Abstract: Analyzing DNA microarray data sets is a great
challenge, which faces the bioinformaticians due to the complication
of using statistical and machine learning techniques. The challenge
will be doubled if the microarray data sets contain missing data,
which happens regularly because these techniques cannot deal with
missing data. One of the most important data analysis process on
the microarray data set is feature selection. This process finds the
most important genes that affect certain disease. In this paper, we
introduce a technique for imputing the missing data in microarray
data sets while performing feature selection.
Abstract: This review emphasizes the effectiveness of men’s
participation in preventing domestic violence, and whether nonviolent
(NV) boys’ and men’s perceptions of intimate partner
violence (IPV) prevention programs affect their involvement. The
main goals of this assessment were to investigate (1) how NV men
engaged in anti-violence prevention programs that empower women,
(2) what were the possible perceptions of NV men involved in
prevention programs (3) how to identify effective approaches and
strategies that encouraged NV men to become involved in prevention
programs. This critical review also included the overview of
prevention programs such as: The Mentors in Violence Prevention
Programs (MVP), The White Ribbon Campaign (WRC), and
Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership through
Alliances (DELTA). The review suggested that (1) the expanding
prevention programs need to reach more macro settings such as work
place, faith-based and other community based organizations, and (2)
territory prevention programs should expand through addressing the
long-term effects of violence.
Abstract: These days, the field of tissue engineering is getting
serious attention due to its usefulness. Bone tissue engineering helps
to address and sort-out the critical sized and non-healing orthopedic
problems by the creation of manmade bone tissue. We will design
and validate an efficient numerical model, which will simulate the
effective diffusivity in bone tissue engineering. Our numerical model
will be based on the finite element analysis of the diffusion-reaction
equations. It will have the ability to optimize the diffusivity, even
at multi-scale, with the variation of time. It will also have a special
feature “parametric sweep”, with which we will be able to predict
the oxygen, glucose and cell density dynamics, more accurately. We
will fix these problems by modifying the governing equations, by
selecting appropriate spatio-temporal finite element schemes and by
transient analysis.
Abstract: Currently, there is excessively growing information
about places on Facebook, which is the largest social network but
such information is not explicitly organized and ranked. Therefore
users cannot exploit such data to recommend places conveniently and
quickly. This paper proposes a Facebook application and an Android
application that recommend places based on the number of check-ins
of those places, the distance of those places from the current location,
the number of people who like Facebook page of those places, and
the number of talking about of those places. Related Facebook data is
gathered via Facebook API requests. The experimental results of the
developed applications show that the applications can recommend
places and rank interesting places from the most to the least. We have
found that the average satisfied score of the proposed Facebook
application is 4.8 out of 5. The users’ satisfaction can increase by
adding the app features that support personalization in terms of
interests and preferences.
Abstract: Since columns are the most important elements of the
structures, failure of one column in a critical location can cause a
progressive collapse. In this respect, the repair and strengthening of
columns is a very important subject to reduce the building failure and
to keep the columns capacity. Twenty columns with different
parameters is tested and analysis. Eleven typical confined reinforced
concrete (RC) columns with different types of techniques are
assessment. And also, four confined concrete columns with plastic
tube (PVC) are tested with and with four paralleling tested of
unconfined plain concrete. The techniques of confined RC columns
are mortar strengthening, Steel rings strengthening, FRP
strengthening. Moreover, the technique of confined plain concrete
(PC) column is used PVC tubes. The columns are tested under
uniaxial compressive loads studied the effect of confinement on the
structural behavior of circular RC columns. Test results for each
column are presented in the form of crack patterns, stress-strain
curves. Test results show that confining of the RC columns using
different techniques of strengthening results significant improvement
of the general behavior of the columns and can used in construction.
And also, tested confined PC columns with PVC tubes results shown
that the confined PC with PVC tubes can be used in economical
building. The theoretical model for predicted column capacity is
founded with experimental factor depends on the confined techniques
used and the strain reduction.
