GoTour : A Mobile Tourist Guide For Trip Planning

Tourists around the world may face some difficulties during their travels. An application that is installed in a smart cell phone can be helpful for tourists. In this paper, we present a novel tourist guide project (GoTour) that works on the smart phones with Android Operating System. This project is designed for Istanbul city which is one of the most popular touristic cities and Google map supports this city as well. In order to find tourist location and to show tourist on the map GoTour uses GPS and Google Map respectively. All spots in Istanbul with their attributes such as brief description, work hours, open/close area and coordinates are stored in the GoTour database. By using GoTour, tourists are able to view the all spots based on the categories (shopping, restaurants, parks, museums, antiquities, and consulate), make his/her favorite spots list, view weather condition and request a list of available spots regarding to weather condition and current time. Also tourists can see all the nearest spots on the map including museums, restaurants and other points of interest according to their current location. In addition to this, consulate information based on tourist nationality and service information such as police, ambulance…etc. are the others utility functions of GoTour. The most significant feature that distinguishes GoTour from similar applications [1, 2] is ability to suggest a trip plan in a smart way. Because tourists usually have limited time during the trip, they prefer to choose some interest spots. This application suggests a trip plan taking into consideration selected spot categories, weather condition, current location of tourist and current time. The plan starts from tourist’s location and ends at the destination spot. The plan maximizes the number of most popular spots on the plan without violating constraints (e.g., total time of the trip is not more than a specified limit). We achieve this function by developing an algorithm based on Variable Neighborhood Search which is a metaheuristic for solving combinatorial and global optimization problems. If some spots are already visited by the tourist, the tourist can edit spots. Considering this information, system can suggest a new trip plan. Figure 1 depicts the context model of the proposed solution. The software technologies used to implement the proposed solution include J2ME, SQLlite, and Google Maps API. The mobile application is developed to run on the Android smart phone.GoTour both gathers the features in the various applications in a single application and adds outstanding features. Therefore, we believe that it will be one of the most preferable tourist guide application. We would like to extend this application by including the other touristic cities in the future.Zayed University Research Center and Dubai TR

Mobile Emergency System and integration

A new advanced medical emergency system has been proposed and designed to facilitate and computerize all the processes involved in an emergency. The proposed system contacts the ambulance emergency system, locates the correct and nearest available ambulance, accesses a Smart Online Electronic Health Record (SOEHR) that can critically assist in pre-hospital treatments; and identifies availability of the nearest available specialized hospital all through communication with the Hospital Emergency Department System (HEDS) which provides early and continuous information about the incoming patient to the hospital. Emerging and advanced technologies such as mobile web services, SOA, SOAP, HL7 and GPS have been extensively used to design, develop and integrate all system components

TOWARDS ABET ACCREDITATION FOR A SWE PROGRAM: ALTERNATIVE STUDENT ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES

This paper describes assessment techniques utilized for assessing undergraduate students studying in a software engineering program. The purpose behind this work is to get the program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Therefore, a number of applied direct and indirect assessment techniques are described. These techniques are implemented towards the end of the semester to assess the extent to which the student and course outcomes are satisfied. Consequently, results are obtained and analyzed and various learning issues are eventually identified. Finally, the paper provides suggestions for improvement in course delivery as well as student learning mechanism

Personal Smart Spaces for Diabetics.

The Ad hoc pervasive computing provides an attractive vision for future computing and has a great influence on many fields that need to be smart with simple digital devices interacting and sharing services seamlessly and transparently. Healthcare is a key area that can benefit from smart digital spaces, especially extending services to out-of-hospital contexts. In this poster, we describe the design of a system, called Personal Smart Space (PSS), which provides an automated method for bootstrapping a personal space. Specifically, PSS will track a person's health and handle variations that may indicate a risk. The PSS is comprised of several services; namely, discovery management, event, description, and presentation. This poster describes the implementation and verification of this PSS for diabetic patients, which is comprised of 4 devices, 5 services and a coordinator. The PSS utilizes the UPnP protocol and XML standards to describe the devices and services to provide more flexibility. The novelty of this PSS lies in how the coordinator provides an interface to components (GPS, Camera, Glucose sensor, and mobile communication devices) and integrates a notification system as well as finding a backup device in cases of faults in one of the PSS components.King Saud Universit

