Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy to estimation fetal weight by Johnson-s method and compares it with actual birth weight. The sample group was 126 infants delivered in Dan KhunThot hospital from January March 2012. Fetal weight was estimated by measuring fundal height according to Johnson-s method. The information was collected by studying historical delivery records and then analyzed by using the statistics of frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Finally, the difference was analyzed by a paired t-test.The results showed had an average birth weight was 3093.57 ± 391.03 g (mean ± SD) and 3,455 ± 454.55 g average estimated fetal weight by Johnson-s method higher than average actual birth weight was 384.09 grams. When classifying the infants according to birth weight found that low birth weight ( 4000 g) actual birth weight was more than estimated fetal weight. The difference was found between actual birth weight and estimation fetal weight of the minimum weight in high birth weight ( > 4000 g) , the appropriate birth weight (2500-3999g) and low birth weight (
Abstract: Drought is one of the most damaging climate-related
hazards, it is generally considered as a prolonged absence of
precipitation. This normal and recurring climate phenomenon had
plagued civilization throughout history because of the negative
impacts on economical, environmental and social sectors. Drought
characteristics are thus recognized as important factors in water
resources planning and management. The purpose of this study is to
detect the changes in drought frequency, persistence and severity
in the Ruhr river basin. The frequency of drought events was
calculated using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). Used
data are daily precipitation records from seven meteorological
stations covering the period 1961-2007. The main benefit of the
application of this index is its versatility, only rainfall data is required
to deliver five major dimensions of a drought : duration, intensity,
severity, magnitude, and frequency. Furthermore, drought can be
calculated in different time steps. In this study SPI was calculated for
1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months. Several drought events were detected
in the covered period, these events contain mild, moderate and severe
droughts. Also positive and negative trends in the SPI values were
observed.
Abstract: Extensive rainfall disaggregation approaches have been developed and applied in climate change impact studies such as flood risk assessment and urban storm water management.In this study, five rainfall models that were capable ofdisaggregating daily rainfall data into hourly one were investigated for the rainfall record in theChangi Airport, Singapore. The objectives of this study were (i) to study the temporal characteristics of hourly rainfall in Singapore, and (ii) to evaluate the performance of variousdisaggregation models. The used models included: (i) Rectangular pulse Poisson model (RPPM), (ii) Bartlett-Lewis Rectangular pulse model (BLRPM), (iii) Bartlett-Lewis model with 2 cell types (BL2C), (iv) Bartlett-Lewis Rectangular with cell depth distribution dependent on duration (BLRD), and (v) Neyman-Scott Rectangular pulse model (NSRPM). All of these models werefitted using hourly rainfall data ranging from 1980 to 2005 (which was obtained from Changimeteorological station).The study results indicated that the weight scheme of inversely proportional variance could deliver more accurateoutputs for fitting rainfall patterns in tropical areas, and BLRPM performedrelatively better than other disaggregation models.
Abstract: Active vibration isolation systems are less commonly
used than passive systems due to their associated cost and power
requirements. In principle, semi-active isolation systems can deliver
the versatility, adaptability and higher performance of fully active
systems for a fraction of the power consumption. Various semi-active
control algorithms have been suggested in the past. This paper
studies the 4DOF model of semi-active suspension performance
controlled by on–off and continuous skyhook damping control
strategy. The frequency and transient responses of model are
evaluated in terms of body acceleration, roll angle and tire deflection
and are compared with that of a passive damper. The results show
that the semi-active system controlled by skyhook strategy always
provides better isolation than a conventional passively damped
system except at tire natural frequencies.
Abstract: Monitored 3-Dimensional (3D) video experience can be utilized as “feedback information” to fine tune the service parameters for providing a better service to the demanding 3D service customers. The 3D video experience which includes both video quality and depth perception is influenced by several contextual and content related factors (e.g., ambient illumination condition, content characteristics, etc) due to the complex nature of the 3D video. Therefore, effective factors on this experience should be utilized while assessing it. In this paper, structural information of the depth map sequences of the 3D video is considered as content related factor effective on the depth perception assessment. Cartoon-like filter is utilized to abstract the significant depth levels in the depth map sequences to determine the structural information. Moreover, subjective experiments are conducted using 3D videos associated with cartoon-like depth map sequences to investigate the effectiveness of ambient illumination condition, which is a contextual factor, on depth perception. Using the knowledge gained through this study, 3D video experience metrics can be developed to deliver better service to the 3D video service users.
