A Framework for Automatic Lecturer's Attendance System Using Automated Vehicle Identification (AVI) Technology

Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) technology can be used to significantly improve the efficiency of lecturer's attendance system by providing the capability of automatic identification and data capture. This technology poses many new challenges on current data management systems. AVI data are time-dependent, dynamically changing, in large volumes, and carry implicit semantics. Radio frequency identification (RFID) data management systems need to effectively support such large scale temporal data created by RFID applications. These systems need to have an explicit temporal data model for RFID data to support tracking and monitoring attendance. In addition, the university needs to have an automatic method to transport data from AVI reader to database. This research proposed a framework for Automatic lecturer's Attendance system using AVI technology. A prototype has been developed to test the framework

Smart attendance monitoring system using computer vision.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Monitoring of student’s attendance remains the fundamental and vital part of any educational institution. The attendance of students to classes can have an impact on their academic performance. With the gradual increase in the number of students, it becomes a challenge for institutions to manage their attendance. The traditional attendance monitoring system requires considerable amount of time due to manual recording of names and circulation of the paper-based attendance sheet for students to sign their names. The paper-based attendance recording method and some existing automated systems such as mobile applications, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Bluetooth, and fingerprint attendance models are prone to fake results and time wasting. The limitations of the traditional attendance monitoring system stimulated the adoption of computer vision to stand in the gap. Student’s attendance can be monitored with biometric candidate’s systems such as iris recognition system and face recognition system. Among these, face recognition have a greater potential because of its non-intrusive nature. Although some automated attendance monitoring systems have been proposed, poor system modelling negatively affects the systems. In order to improve success of the automated systems, this research proposes the smart attendance monitoring system that uses facial recognition to monitor student’s attendance in a classroom. A time integrated model is provided to monitor student’s attendance throughout the lecture period by registering the attendance information at regular time intervals. Multi-camera system is also proposed to guarantee an accurate capturing of students. The proposed multi-camera based system is tested using a real-time database in an experimental class from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). The results show that the proposed smart attendance monitoring System is reliable, with the average accuracy rate of 98%.Examiner's copy of thesis

A study on stryhcnos potatorum and pisum sativum as natural coagulants for meat food processing wastewater

Wastewater generated from meat food processing industry has significant effects on the environment. Many methods have been reported for removing turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), oil and grease (O&G) and colour from meat food processing wastewater (MFPW). The most common method among them is flocculation-coagulation process which is widely used. Although inorganic coagulants are prominent in wastewater treatments, its application may cause toxic residual. In this study, the attempt has been made to study the performance of S. Potatorum (nirmali) and P. Sativum (pea) seed as natural coagulants in the flocculation process. A further aim is to determine the optimum conditions for the treatment of MFPW effluents such as coagulant dosage, mixing rate and pH. An adsorption study was also carried out to study the adsorption potential of these coagulants to treat MFPW. A lab-scale treatment tank was developed to evaluate the effectiveness in MFPW treatment. Jar test results showed that optimum dosage, pH and mixing rate for S. Potatorum were pH 8 with dosage of 150 mg/L and 150 rpm mixing rate with the removal of turbidity, TSS, COD, O&G and colour are 91%, 97.6%, 58.4%, 79.9% and 84.3% respectively. Meanwhile, for P. Sativum, the optimum condition were observed at pH 8 with dosage of 150 mg/L and 150 rpm mixing rate with the removal of turbidity, TSS, COD, O&G and colour 87.8%, 97.3%, 65.5%, 77.9% and 76.5% respectively. The adsorption study was found that the analysis fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm for both natural coagulants. Results show that the percentage of turbidity, TSS, COD, O&G removal by chemical coagulants are quite similar than natural coagulants when lab-scale treatment tank was used to treat the MFPW. This indicated that these natural coagulants have a potential to use as alternative in wastewater treatment