On the extended (G"/G )-expansion method and its applications

In this paper,the extended (G’/G )-expansion method with a computerized symbolic compu-tation Maple is employed for constructing the new exact travelling wave solutions of nonlinear evolution equations arising in physics. The obtained travelling wave solutions are expressed by the hyperbolic functions,the trigonometric functions and rational functions.The applied method will be used in further works to establish more entirely new solutions for other kinds of two nonlinear evolution equations,namely,the (3+1)-dimensional Jimbo-Miwa equation and extended generalization of Vakhnenko equation

Phytochemical and biological studies of Sisymbrium irio L.Growing in Saudi Arabia

Ten flavonoids were isolated for the first time from the aerial parts of Sisymbrium irio L. grown in Saudia Arabia, using chromatographic methods, and identified as apigenin, apigenin-7-galactoside, apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucoside, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, apigenin-7-di-glucoside 5, apigenin-7-O-(6″acetyl) glucoside, apigenin-7-O-gluco(6″-1″′) rhamnoside, apigenin-7-O-gluco(6″-1″′)rhamnoside-5-methoxide, kampferol and kampferol-3-xyloside-7-galactoside. The median lethal dose of the extract was determined in mice and found to be greater than 5000 mg/kg body weight, suggesting that this plant is non-toxic. Antioxidant activities were assessed for all extracts and fractions (total, ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol) and isolated compounds, and showed variable antioxidant activity, with apigenin-7-O-galactoside being the most potent.Scientific Research at King Saud University for the work through the research group project NO RGP-VPP-060

Solvent Effect on the Amine-Catalyzed Ring-Opening of Azlactone in Acetonitrile-Water Mixtures

The kinetics of teriethylamine-catalyzed solvolysis of azlactone (oxazolinone) in acetonitrile-water mixtures (10-50 %) in the temperature range (30-60 °C) have been studied. Non-linear plots of log kobs with the reciprocal of relative permittivity were obtained. The thermodynamic parameters H*, S* and G* have been determined; G* increases gradually as the mole fraction of the cosolvent increase, due to a complex quasi-mirror image compensation of H* and S*. The negative values of the entropy of activation and the non-linear relation of log kobs with the reciprocal of relative permittivity suggested selective solvation by the higher polar water molecules. The isokinetic temperature obtained indicated, that the reaction was enthalpic controlled. The presence of methoxy group in the para position retarded the reaction by about three times of hydriogen. The rate was also decreased with increasing the organic cosolvent. The reactivity was analyzed using Kamlet-Taft solvatochromic parameters and were applied successfully in mixed aqueous -acetonitrile mixtures.King Saud Universit

Optimization of epidemiological conditions to enhance the mycoherbicidal efficacy of Alternaria alternata against Chenopodium album

A new foliage disease was found on Chenopodium album L. (family chenopodiaceae) in Punjab, Pakistan. Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissler was identified and confirmed as the causal agent. The present study aimed to optimize environmental condition that could enhance mycoherbicidal potential of A. alternata against C. album. In growth room trials, the effects of various inoculum concentrations of A. alternata (105, 107 and 109 conidia ml-1) on disease development was studied at different growth stages of the host plant (5 - 10, 10 - 15 and 20 - 25 leaf/flowering stage) at various dew period (100% humidity for 12, 18 and 24 h) and temperature (20, 25 and 30°C) regimes. To enhance the mycoherbicidal potential of the pathogens, different formulations; 1 and 2% gelatin, 1 and 2% carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), 1:1 gelatin and CMC, 10 and 20% canola oil emulsion were used. The pathogenicity of A. alternata increased with increasing spore concentration and length of dew period. A spore concentration of 109 conidia ml-1 in 20% canola oil emulsion with 24 h dew period and at temperature 25 and 30°C caused 100% mortality of C. album plants at 5 - 10 and 10 - 15 leaf stages and resulted in maximum reduction in biomass of the target weed. The present study concludes that under a certain set of conditions, A. alternata can completely control C. albumAcademic Journal