Abstract: A synchronous network-on-chip using wormhole packet switching
and supporting guaranteed-completion best-effort with low-priority (LP)
and high-priority (HP) wormhole packet delivery service is presented in
this paper. Both our proposed LP and HP message services deliver a good
quality of service in term of lossless packet completion and in-order message
data delivery. However, the LP message service does not guarantee minimal
completion bound. The HP packets will absolutely use 100% bandwidth of
their reserved links if the HP packets are injected from the source node with
maximum injection. Hence, the service are suitable for small size messages
(less than hundred bytes). Otherwise the other HP and LP messages, which
require also the links, will experience relatively high latency depending on the
size of the HP message. The LP packets are routed using a minimal adaptive
routing, while the HP packets are routed using a non-minimal adaptive routing
algorithm. Therefore, an additional 3-bit field, identifying the packet type,
is introduced in their packet headers to classify and to determine the type
of service committed to the packet. Our NoC prototypes have been also
synthesized using a 180-nm CMOS standard-cell technology to evaluate the
cost of implementing the combination of both services.
Abstract: Cloud Computing has recently emerged as a
compelling paradigm for managing and delivering services over the
internet. The rise of Cloud Computing is rapidly changing the
landscape of information technology, and ultimately turning the longheld
promise of utility computing into a reality. As the development
of Cloud Computing paradigm is speedily progressing, concepts, and
terminologies are becoming imprecise and ambiguous, as well as
different technologies are interfering. Thus, it becomes crucial to
clarify the key concepts and definitions. In this paper, we present the
anatomy of Cloud Computing, covering its essential concepts,
prominent characteristics, its affects, architectural design and key
technologies. We differentiate various service and deployment
models. Also, significant challenges and risks need are tackled in
order to guarantee the long-term success of Cloud Computing. The
aim of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the anatomy
of Cloud Computing and pave the way for further research in this
area.
Abstract: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a form of cloud
computing that relieves the user of the burden of hardware and
software installation and management. SaaS can be used at the course
level to enhance curricula and student experience. When cloud
computing and SaaS are included in educational literature, the focus
is typically on implementing administrative functions. Yet, SaaS can
make more immediate and substantial contributions to the technical
course content in educational offerings. This paper explores cloud
computing and SaaS, provides examples, reports on experiences
using SaaS to offer specialized software in courses, and analyzes the
advantages and disadvantages of using SaaS at the course level. The
paper contributes to the literature in higher education by analyzing
the major technical concepts, potential, and constraints for using
SaaS to deliver specialized software at the course level. Further it
may enable more educators and students to benefit from this
emerging technology.
Abstract: Medical applications are among the most impactful
areas of microrobotics. The ultimate goal of medical microrobots is
to reach currently inaccessible areas of the human body and carry out
a host of complex operations such as minimally invasive surgery
(MIS), highly localized drug delivery, and screening for diseases at
their very early stages. Miniature, safe and efficient propulsion
systems hold the key to maturing this technology but they pose
significant challenges. A new type of propulsion developed recently,
uses multi-flagella architecture inspired by the motility mechanism of
prokaryotic microorganisms. There is a lack of efficient methods for
designing this type of propulsion system. The goal of this paper is to
overcome the lack and this way, a numerical strategy is proposed to
design multi-flagella propulsion systems. The strategy is based on the
implementation of the regularized stokeslet and rotlet theory, RFT
theory and new approach of “local corrected velocity". The effects of
shape parameters and angular velocities of each flagellum on overall
flow field and on the robot net forces and moments are considered.
Then a multi-layer perceptron artificial neural network is designed
and employed to adjust the angular velocities of the motors for
propulsion control. The proposed method applied successfully on a
sample configuration and useful demonstrative results is obtained.
Abstract: E-learning aims to build knowledge and skills in order
to enhance the quality of learning. Research has shown that the
majority of the e-learning solutions lack in pedagogical background
and present some serious deficiencies regarding teaching strategies
and content delivery, time and pace management, interface design
and preservation of learners- focus. The aim of this review is to
approach the design of e-learning solutions with a pedagogical
perspective and to present some good practices of e-learning design
grounded on the core principles of Learning Theories (LTs).
Abstract: While computers are known to facilitate lower levels of learning, such as rote memorization of facts, measurable through electronically administered and graded multiple-choice questions, yes/no, and true/false answers, the imparting and measurement of higher-level cognitive skills is more vexing. These require more open-ended delivery and answers, and may be more problematic in an entirely virtual environment, notwithstanding the advances in technologies such as wikis, blogs, discussion boards, etc. As with the integration of all technology, merit is based more on the instructional design of the course than on the technology employed in, and of, itself. With this in mind, this study examined the perceptions of online students in an introductory Computer Information Systems course regarding the fostering of various higher-order thinking and team-building skills as a result of the activities, resources and technologies (ART) used in the course.