Abstract: Stator elements «Vane diffuser + crossover + return
channel» of stages with different specific speed were investigated by
CFD calculations. The regime parameter was introduced to present
efficiency and loss coefficient performance of all elements together.
Flow structure demonstrated advantages and disadvantages of design.
Flow separation in crossovers was eliminated by its shape
modification. Efficiency increased visibly. Calculated CFD
performances are in acceptable correlation with predicted ones by
engineering design method. The information obtained is useful for
design method better calibration.
Abstract: A compact UWB planar antenna fed with a
microstrip-line is proposed. The new design consist of a rectangular
patch with symmetric l-shaped slots and fed by 50 Ω microstrip
transmission line and a reduced ground-plane which have a periodic
slots with an overall size of 47 mm x 20 mm. It is intended to be used
in wireless applications that cover the ultra-wideband (UWB)
frequency band. A wider impedance bandwidth of around 116.5%
(1.875 – 7.115 GHz) with stable radiation pattern is achieved. The
proposed antenna has excellent characteristics, low profile and costeffective
compared to existing UWB antennas. The UWB antenna is
designed and analyzed using CST Microwave Studio in transient
mode to verify antenna parameters improvements.
Abstract: This study carried out comparative seismic
performance of reinforced concrete frames infilled by masonry walls
with different heights. Partial and fully infilled reinforced concrete
frames were modeled for the research objectives and the analysis
model for a bare reinforced concrete frame was also established for
comparison. Non–linear static analyses for the studied frames were
performed to investigate their structural behavior under extreme
seismic loads and to find out their collapse mechanism. It was
observed from analysis results that the strengths of the partial infilled
reinforced concrete frames are increased and their ductilities are
reduced, as infilled masonry walls are higher. Especially, reinforced
concrete frames with higher partial infilled masonry walls would
experience shear failures. Non–linear dynamic analyses using 10
earthquake records show that the bare and fully infilled reinforced
concrete frame present stable collapse mechanism while the reinforced
concrete frames with partially infilled masonry walls collapse in more
brittle manner due to short-column effects.
Abstract: The use of information tools is a common activity for
students of any educational stage when they encounter online
learning activities. Finding the relevant information for particular
learning tasks is the topic of this paper as it investigates the use of
information tools for a group of student participants. The paper
describes and discusses the results with particular implications for
use in higher education, and the findings suggest that improvement in
assessment design and subsequent student learning may be achieved
by structuring the purposefulness of information tools usage and
online reading behaviors of university students.
Abstract: Waste silicon carbide (waste SiC) filled high-density
polyethylene (HDPE) with and without surface modifiers were
studied. Two types of surface modifiers namely; high-density
polyethylene-grafted-maleic anhydride (HDPE-g-MA) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane have been used in this study. The
composites were produced using a two roll mill, extruder and shaped
in a hydraulic compression molding machine. The mechanical
properties of polymer composites such as flexural strength and
modulus, impact strength, tensile strength, stiffness and hardness
were investigated over a range of compositions. It was found that,
flexural strength and modulus, tensile modulus and hardness
increased, whereas impact strength and tensile strength decreased
with the increasing in filler contents, compared to the neat HDPE. At
similar filler content, the effect of both surface modifiers increased
flexural modulus, impact strength, tensile strength and stiffness but
reduced the flexural strength. Morphological investigation using
SEM revealed that the improvement in mechanical properties was
due to enhancement of the interfacial adhesion between waste SiC
and HDPE.
Abstract: A knowledge-based expert system with the acronym
RASPE is developed as an application tool to help decision makers in
construction companies make informed decisions about managing
risks in pipeline construction projects. Choosing to use expert
systems from all available artificial intelligence techniques is due to
the fact that an expert system is more suited to representing a
domain’s knowledge and the reasoning behind domain-specific
decisions. The knowledge-based expert system can capture the
knowledge in the form of conditional rules which represent various
project scenarios and potential risk mitigation/response actions. The
built knowledge in RASPE is utilized through the underlying
inference engine that allows the firing of rules relevant to a project
scenario into consideration. Paper provides an overview of the
knowledge acquisition process and goes about describing the
knowledge structure which is divided up into four major modules.