1. Cytochrome P450 1A as a Biomarker of Benzo-a-Pyrene Pollution in

Induction of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity and cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) expression was used as a biomarker to assess the effect of waterborne exposure to Benzo-a- pyrene (B-a-P) Oreochromis niloticus and Pangasias sutchi. Both species were separately exposed, to three doses of B-a-P (0.01, 0.1 and 1 mg/L) at six different exposure times (6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours). Enzyme activity and protein content were measured fluorimetrically in the hepatic S9 fraction. The response appeared as early as 6 hours post exposure. Both dose and time dependant response was observed in the EROD activity, being significantly higher at 48 hours for Oreochromis niloticus and at 12 hours for Pangasias sutchi, post exposure to 1mg /L. A similar response was observed in the CYP1A content in Pangasias sutchi, however, only a dose dependant response was detected in Oreochromis niloticus. Both groups showed higher values of EROD activity as compared to the CYP1A content, being higher in Pangasias sutchi. Our results show that hepatic CYP1A expression in terms of induction of EROD activity shows promise as a biomarker of organic contamination in the aquatic environment. Nevertheless, the work could be extended to assess the species specific response.1-Deanship of Scientific Research 2- Zoology department

Enhancing the stability of recombinant human erythropoietin in albumin free formulations

MastersErythropoietin (EPO) is α-glycoprotein hormone of 165 amino acids and molecular weight 35 KD that is 40 % glycosylated. EPO is mainly produced by renal peritubular interstitial cells in the kidney together with hepatocytes. Generally, serum EPO concentrations of 10 to 25 mI.U/ mL are necessary for maintaining hemoglobin levels within the normal range of 12 to 17 g/dL. The terminal half-life (t1/2) of EPO is 5 hours, which requires an average EPO production rate of 2 U/kg/day. Circulating EPO level can increase up to 1000 fold because of the logarithmic increase in the number of producing cells. EPO acts on RBCs precursor cells in bone marrow (CFUe=colony-forming unit–erythroid and Erythroblast) and stimulate their differentiation, and maturation to red blood cells and prevent the apoptosis of those cells. The oxygen sensor within the renal cells detects the oxygen content of the blood and consequently regulates the amount of EPO released in the blood. So in response to hypoxia, additional EPO-producing peritubular cells are recruited for production of EPO. When the hypoxic stimulus is removed, the recruited cells return to their non-secretary state. EPO has various indications, including treatments of anemia associated with kidney diseases, anemia associated with bone marrow transplantation, iron deficiency anemia, cancer- or antitumor agent-related anemia, and AIDS-related anemia. The human EPO gene was cloned in 1983, allowing for clinical development of recombinant human EPO (rhEPO). Endogenous EPO and rhEPO share the same amino acid sequence, with slight differences in the sugar profile. The cloning of the EPO gene allowed for the commercial production of the rhEPO. EPO alfa (Epogen®; Amgen Inc., USA) was the first rhEPO commercialized in the United States in 1989, followed by EPO beta in 1990 (NeoRecormon®); F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Switzerland) in Europe. EPO alfa and beta, both produced using Chinese hamster ovary cells system, This EPO has minor structural differences but the same physiological effects. An EPO omega produced in baby hamster kidney cells differs from previous EPO in the glycosylation profile. EPO delta (Dynepo®, Shire plc, Basingstoke, UK), was produced from an engineered human fibrosarcoma cell line HT1080 in 2007. EPO is considered as the world best selling drug with annual sales in the range of 10 to 12 billion $ per year. EPO, however, is not stable in an aqueous solution. Even at very low temperatures (-80°C), a substantial decrease in activity can be observed. As a consequence, EPO lose its native physiochemical properties and physiological activity. The denaturation of EPO is generally irreversible, thus EPO cannot recover its native properties, once denatured. Furthermore, the high tendency of EPO to adsorption leads to aggregation via a denaturation process, and administration of the denatured protein causes hypersensitivity. There are many reasons for the decrease in the activity of the EPO. These include the following: o EPO has low stability and degraded in the aqueous solution o Adsorption of the drug on the inner surface of the wall of the syringe especially if the dose of the drug is only a few micrograms. o Destruction of the EPO by catalytic effects of the surface of the ampoules due to the presences of traces of heavy metals, and/or atmospheric oxygen. Under these circumstances, various attempts have been made to develop a method to increase the stability of EPO in the aqueous solution and prevent its adsorption on the inner surface