Abstract: The network of delivering commodities has been an important design problem in our daily lives and many transportation applications. The delivery performance is evaluated based on the system reliability of delivering commodities from a source node to a sink node in the network. The system reliability is thus maximized to find the optimal routing. However, the design problem is not simple because (1) each path segment has randomly distributed attributes; (2) there are multiple commodities that consume various path capacities; (3) the optimal routing must successfully complete the delivery process within the allowable time constraints. In this paper, we want to focus on the design optimization of the Multi-State Flow Network (MSFN) for multiple commodities. We propose an efficient approach to evaluate the system reliability in the MSFN with respect to randomly distributed path attributes and find the optimal routing subject to the allowable time constraints. The delivery rates, also known as delivery currents, of the path segments are evaluated and the minimal-current arcs are eliminated to reduce the complexity of the MSFN. Accordingly, the correct optimal routing is found and the worst-case reliability is evaluated. It has been shown that the reliability of the optimal routing is at least higher than worst-case measure. Two benchmark examples are utilized to demonstrate the proposed method. The comparisons between the original and the reduced networks show that the proposed method is very efficient.
Abstract: A multimedia presentation system refers to the integration of a multimedia database with a presentation manager which has the functionality of content selection, organization and playout of multimedia presentations. It requires high performance of involved system components. Starting from multimedia information capture until the presentation delivery, high performance tools are required for accessing, manipulating, storing and retrieving these segments, for transferring and delivering them in a presentation terminal according to a playout order. The organization of presentations is a complex task in that the display order of presentation contents (in time and space) must be specified. A multimedia presentation contains audio, video, images and text media types. The critical decisions for presentation construction include what the contents are, how the contents are organized, and once the decision is made on the organization of the contents of the presentation, it must be conveyed to the end user in the correct organizational order and in a timely fashion. This paper introduces a framework for specification of multimedia presentations and describes the design of sample presentations using this framework from a multimedia database.
Abstract: This paper presents a computational study of the separated flow in a planer asymmetric diffuser. The steady RANS equations for turbulent incompressible fluid flow and six turbulence closures are used in the present study. The commercial software code, FLUENT 6.3.26, was used for solving the set of governing equations using various turbulence models. Five of the used turbulence models are available directly in the code while the v2-f turbulence model was implemented via User Defined Scalars (UDS) and User Defined Functions (UDF). A series of computational analysis is performed to assess the performance of turbulence models at different grid density. The results show that the standard k-ω, SST k-ω and v2-f models clearly performed better than other models when an adverse pressure gradient was present. The RSM model shows an acceptable agreement with the velocity and turbulent kinetic energy profiles but it failed to predict the location of separation and attachment points. The standard k-ε and the low-Re k- ε delivered very poor results.
Abstract: The physiological effects of physical exercise on
human body are relatively well known in literature, which describes
in detail the changes that occur in the cardiovascular system, the
respiratory one, in bones and other systems, both during exercise
and after its delivery. However, the effects of exercise on mental
processes are less treated. From the literature reviews discussed in
this study, it can be detached the idea that we can not exactly say that
physical exercise has beneficial effects on mental processes, but
neither that it would have potentially negative effects. This
uncertainty, reflected in the inability to indicate precise and
unequivocal meaning, favorable-unfavorable physical effort in acting
on mental processes, is a prime reason to undertake a study of the
phenomenon influence effort administered physical education classes
on the dynamics of mental processes like attention and memory.
Abstract: MANEMO is the integration of Network Mobility
(NEMO) and Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET). A MANEMO
node has an interface to both a MANET and NEMO network, and
therefore should choose the optimal interface for packet delivery,
however such a handover between interfaces will introduce packet
loss. We define the steps necessary for a MANEMO handover,
using Mobile IP and NEMO to signal the new binding to the
relevant Home Agent(s). The handover steps aim to minimize the
packet loss by avoiding waiting for Duplicate Address Detection
and Neighbour Unreachability Detection. We present expressions for
handover delay and packet loss, and then use numerical examples to
evaluate a MANEMO handover. The analysis shows how the packet
loss depends on level of nesting within NEMO, the delay between
Home Agents and the load on the MANET, and hence can be used
to developing optimal MANEMO handover algorithms.
