly, the study aims to explore how users' attachment to the Metaverse relates to the underlying psychological drivers of customer engagement with brands using generative AI in the digital realm. A mixed-method approach was adopted, beginning with an exploratory study that involved in-depth interviews with 24 participants to gain an initial understanding of consumers' psychological and behavioral reactions to brands in the Metaverse. An empirical study was then conducted, surveying 407 UK-based users of virtual worlds who interacted with brands using generative AI on these platforms. The goal was to understand how the need for uniqueness influences self-identity expression and to examine how these factors are affected by attachment to virtual places. The research highlights the nuanced relationship between the pursuit of uniqueness and the integration of brand narratives into one's identity particularly when supported by highly personalized, adaptive AI technologies.Publishe
An Adapted Load-Balancing implementation for Sharded Blockchains
No full textThesis (M.S.) -- Computer Science, March 2024The emergence of blockchains as a way to organize and protect user data across the internet has come with some concerns, mainly how to deal with the issue of scalability while still maintaining the security standards as well as the decentralized nature inherent to blockchains. Many different implementations, which will be elicited in this thesis, resort to the concept of sharding, which consists of partitioning a blockchain into smaller clusters which would, with proper load-balancing, drastically improve the performance of the overall chain. We will first explore the existing literature on the subject as well as related algorithms. We will then provide a detailed explanation of the functioning of the existing algorithms, both centralized and decentralized, as well as the one proposed by this thesis. We will then elicit the settings and conditions of the simulation environment, both in terms of data collection and preparation. Finally, we will provide the results obtained as well as a comparative analysis of the tested algorithms and give an overview of possible future endeavors in the advancement of load-balancing algorithms in respect to sharded Blockchains.1 online resource (xi, 40 leaves): col. ill.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 37-40
Unraveling the Genetic Diversity of Enterobacter and Klebsiella spp.: Resistance and Mobile Elements
No full textThesis (M.S.) -- Biological Sciences, April 2024Enterobacter and Klebsiella spp. are widespread gram-negative opportunistic pathogens linked to nosocomial infections and posing public health concerns. E. hormaechei, K. aerogenes, and K pneumoniae are among the most common in hospital settings, exhibiting intrinsic but also acquired resistance against many antimicrobial agents through the acquisition of mobile elements. This study aimed at determining resistance trends and virulence patterns in 19 Enterobacter spp. and seven Klebsiella spp. clinical isolates. Short- and long-read whole-genome sequencing platforms were used for in-depth molecular characterization to reveal resistance patterns, virulence determinants, and mobile elements mediating dissemination. Our genome-based identification showed diversity at the species level, but detecting E. mori, E. bugandensis, and E. kobei was noteworthy. All the isolates, except for two K. pneumoniae, were resistant to cefoxitin. At the same time, all were susceptible to carbapenems except for two E. hormaechei exhibiting resistance against imipenem and ertapenem while being susceptible to meropenem. The two isolates had the blaNDM-1 gene. We also identified plasmids having 32 different Inc groups, with IncFIB, IncFII, and Col(pHAD28) being the most common, and many insertion sequences (IS) belonging to different families were detected. IS are essential elements in introducing genetic variability, adaptability, and mediating the mobilization of resistance determinants. Multi-locus sequence typing revealed many novel genotypes and high genetic diversity. The isolates clustered within 18 known and nine unknown sequence types; ST93 and ST50 were the most common. The results of this study demonstrated the presence of many mobile elements, including plasmids, IS, and transposons, facilitating the spread of resistance determinants within bacterial populations in healthcare settings and contributing to their evolution and adaptability, highlighting their impact on public health.1 online resource (xii, 56 leaves): col. ill.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 41-56
The Individual and Organizational Factors That Contribute to The Decision of Knowledge Hiding and Their Effect On the Organization
No full textThesis (M.S.) -- Human Resources Management, December 2023.This thesis aims at addressing the relationship between knowledge hiding and the factors that affect it within the organization. It investigated why workers may hide knowledge from colleagues to succeed. The data collection found that lack of information-sharing rewards, internal rivalry, and psychological entitlement cause workers to hide their knowledge. It considers the lack of advantages for workers who share information, internal competition, and psychological entitlement as reasons why people keep their knowledge to themselves. Bad leadership, passive leadership, workplace disengagement, unspoken social exchanges, and supervisor-employee interaction may motivate knowledge hiding. Subjective standards may hide knowledge. Thus, organizational and individual variables will alter research results. The different variables that were used to study the effect of knowledge hiding are organizational performance, personality, interpersonal justice, and organizational motivational climate.
The results of the study showed that there was a negative relationship between some variables and a positive one between others. In the end, the study's findings may interest managers and practitioners. The recommendations of this paper list key organizational characteristics that managers may promote to create a knowledge-sharing culture and dismiss knowledge hiding.1 online resource (ix, 99 leaves)Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-86
Proteomic Characterization Of Clinical Candida glabrata Isolates With Varying Degrees Of Virulence And Resistance To Fluconazole
No full textCandida glabrata, an opportunistic fungal pathogen, is a significant contributor
to mortality among individuals with weakened immune systems. Azoles represent
the primary and most utilized antifungal agents in the treatment of Candida
infections within hospitals and healthcare settings. Azoles work by inhibiting the
Erg11 enzyme altering the conversion of lanosterol to ergosterol, the main sterol
found in fungi. Resistance to azoles is increasing among Candida species
worldwide, and in Lebanon. This study aims to determine proteins responsible for
resistance and virulence in Candida glabrata hospital isolates. Four isolates with
varying degrees of resistance and virulence to fluconazole were analyzed. Cell
wall proteins of each isolate were extracted and analyzed using MALDI TOF TOF mass spectrometry to detect and identify proteins responsible for virulence, and
resistance under exposure to fluconazole drug. The results showed the exclusive
presence of efflux pumps such as Cdr1 and Pdr1 after exposure to fluconazole, in
addition to other resistance mechanisms such as activation of multidrug
transporter proteins and specific response pathways such as the RIM 101 pathway
that could be involved in drug resistance and adhesion. Moreover, proteomic
profiling showed that the virulent isolates differentially expressed many proteins
such as the autophagy related proteins Atg 11, Atg16, and stress responses
proteins such as Sgf11, Alg2. Autophagy can help the pathogen survive in hostile
environments, such as exposure to antifungal drugs. In conclusion, our study
suggests several mechanisms that contribute to resistance and virulence in C.
glabrata Lebanese hospital isolates