of the wall of container. Some protein formulations solved the denaturation with a lyophilization method. However, lyophilization increases manufacturing costs, involves an increased risk due to mechanical troubles, lyophilized products are inconvenient since they have to be reconstituted prior injection, and a large capacity freeze-dryer is required for processing. Another approach is to use stabilizers to enhance the stability of the EPO. Protein stabilizers include surfactants, polysaccharides, serum albumin, amino acids, and salts. The use of human serum albumin as stabilizer suffers high risk of viral contamination, in addition to, more susceptibility to allergic reactions. In Europe, use of materials from human and animal sources as pharmaceutical additives is increasingly restricted. Based on that, it is clear that more studies for the optimization of stable EPO formulae free from human serum albumin are highly demanded. The primary objective of this work is to formulate EPO in formula(e) free from blood-derived proteins and show improved stability. This formula will rule out the risk of viral contamination and ensure biological activity. Several stabilizing agents will be used to replace blood-derived component, albumin or purified gelatin. The specific work undertaken in this thesis is briefly described below: Chapter two: Assessment of different factors affecting the stability of erythropoietin in parenteral solutions. In this chapter, different EPO formulae were prepared, The composition of each formula was set to vary in a way to allow studying the effect of presence and type of the amino acids and the presence and type of surfactant on the stability profile of EPO using accelerated stability testing at two different elevated temperature (25oC, 40oC) stored for 60 days. Bradford method, ELISA, and SDS gel electrophoresis were used as analytical methods. The outcomes of the results highlighted that the presence of surfactant is necessary to avoid the initial adsorption of EPO on the walls of vials and reduces the ability of the protein to aggregate. The type of surfactant is a critical factor as Tween 20 was superior to Poloxamer 118. Amino acids have a role in the stabilization of EPO. The presence of glycine was found to be critical factor and the combination of glycine with acidic amino acid such as glutamic acid was better than the combination with neutral or basic amino acids. F4 (containing glycine 6mg/ml, glutamic acid 1.5 mg/ml, Tween 20 0.1 mg/ml, and mannitol 5 mg/ml) is considered the optimum formula among all the prepared formulae as it kept high content of EPO after two months storage in both elevated temperatures and it showed minimum aggregation and degradation levels. Chapter three: Encapsulation of erythropoietin in nanoparticles. In this chapter, EPO loaded solid lipid nanoparticles and polymeric nanoparticles were prepared using double emulsion method (w/o/w) with least process related stress on the encapsulated drug. The produced nano-particles were evaluated for their particle size, size distribution and particle charge. The particle shape was examined by scanning electron microscope. The encapsulation efficiency and the in vitro release profile of EPO from the particles were assessed using Bradford methods. The EPO stability during encapsulation was checked by SDS-Gel Electrophoresis. The results showed that polymeric nanoparticles composed of PLGA and PEG 6000 loaded with EPO (F18) was superior over all other prepared formulae. The particle size diameter was 225.9±3.8 nm. SEM images of F18 revealed spherical in shape having smooth regular surfaces with no aggregates. The sizes observed from SEM micrographs were consistent with those obtained from particle size analyzer. Entrapment efficiency for F18 was 33.3 %, and SDS gel image showed neither aggregation nor degradation occurred to EPO during encapsulation process by the applied method. Finally, all the formulae showed a burst drug release with values around 50% cumulative drug released. F18 release was slowly increased over 24 hours to a maximum of 82%. Chapter four: Assessment of the in vivo biological activity of erythropoietin in different parenteral formulae. In this chapter, parallel comparative in-vivo bioassay was designed to evaluate the biological activity of different EPO formulae achieved best in-vitro attributes. Balb C mice were used and flow-cytometer method was applied to measure the reticulocyte to red blood cell ratio for all the selected treatment. Pure EPO, and marketed product Eprex® were used as positive controls. The result showed that F4 showed good stability in-vitro proved to be active in-vivo and the ingredient of the formula did not affect the physiological activity of the EPO. EPO loaded nano particles (F18) suspended into PBS were able to maintain the physiological activity of EPO for 2 weeks after single S C injection compared with pure and marketed EPO formulae. It was concluded that ELISA is a useful method for the detection of the EPO activity only if no aggregation or degradation was detected in the samples