Abstract: The purpose of the study is to determine secondary prospective mathematics teachers- views related to using flash animations in mathematics lessons and to reveal how the sample presentations towards different mathematical concepts altered their views. This is a case study involving three secondary prospective mathematics teachers from a state university in Turkey. The data gathered from two semi-structural interviews. Findings revealed that these animations help understand mathematics meaningfully, relate mathematics and real world, visualization, and comprehend the importance of mathematics. The analysis of the data indicated that the sample presentations enhanced participants- views about using flash animations in mathematics lessons.
Abstract: Reliable water level forecasts are particularly
important for warning against dangerous flood and inundation. The
current study aims at investigating the suitability of the adaptive
network based fuzzy inference system for continuous water level
modeling. A hybrid learning algorithm, which combines the least
square method and the back propagation algorithm, is used to
identify the parameters of the network. For this study, water levels
data are available for a hydrological year of 2002 with a sampling
interval of 1-hour. The number of antecedent water level that should
be included in the input variables is determined by two statistical
methods, i.e. autocorrelation function and partial autocorrelation
function between the variables. Forecasting was done for 1-hour until
12-hour ahead in order to compare the models generalization at
higher horizons. The results demonstrate that the adaptive networkbased
fuzzy inference system model can be applied successfully and
provide high accuracy and reliability for river water level estimation.
In general, the adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system
provides accurate and reliable water level prediction for 1-hour ahead
where the MAPE=1.15% and correlation=0.98 was achieved. Up to
12-hour ahead prediction, the model still shows relatively good
performance where the error of prediction resulted was less than
9.65%. The information gathered from the preliminary results
provide a useful guidance or reference for flood early warning
system design in which the magnitude and the timing of a potential
extreme flood are indicated.
Abstract: Design of experiments made for correlated the hormonal activity of steroids and their effect on the vaginal structure properties. Vaginal wall consists of distinct layers of cells which strongly differ regarding growth in answer to steroid hormones. The presence study carried out for functional evaluation and sustained replacement effect of the reproductive hormones on the vaginal morphometry in the rabbit. Rabbits were maintained control (Co) or ovariectomized (Ovz) and continuously treated with estradiol (Ovz E) and estradiol mixture with testosterone (Ovz ET). Relative to control rabbits with the distinct tissue distribution pattern, ovariectomized animals displayed declined epithelial thickness and atrophy of the muscularis layer that cause the vaginal wall thinning. Estradiol treatment of Orz rabbits inverted these changes to status of the preovariectomy. Histometric measurements in Ovz ET group completely including of thickness of the epithelial and muscular layers was greater in comparison to that of control animals.
Abstract: IVE toolkit has been created for facilitating research,education and development in the ?eld of virtual storytelling andcomputer games. Primarily, the toolkit is intended for modellingaction selection mechanisms of virtual humans, investigating level-of-detail AI techniques for large virtual environments, and for exploringjoint behaviour and role-passing technique (Sec. V). Additionally, thetoolkit can be used as an AI middleware without any changes. Themain facility of IVE is that it serves for prototyping both the AI andvirtual worlds themselves. The purpose of this paper is to describeIVE?s features in general and to present our current work - includingan educational game - on this platform.Keywords? AI middleware, simulation, virtual world.
Abstract: Image Edge Detection is one of the most important
parts of image processing. In this paper, by fuzzy technique, a new
method is used to improve digital image edge detection. In this
method, a 3x3 mask is employed to process each pixel by means of
vicinity. Each pixel is considered a fuzzy input and by examining
fuzzy rules in its vicinity, the edge pixel is specified and by utilizing
calculation algorithms in image processing, edges are displayed more
clearly. This method shows significant improvement compared to
different edge detection methods (e.g. Sobel, Canny).
Abstract: IP networks are evolving from data communication
infrastructure into many real-time applications such as video
conferencing, IP telephony and require stringent Quality of Service
(QoS) requirements. A rudimentary issue in QoS routing is to find a
path between a source-destination pair that satisfies two or more endto-
end constraints and termed to be NP hard or complete. In this
context, we present an algorithm Multi Constraint Path Problem
Version 3 (MCPv3), where all constraints are approximated and
return a feasible path in much quicker time. We present another
algorithm namely Delay Coerced Multi Constrained Routing
(DCMCR) where coerce one constraint and approximate the
remaining constraints. Our algorithm returns a feasible path, if exists,
in polynomial time between a source-destination pair whose first
weight satisfied by the first constraint and every other weight is
bounded by remaining constraints by a predefined approximation
factor (a). We present our experimental results with different
topologies and network conditions.
Abstract: Maximal length sequences (m-sequences) are also
known as pseudo random sequences or pseudo noise sequences
for closely following Golomb-s popular randomness properties: (P1)
balance, (P2) run, and (P3) ideal autocorrelation. Apart from these,
there also exist certain other less known properties of such sequences
all of which are discussed in this tutorial paper. Comprehensive proofs
to each of these properties are provided towards better understanding
of such sequences. A simple test is also proposed at the end of
the paper in order to distinguish pseudo noise sequences from truly
random sequences such as Bernoulli sequences.