Abstract: The development and use of mobile devices as well as its integration within education systems to deliver electronic contents and to support real-time communications was the focus of this research. In order to investigate the software engineering issues in using mobile devices a research on electronic content was initiated. The Developed MP3 mobile software solution was developed as a prototype for testing and developing a strategy for designing a usable m-learning environment. The mobile software solution was evaluated using mobile device using the link: http://projects.seeu.edu.mk/mlearn. The investigation also tested the correlation between the two mobile learning indicators: electronic content and attention, based on the Task Based learning instructional method. The mobile software solution ''M-Learn“ was developed as a prototype for testing the approach and developing a strategy for designing usable m-learning environment. The proposed methodology is about what learning modeling approach is more appropriate to use when developing mobile learning software.
Abstract: Transdermal delivery of ondansetron hydrochloride (OdHCl) can prevent the problems encountered with oral ondansetron. In previously conducted studies, effect of amount of polyvinyl pyrrolidone, permeation enhancer and casting solvent on the physicochemical properties on OdHCl were investigated. It is feasible to develop ondansetron transdermal patch by using ethyl cellulose and polyvinyl pyrrolidone with dibutyl pthalate as plasticizer, however, the desired flux is not achieved. The primary aim of this study is to use dimethyl succinate (DMS) and propylene glycol that are not incorporated in previous studies to determine their effect on the physicochemical properties of an OdHCl transdermal patch using ethyl cellulose and polyvinyl pyrrolidone. This study also investigates the effect of permeation enhancer (eugenol and phosphatidylcholine) on the release of OdHCl. The results showed that propylene glycol is a more suitable plasticizer compared to DMS in the fabrication of OdHCl transdermal patch using ethyl cellulose and polyvinyl pyrrolidone as polymers. Propylene glycol containing patch has optimum drug content, thickness, moisture content and water absorption, tensile strength, and a better release profile than DMS. Eugenol and phosphatidylcholine can increase release of OdHCl from the patches. From the physicochemical result and permeation profile, a combination of 350mg of ethyl cellulose, 150mg polyvinyl pyrrolidone, 3% of total polymer weight of eugenol, and 40% of total polymer weight of propylene glycol is the most suitable formulation to develop an OdHCl patch. OdHCl release did not increase with increasing the percentage of plasticiser. DMS 4, PG 4, DMS 9, PG 9, DMS 14, and PG 14 gave better release profiles where using 300mg: 0mg, 300mg: 100mg, and 350mg: 150mg of EC: PVP. Thus, 40% of PG or DMS appeared to be the optimum amount of plasticiser when the above combination where EC: PVP was used. It was concluded from the study that a patch formulation containing 350mg EC, 150mg PVP, 40% PG and 3% eugenol is the best transdermal matrix patch compositions for the uniform and continuous release/permeation of OdHCl over an extended period. This patch design can be used for further pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies in suitable animal models.
Abstract: The improvement of irrigation systems in the Nile
Delta is one of the most important attempts in Egypt to implement
more effective irrigation technology by improving the existing
irrigation networks. Demand delivery system in the existing irrigation
network is using of mechanical gates structures to automatically
divert water from one portion of an agricultural field to another in the
desired amount and sequence. This paper discusses evaluating main
irrigation networks system under the government managed before
and after improvement systems in the Nile Delta. The overall results
indicate that policy of using the demand delivery concept through
irrigation networks is successful by improving water delivery
performance among them than the rotation delivery concept that used
before. It is provided fair share of water delivery among irrigation
districts and available water in the end of irrigation network,
although this system located in an end of irrigation networks in the
Nile Delta.
Abstract: The adverse effects of Clindamycin (Clind.) /
Ibuprofen (Ibu.) combination on liver, kidney, blood elements and the
significances of antioxidants (N-acetylcysteine and Zinc) against
these effects were evaluated. The study includes: Group I; control
n=30, Group II; patients on Clind.300mg/Ibu.400mg twice daily for a
week n=30, Group III; patients on Clind.300mg/Ibu.400mg+Nacetylcysteine
200mg twice daily for a week n=15 and Group IV;
patients on Clind.300mg/Ibu.400mg+Zinc50mg twice daily for a
week n=15. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA), alanine transferase
(ALT), aspartate transferase (AST), γ glutamyl transferase (GGT),
creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were measured. Applying one
way ANOVA followed by Tuckey Kramer post test, Group II showed
significant increase in ALT, AST, GGT, BUN and decrease in Hb,
RBCs, platelets than Group I. Group III showed significant decrease
in ALT, AST, GGT, BUN than Group II. Moreover, Group IV
showed significant decrease in ALT, AST, GGT and increase in Hb,
RBCs, and platelets than Group II. Conclusively, Adding Zinc or Nacetylcysteine
buffer the oxidative stress and improve the therapeutic
outcome of Clindamycin/Ibuprofen combination.