INVESTIGATING THE FIT OF THE GENERALIZED GRADED UNFOLDING MODEL (GGUM) WHEN CALIBRATED TO IRT GENERATED DATA FROM DOMINANCE AND IDEAL POINT MODELS

The assessment of model fit in latent trait modelling, better known as item response theory (IRT), is an integral part of model testing if one is to make valid inferences about the estimated parameters and their properties based on the selected IRT model. Though important, the assessment of model fit has been less utilized in IRT research than it should. For example, there have been less research investigating fit for polytomous dominance models such the Graded Response Model (GRM), and to a lesser extent ideal point models such as the Generalized Graded Unfolding Models (GGUM), both in its dichotomous and polytomous forms. For such reasons, examining fit for the GGUM is paramount and should be investigated thoroughly. The current study tests for different fit indices when calibrating the GGUM model to generated data from different IRT models. The tested outcomes consist of type I error and power rates across 100 replications for selected number of items and sample sizes with respect to different model fit indices utilized in previous IRT literature. Results from the simulation study show that relative fit indices performed well in identifying the correct dichotomous data model (i.e., GGUM) when the delta ranges are extended beyond the specified distribution ranges for the dominance models. Also, polytomous GGUM data were identified as the best fitting model in almost all the cases, irrespective of the number of items and sample size. On the other hand, the majority of absolute fit indices did not perform well in identifying fit/misfit. Advisor: Ralph De Ayal

Using Advanced Analytics to Predict Vehicle Registrations and Help in Business Continuity Planning

Dramatic changes happen in the world. People and organizations face problems with these changes. The ones who have everything planned in case of emergencies; survive, and the ones who do not plan it right, have a chance of falling. Today, a lot of organizations suffer because of the Covid-19 global pandemic, even the largest organizations in Dubai like Roads and Transport Authority. Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is one of the largest government entities and the sole planner and executer of all transport, road, and traffic projects in Dubai. It has happiness centers which register all the cars that are in Dubai. Those centers capacity is reduced because of this disease which led to making the long queues for customers. Customer’s satisfaction is one the main priorities of these centers. Not having this problem solved; will increase the number of unsatisfied customers. In this capstone project, I propose to explore the data of the registered cars then predict the upcoming customers. By predicting customers, we will solve all the problems that the organization is facing in this pandemic and plan for future dramatic scenarios

Detection of Hateful Comments on Social Media

Social media usage has grown tremendously in the contemporary communication landscape. Along with its numerous benefits, some users abuse the channels by spreading hatred, far from the intended purpose of building connections on a personal level. To date, an empirical method for detecting, quantifying, and categorizing hateful comments on social networks comprehensively and proactively is still lacking. Besides, majority of the cases remain unreported due to social confounders such as fear of victimization and the psychological implications of hateful comments, leading to a situation whereby, the detrimental effect of the situation is underestimated. The ill-defined situation in the growing online space impedes progress towards developing mechanisms and policies to mitigate the harmful effects of hate on social media, ultimately reducing the effectiveness of the platforms as effective communication tools. This proposal suggests Naïve Bayes classifier as a novel approach for detecting and classifying hateful social media comments to bridge this gap. Data set was taken from set provided by Kaggle and consisted of 30,000 Tweets. From the results of the use of this method, it was calculated that Bayes method is 62.75% accurate, which is not satisfactory. However, to bridge accuracy gap, nural algorithm was used which gain an improved accuracy of 87%

The Impact of Citizenship Education in Nurturing Students’ Positive Behaviours: Exploring the Perceptions of Students in a Private School in Dubai

The aim of this study is to analyse the impacts of citizenship education (CE) in enhancing positive behaviours among students. The study particularly explored the perceptions of students on this in a private school in Dubai. Theory of global citizenship and social theory of global citizenship were influential in this study to form necessary theoretical understanding. A questionnaire with quantitative and qualitative questions were distributed among high school students to measure the impact of citizenship education in nurturing students’ positive behaviours. The findings of the research indicate that CE helps learners improve their interpersonal capabilities and their positive behaviours. The study contents that citizenship education enhances positive learning experience among students. As this is a single case study focusing on one institution it is difficult to generalize the findings. The study claims that CE is an important element that can enhance learners’ achievement. It is concluded that CE increases learning, making important decisions, and improving personal learning

A comparative investigation of ethical decision-making information systems professionals versus students in UAE

Technological advancements have seen information technology develop and establish itself as a dominant field. This is owing to the fact that UAE has become a leading business hub, tourist destination as well as education. Information technology systems have been put in place in almost every sector of the economy. Information Systems (IS) professionals have to make ethical decisions every day. The current technological environment marred with rapid technological advancements has only made things worse. It has led to more ethical problems that need to be resolved. This study explores the perception information system professionals have about ethical issues and how their perception and attitude differs from students. It investigates what role ethical considerations play in the decision making process of information systems professionals and how different it is from students