The paper shows one module in full detail for illustration purposes
and concludes with insightful remarks.
Abstract: Modelling of the earth's surface and evaluation of
urban environment, with 3D models, is an important research topic.
New stereo capabilities of high resolution optical satellites images,
such as the tri-stereo mode of Pleiades, combined with new image
matching algorithms, are now available and can be applied in urban
area analysis. In addition, photogrammetry software packages gained
new, more efficient matching algorithms, such as SGM, as well as
improved filters to deal with shadow areas, can achieve more dense
and more precise results.
This paper describes a comparison between 3D data extracted
from tri-stereo and dual stereo satellite images, combined with pixel
based matching and Wallis filter. The aim was to improve the
accuracy of 3D models especially in urban areas, in order to assess if
satellite images are appropriate for a rapid evaluation of urban
environments.
The results showed that 3D models achieved by Pleiades tri-stereo
outperformed, both in terms of accuracy and detail, the result
obtained from a Geo-eye pair. The assessment was made with
reference digital surface models derived from high resolution aerial
photography. This could mean that tri-stereo images can be
successfully used for the proposed urban change analyses.
Abstract: In this paper, the effect of grades 32.4 and 42.5
Portland-limestone cements generally used for concrete production in
Nigeria on concrete compressive strength is investigated.
Investigation revealed that the compressive strength of concrete
produced with Portland-limestone cement grade 42.5 is generally
higher than that produced with cement grade 32.5. The percentage
difference between the compressive strengths of the concrete cubes
produced with Portland-limestone cement grades 42.5 and 32.5 is
inversely proportional to the richness of the concrete with the highest
and the least percentage difference associated with the 1:2:4 and
1:1:2 mix ratios respectively. It is recommended that cement grade
42.5 be preferred for construction in Nigeria as this will lead to the
construction of stronger concrete structures, which will reduce the
incidence of failure of building and other concrete structures at no
additional cost since the cost of both cement grades are the same.
Abstract: This research focused on comparing the critical
thinking of the teacher students before and after using Miller’s Model
learning activities and investigating their opinions. The sampling
groups were (1) fourth year 33 student teachers majoring in Early
Childhood Education and enrolling in semester 1 of academic year
2013 (2) third year 28 student teachers majoring in English and
enrolling in semester 2 of academic year 2013 and (3) third year 22
student teachers majoring in Thai and enrolling in semester 2 of
academic year 2013. The research instruments were (1) lesson plans
where the learning activities were settled based on Miller’s Model (2)
critical thinking assessment criteria and (3) a questionnaire on
opinions towards Miller’s Model based learning activities. The
statistical treatment was mean, deviation, different scores and T-test.
The result unfolded that (1) the critical thinking of the students after
the assigned activities was better than before and (2) the students’
opinions towards the critical thinking improvement activities based
on Miller’s Model ranged from the level of high to highest.
Abstract: The use OF adhesive anchors for wooden constructions is an efficient technology to connect and design timber members in new timber structures and to rehabilitate the damaged structural members of historical buildings. Due to the lack of standard regulation in this specific area of structural design, designers’ choices are still supported by test analysis that enables knowledge, and the prediction, of the structural behaviour of glued in rod joints. The paper outlines an experimental research activity aimed at identifying the tensile resistance capacity of several new adhesive joint prototypes made of epoxy resin, steel bar and timber, Oak and Douglas Fir species. The development of new adhesive connectors has been carried out by using epoxy to glue stainless steel bars into pre-drilled holes, characterised by smooth and rough internal surfaces, in timber samples. The realization of a threaded contact surface using a specific drill bit has led to an improved bond between wood and epoxy. The applied changes have also reduced the cost of the joints’ production. The paper presents the results of this parametric analysis and a Finite Element analysis that enables identification and study of the internal stress distribution in the proposed adhesive anchors.