Single cell analysis of neutrophils NETs by Microscopic LSPR imaging system

A simple microengraving cell monitoring method for neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) released from single neutrophils has been realized using a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microwell array (MWA) sheet on a plasmon chip platform. An imbalance between NETs formation and the succeeding degradation (NETosis) are considered associated with autoimmune disease and its pathogenesis. Thus, an alternative platform that can conduct monitoring of this activity on single cell level at minimum cost but with great sensitivity is greatly desired. The developed MWA plasmon chips allow single cell isolation of neutrophils from 150 μL suspension (6.0 × 105 cells/mL) with an efficiency of 36.3%; 105 microwells with single cell condition. To demonstrate the utility of the chip, trapped cells were incubated between 2 to 4 h after introducing with 100 nM phorbol 12- myristate 13-acetate (PMA) before measurement. Under observation using a hyperspectral imaging system that allows high-throughput screening, the neutrophils stimulated by PMA solution show a significant release of fibrils and NETs after 4 h, with observed maximum areas between 314–758 μm2. An average absorption peak wavelength shows a redshift of Δλ = 1.5 nm as neutrophils release NETs

Big data in higher education: an action research on managing student engagement with business intelligence

This research aims to explore the value of Big Data in student engagement management. It presents an action research on applying BI in a UK higher education institution that has developed and implemented a student engagement tracking system (SES) for better student engagement management. The SES collects data from various sources, including RFID tracking devices across many locations in the campus and student online activities. This public funded research project has enhanced the current SES with BI solutions and raised awareness on the value of the Big Data in improving student experience. The action research concerns with the organizational wide development and deployment of Intelligent Student Engagement System involving a diverse range of stakeholders. The activities undertaken to date have revealed interesting findings and implications for advancing our understanding and research in leveraging the benefit of the Big Data in Higher Education from a socio-technical perspective

Providing enhanced social interaction services for industry exhibitors at large medical conferences

Large medical conferences offer opportunities for participants to find industry exhibitors that offer products and services relevant to their professional interests. Companies often invest significant effort in promotions that encourage participants to spend time at their stand (e.g. providing free gifts, leaflets, running competitions) and register some contact details. Attendees will use the conference to find others who also share similar professional interests, as well as keep up to date with developments on products such has pharmaceuticals and medical equipment. From both perspectives, a number of improvements can be made to enhance the overall experience by using existing active RFID technology: Vendors would be able to more closely monitor the success of their promotions with statistics on the stand's visitors, as well as find more potential customers by using real-time visualizations; Participants would be able to log their social interactions, keeping an electronic history of the people they have met. The SocioPatterns project and Live Social Semantics experiments have recently demonstrated a scalable and robust infrastructure that would support these kinds of improvements. In this paper, we propose an infrastructure that provides enhanced social interaction services for vendors and participants by using small active RFID badges worn by attendees and attached to fixed location

Biometric surveillance in schools : cause for concern or case for curriculum?

This article critically examines the draft consultation paper issued by the Scottish Government to local authorities on the use of biometric technologies in schools in September 2008 (see http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/09/08135019/0). Coming at a time when a number of schools are considering using biometric systems to register and confirm the identity of pupils in a number of settings (cashless catering systems, automated registration of pupils' arrival in school and school library automation), this guidance is undoubtedly welcome. The present focus seems to be on using fingerprints, but as the guidance acknowledges, the debate in future may encompass iris prints, voice prints and facial recognition systems, which are already in use in non-educational settings. The article notes broader developments in school surveillance in Scotland and in the rest of the UK and argues that serious attention must be given to the educational considerations which arise. Schools must prepare pupils for life in the newly emergent 'surveillance society', not by uncritically habituating them to the surveillance systems installed in their schools, but by critically engaging them in thought about the way surveillance technologies work in the wider world, the various rationales given to them, and the implications - in terms of privacy, safety and inclusion - of being a 'surveilled subject'

Intelligent student engagement management : applying business intelligence in higher education

Advances in emerging ICT have enabled organisations to develop innovative ways to intelligently collect data that may not be possible before. However, this leads to the explosion of data and unprecedented challenges in making strategic and effective use of available data. This research-in-progress paper presents an action research focusing on applying business intelligence (BI) in a UK higher education institution that has developed a student engagement tracking system (SES) for student engagement management. The current system serves merely as a data collection and processing system, which needs significant enhancement for better decision support. This action research aims to enhance the current SETS with BI solutions and explore its strategic use. The research attempts to follow socio-technical approach in its effort to make the BI application a success. Progress and experience so far has revealed interesting findings on advancing our understanding and research in organisation-wide BI for better decision-making