An exploration of learning in the community energy sector in England and the role of networks in its facilitation

Despite recent growth, a changing policy landscape challenges the long-term position of community energy [CE]. Organisational learning [OL] is argued to offset the negative impacts of removing key financial mechanisms, ensuring continued CE growth. This thesis, conducted between January 18’ and June 23’, offers a learning-based exploration of CE and the contributing role of networks to these processes. An extended interpretation of the ‘4I’ learning framework is adopted as the main theoretical lens to investigate how learning processes unfold within and between CE organisations. This is achieved through a mixed-methods research design comprising 15 semi-structured interviews with senior CE representatives alongside a 17-question survey, returning 38 responses, distributed across national and regional mailing lists. Together, the data draws a picture of CE organisations' current state and networks in England by providing insights into their core characteristics, propensity to learn and network interactions. Findings highlighted the role of individuals operating within the sector. Their high skillsets and expertise saw them operating across multiple roles, spanning organisational boundaries and engaging in simultaneous learning processes between organisational levels. Contrary to initial perceptions, the created classification profiles suggested that CE organisations are much more alike than they differ. Social impact was surprisingly undervalued, suggesting they were becoming a secondary feature of the CE approach. CE networks were found to play an important role, initially offering learning and partnership opportunities with multiple CE and non-CE actors to their members. These new relationships were found to substitute network engagement for CE members, allowing them to benefit from joint partnerships and further learning opportunities. Developed CE networks were found to be well coordinated and comprise strong structures allowing for cooperation and engagement. However, regional discrepancies between CE networks suggest a shortage of cross-regional learning capabilities that impede CE development in cohorts represented by less-developed networks, necessitating greater cross-regional network collaboration

Evaluating the Performance of PV Modules in Buildings (BIPV/BAPV) and the Soiling Effect in the UAE Desert Setting

This paper assesses the performance of photovoltaic (PV) technologies integrated into buildings in the desert climate and the factors that affect energy yield. Cadmium telluride (CdTe) and standard monocrystalline silicon (c-Si) modules were installed facing south, in the three more common tilt angles used in the Building Applied Photovoltaics (BAPV) and Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) applications at the Dubai latitude (90°, 25°, and 0°). We monitored the energy production, the temperature of the PV modules, irradiance on each tilt angle, and the meteorological parameters for a full year. We then calculated the performance ratio for the six modules to evaluate the different factors, including temperature and soiling losses, following IEC 61724-1. The 25° modules, usual PV rooftop angle, had the highest and more consistent energy yield throughout the year. Conversely, the energy yield of the 90° modules, typical angle for facades, vertical shading devices, and guardrails, had the lowest yield and showed wide variations. This is expected as the 90° angle is more affected by the seasonal changes of the solar altitude. The soiling losses on these modules were lower than 1%. However, at 0°, the soiling loss was more evident, with an average reduction of 10.79%. The c-Si module at 25° generated the highest normalized energy yield of 402.02 kW h/m2, which was 23.5% more than that of CdTe module with the same tilt angle.The authors would like to acknowledge Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) for funding this research, Dr. Sgouris Sgourdis, Director of Research from DEWA R&D, for his valuable inputs, and Dr. Jim John, Ahmad Safieh, Ammar Elnosh, and Omar Albadwawi, members of the DEWA R&D Solar Area, for their support

Corporate reporting and disclosures in the emerging capital market of Kuwait:the perceptions of users and preparers

The objective of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of users and preparers regarding financial disclosure practices in annual reports of Kuwaiti listed firms. To measure participants' views, a questionnaire survey was distributed in Kuwait between October and December 2012, to preparers (financial managers) and users (financial analysts) within Kuwaiti listed companies. The study compares between the perceptions of financial managers and financial analysts regarding disclosing information in corporate annual reports as well as the main obstacles facing the disclosure process and what the problems restricting the use of companies' annual reports. The study also seeks to investigate whether there is a perceived need for improving the usefulness of Kuwaiti companies' annual reports for decision-making. The results, based on 137 responses, indicate that accounting practices in Kuwaiti firms are firmly rooted in a decision-usefulness tradition with management and the board of directors viewed as the key audience for reporting information. Indeed, the annual reports of Kuwaiti listed companies are perceived as the most important sources of information. On the whole both users and preparers shared similar concerns regarding the volume of information contained within annual reports; however, their views differed in terms of identifying potential solutions. The results of the study are likely to have implications for decision makers, the academic community and accounting standard setters. 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd., part of Springer Nature