Abstract: Any use of energy in industrial productive activities is combined with various environment impacts. Withintransportation,
this fact was not only found among land transport, railways and maritime transport, but also in the air transport industry. An effective climate protection requires strategies and measures for reducing all
greenhouses gas emissions, in particular carbon dioxide, and must
take into account the economic, ecologic and social aspects. It seem simperative now to develop and manufacture environmentally
friendly products and systems, to reduce consumption and use less
resource, and to save energy and power. Today-sproducts could
better serve these requirements taking into account the integration of
a power management system into the electrical power system.This
paper gives an overview of an approach ofpower management with
load prioritization in modernaircraft. Load dimensioning and load
management strategies on current civil aircraft will be presented and
used as a basis for the proposed approach.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the religious behavior of students in high school and universality in Lamerd , a town in the south of Iran, with respect to increase in their level of education and age. The participants were 450 high school and university students in all levels from first year of junior high school
to the senior university students who were chosen through multistage
cluster sampling method and their religious behavior was
studied. Through the revised questionnaire by Nezar Alany from the University of Bahrain (r = 0/797), the religious behavior of the subjects were analyzed. Results showed that students in high school
in religious behavior were superior to the students of university (003/0>p) and there was a decline of religious behavior in junior high school third year students to second students of the same school
(042/0>p). More important is that the decrease in religious behavior was associated with increase in educational levels (017/0>p) and age (043/0>p).
Abstract: This paper investigates the encryption efficiency of RC6 block cipher application to digital images, providing a new mathematical measure for encryption efficiency, which we will call the encryption quality instead of visual inspection, The encryption quality of RC6 block cipher is investigated among its several design parameters such as word size, number of rounds, and secret key length and the optimal choices for the best values of such design parameters are given. Also, the security analysis of RC6 block cipher for digital images is investigated from strict cryptographic viewpoint. The security estimations of RC6 block cipher for digital images against brute-force, statistical, and differential attacks are explored. Experiments are made to test the security of RC6 block cipher for digital images against all aforementioned types of attacks. Experiments and results verify and prove that RC6 block cipher is highly secure for real-time image encryption from cryptographic viewpoint. Thorough experimental tests are carried out with detailed analysis, demonstrating the high security of RC6 block cipher algorithm. So, RC6 block cipher can be considered to be a real-time secure symmetric encryption for digital images.
Abstract: Software Reusability is primary attribute of software
quality. There are metrics for identifying the quality of reusable
components but the function that makes use of these metrics to find
reusability of software components is still not clear. These metrics if
identified in the design phase or even in the coding phase can help us
to reduce the rework by improving quality of reuse of the component
and hence improve the productivity due to probabilistic increase in
the reuse level. In this paper, we have devised the framework of
metrics that uses McCabe-s Cyclometric Complexity Measure for
Complexity measurement, Regularity Metric, Halstead Software
Science Indicator for Volume indication, Reuse Frequency metric
and Coupling Metric values of the software component as input
attributes and calculated reusability of the software component. Here,
comparative analysis of the fuzzy, Neuro-fuzzy and Fuzzy-GA
approaches is performed to evaluate the reusability of software
components and Fuzzy-GA results outperform the other used
approaches. The developed reusability model has produced high
precision results as expected by the human experts.
Abstract: In this paper the principle, basic torque theory and design optimisation of a six-phase reluctance dc machine are considered. A trapezoidal phase current waveform for the machine drive is proposed and evaluated to minimise ripple torque. Low cost normal laminated salient-pole rotors with and without slits and chamfered poles are investigated. The six-phase machine is optimised in multi-dimensions by linking the finite-element analysis method directly with an optimisation algorithm; the objective function is to maximise the torque per copper losses of the machine. The armature reaction effect is investigated in detail and found to be severe. The measured and calculated torque performances of a 35 kW optimum designed six-phase reluctance dc machine drive are presented.
Abstract: The Genetic Algorithm (GA) is one of the most important methods used to solve many combinatorial optimization problems. Therefore, many researchers have tried to improve the GA by using different methods and operations in order to find the optimal solution within reasonable time. This paper proposes an improved GA (IGA), where the new crossover operation, population reformulates operation, multi mutation operation, partial local optimal mutation operation, and rearrangement operation are used to solve the Traveling Salesman Problem. The proposed IGA was then compared with three GAs, which use different crossover operations and mutations. The results of this comparison show that the IGA can achieve better results for the solutions in a faster time.
Abstract: The most important subtype of non-Hodgkin-s
lymphoma is the Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. Approximately
40% of the patients suffering from it respond well to therapy,
whereas the remainder needs a more aggressive treatment, in order to
better their chances of survival. Data Mining techniques have helped
to identify the class of the lymphoma in an efficient manner. Despite
that, thousands of genes should be processed to obtain the results.