Abstract: The dielectric properties and ionic conductivity of
novel "ceramic state" polymer electrolytes for high capacity lithium
battery are characterized by Radio frequency and Microwave
methods in two broad frequency ranges from 50 Hz to 20 KHz and 4
GHz to 40 GHz. This innovative solid polymer electrolyte which is
highly ionic conductive (10-3 S/cm at room temperature) from -40oC
to +150oC can be used in any battery application. Such polymer
exhibits properties more like a ceramic rather than polymer. The
various applied measurement methods produced accurate dielectric
results for comprehensive analysis of electrochemical properties and
ion transportation mechanism of this newly invented polymer
electrolyte. Two techniques and instruments employing air gap
measurement by Capacitance Bridge and in-waveguide measurement
by vector network analyzer are applied to measure the complex
dielectric spectra. The complex dielectric spectra are used to
determine the complex alternating current electrical conductivity and
thus the ionic conductivity.
Abstract: This study was conducted in the area of Vlora Bay,
Albania. Data about Sea Turtles Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas,
belonging to two periods of time (1984 – 1991; 2008 – 2014) are
given. All data gathered were analyzed using recent methodologies.
For all turtles captured (as by catch), the Curve Carapace Length
(CCL) and Curved Carapace Width (CCW) were measured. These
data were statistically analyzed, where the mean was 67.11 cm for
CCL and 57.57 cm for CCW of all individuals studied (n=13). All
untagged individuals of marine turtles were tagged using metallic
tags (Stockbrand’s titanium tag) with an Albanian address. Sex was
determined and resulted that 45.4% of individuals were females,
27.3% males and 27.3% juveniles. All turtles were studied for the
presence of the epibionts. The area of Vlora Bay is used from marine
turtles (Caretta caretta) as a migratory corridor to pass from
Mediterranean to the northern part of the Adriatic Sea.
Abstract: In this study was monitored the population of the
European Pond Turtle, Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the area
of Narta Lagoon, Vlora Bay (Albania), from August to October 2014.
A total of 54 individuals of E. orbicularis were studied using
different methodologies. Curved Carapace Length (CCL), Plastron
Length (PL) and Curved Carapace Width (CCW) were measured for
each individual of E. orbicularis and were statistically analyzed. All
captured turtles were separated in seven different size – classes based
on their carapace length (CCL). Each individual of E. orbicularis was
marked by notching the carapace (marginal scutes). Form all
individuals captured resulted that 37 were females (68.5%), 14 males
(25.9%), 3 juveniles (5.5%), while 18 individuals of E. orbicularis
were recaptured for the first and some for the second time.
Abstract: Teachers can play a huge role in encouraging students
to use computers and can affect students’ attitudes towards
computers. So understanding teachers’ beliefs and their use of
computers is an important way to create effective motivational
systems for teachers to use computers in the classroom in an effective
way. A qualitative study (6 focus group) was carried out among
Saudi High school teachers, both male and female, to examine their
attitudes towards computers and to find out their computer skills and
usage. The study showed a gender differences in that females were
less likely to attend computer workshops, females also had less
computer skills, and they have more negative attitudes towards
computers than males. Also the study found that low computer skills
in the classroom made students unlikely to have the lessons presented
using computers. Furthermore, the study found some factors that
effected teachers’ attitudes towards computers. These factors were
computer experience and confidence as much having skills and good
experience in computer use, the role and importance of computers
had become in their life and in teaching as well.
Abstract: In this paper, two options of anodic alumina barrier
layer thinning have been demonstrated. The approaches varied with
the duration of the voltage step. It was found that too long step of the
barrier layer thinning process leads to chemical etching of the
nanopores on their top. At the bottoms pores are not fully opened
what is disadvantageous for further applications in nanofabrication.
On the other hand, while the duration of the voltage step is controlled
by the current density (value of the current density cannot exceed
75% of the value recorded during previous voltage step) the pores are
fully opened. However, pores at the bottom obtained with this
procedure have smaller diameter, nevertheless this procedure
provides electric contact between the bare aluminum (substrate) and
electrolyte, what is suitable for template assisted electrodeposition,
one of the most cost-efficient synthesis method in nanotechnology.