This paper presents a comparison of the use of various attribute
selection methods aiming to reduce the number of genes to be
searched, looking for a more effective procedure as a whole.
Abstract: The move from cash accounting to accrual accounting, or rule-based to principle-based accounting, by many governments is part of an ongoing efforts in promoting a more business-like and performance-focused public sector. Using questionnaire responses from preparers of financial statements of public universities in Malaysia, this study examines the implementation challenges and benefits of principle-based accounting. Results from these responses suggest that most respondents perceived significant costs would be incurred in relation to staff training and recruitment of staffs with relevant technical knowledge. In addition, most respondents also perceived that there will be significant changes in the current accounting system and structure in order to comply with the principle-based accounting requirements. However, most respondents perceived that these changes might not result in significant benefits for management purposes, for example, financial management, budgeting and allocation of resources. Nevertheless, most respondents perceived that principle-based accounting information would facilitate the monitoring function of the board. The general perception is that adoption of principle-based accounting information is not significantly useful than rule-based accounting information is expected to change over time as preparers of the financial statements gradually understand and appreciate the benefits of principle-based accounting information. This infers that the perceived usefulness of different accounting system is a function of familiarity by the preparers.
Abstract: In Content-Based Image Retrieval systems it is
important to use an efficient indexing technique in order to perform
and accelerate the search in huge databases. The used indexing
technique should also support the high dimensions of image features.
In this paper we present the hierarchical index NOHIS-tree (Non
Overlapping Hierarchical Index Structure) when we scale up to very
large databases. We also present a study of the influence of clustering
on search time. The performance test results show that NOHIS-tree
performs better than SR-tree. Tests also show that NOHIS-tree keeps
its performances in high dimensional spaces. We include the
performance test that try to determine the number of clusters in
NOHIS-tree to have the best search time.
Abstract: This article reports on the studies of porous GaN prepared by ultra-violet (UV) assisted electrochemical etching in a solution of 4:1:1 HF: CH3OH:H2O2 under illumination of an UV lamp with 500 W power for 10, 25 and 35 minutes. The optical properties of porous GaN sample were compared to the corresponding as grown GaN. Porosity induced photoluminescence (PL) intensity enhancement was found in these samples. The resulting porous GaN displays blue shifted PL spectra compared to the as-grown GaN. Appearance of the blue shifted emission is correlated with the development of highly anisotropic structures in the morphology. An estimate of the size of the GaN nanostructure can be obtained with the help of a quantized state effective mass theory.
Abstract: The Mobile IP Standard has been developed to support mobility over the Internet. This standard contains several drawbacks as in the cases where packets are routed via sub-optimal paths and significant amount of signaling messages is generated due to the home registration procedure which keeps the network aware of the current location of the mobile nodes. Recently, a dynamic hierarchical mobility management strategy for mobile IP networks (DHMIP) has been proposed to reduce home registrations costs. However, this strategy induces a packet delivery delay and increases the risk of packet loss. In this paper, we propose an enhanced version of the dynamic hierarchical strategy that reduces the packet delivery delay and minimizes the risk of packet loss. Preliminary results obtained from simulations are promising. They show that the enhanced version outperforms the original dynamic hierarchical mobility management strategy version.
Abstract: Keys to high-quality face-to-face education are ensuring flexibility in the way lectures are given, and providing care and responsiveness to learners. This paper describes a face-to-face education support system that is designed to raise the satisfaction of learners and reduce the workload on instructors. This system consists of a lecture adaptation assistance part, which assists instructors in adapting teaching content and strategy, and a Q&A assistance part, which provides learners with answers to their questions. The core component of the former part is a “learning achievement map", which is composed of a Bayesian network (BN). From learners- performance in exercises on relevant past lectures, the lecture adaptation assistance part obtains information required to adapt appropriately the presentation of the next lecture. The core component of the Q&A assistance part is a case base, which accumulates cases consisting of questions expected from learners and answers to them. The Q&A assistance part is a case-based search system equipped with a search index which performs probabilistic inference. A prototype face-to-face education support system has been built, which is intended for the teaching of Java programming, and this approach was evaluated using this system. The expected degree of understanding of each learner for a future lecture was derived from his or her performance in exercises on past lectures, and this expected degree of understanding was used to select one of three adaptation levels. A model for determining the adaptation level most suitable for the individual learner has been identified. An experimental case base was built to examine the search performance of the Q&A assistance part, and it was found that the rate of successfully finding an appropriate case was 56%.
Abstract: The ionization energy in semiconductor
systems in nano scale was investigated by using effective mass
approximation. By introducing the Hamiltonian of the system, the
variational technique was employed to calculate the ground state and
the ionization energy of a donor at the center and in the case that the
impurities are randomly distributed inside a cubic quantum well. The
numerical results for GaAs/GaAlAs show that the ionization energy
strongly depends on the well width for both cases and it decreases as
the well width increases. The ionization energy of a quantum wire
was also calculated and compared with the results for the well.