Fast parallel volume visualization on cuda technology

In the medical diagnosis and treatment planning, radiologists and surgeons rely heavily on the slices produced by medical imaging scanners. Unfortunately, most of these scanners can only produce two dimensional images because the machines that can produce three dimensional are very expensive. The two dimensional images from these devices are difficult to interpret because they only show cross-sectional views of the human structure. Consequently, such circumstances require highly qualified doctors to use their expertise in the interpretation of the possible location, size or shape of the abnormalities especially for large datasets of enormous amount of slices. Previously, the concept of reconstructing two dimensional images to three dimensional was introduced. However, such reconstruction model requires high performance computation, may either be time-consuming or costly. Furthermore, detecting the internal features of human anatomical structure, such as the imaging of the blood vessels, is still an open topic in the computer-aided diagnosis of disorders and pathologies. This study proposed, designed and implemented a visualization framework named SurLens with high performance computing using Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA), augmenting the widely proven ray casting technique in terms of superior qualities of images but with slow speed. Considering the rapid development of technology in the medical community, our framework is implemented on Microsoft .NET environment for easy interoperability with other emerging revolutionary tools. The Visualization System was evaluated with brain datasets from the department of Surgery, University of North Carolina, United States, containing 109 datasets of MRA, T1-FLASH, T2-Weighted, DTI and T1-MPRAGE. Significantly, at a reasonably cheaper cost, SurLens Visualization System achieves immediate reconstruction and obvious mappings of the internal features of the human brain, reliable enough for instantaneously locate possible blockages in the brain blood vessels without any prior segmentation of the datasets

Kita tutup aurat! : aplikasi pembelajaran menutup aurat untuk kanak-kanak

Menutup aurat adalah salah satu kewajipan dalam agama Islam. Oleh itu, pemahaman konsep menutup aurat adalah asas yang perlu dipelajari pada usia muda. Namun begitu, kanak-kanak hanya belajar menutup aurat mengikut konsep teori pembelajaran sahaja di sekolah. Kanak-kanak sukar mengikuti dan memahami pembelajaran yang menggunakan konsep teks dan fakta. Justeru itu, aplikasi pembelajaran yang berkonsepkan pembelajaran mudah alih (m-pembelajaran) yang dinamakan “Kita Tutup Aurat!” mengenai aurat untuk kanak-kanak ini dibangunkan. Aplikasi ini dibangunkan dengan menggunakan model ADDIE kerana kesesuaiannya dalam pembangunan aplikasi pembelajaran. Pengujian aplikasi telah dijalankan oleh 30 responden dari kalangan kanak-kanak sekolah rendah sekitar Parit Raja serta beberapa orang guru. Hasil pengujian menunjukkan lebih 70% responden bersetuju aplikasi yang dibangunkan merupakan satu pendekatan menarik dalam mempelajari dan memahami konsep menutup aurat dalam Islam. Kesimpulannya, aplikasi telah berjaya mencapai objektif yang telah ditentukan kerana ia menepati kehendak pengguna dan mempunyai fungsi-fungsi yang terkandung dalam skop sistem. Secara keseluruhan, implementasi aplikasi pembelajaran ini berpotensi untuk dijadikan kaedah alternatif dalam memahami konsep aurat sekaligus mendidik kanak-kanak untuk menutup aurat dengan sempurna

Chesterfield College (FEFC inspection report; 80/95 and 93/00)

Comprises two Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) inspection reports for the periods 1994-95 (80/95), and 1999-2000 (93/00). The FEFC has a legal duty to make sure further education in England is properly assessed. Inspections and reports on each college of further education are conducted according to a four-year cycle. Chesterfield College is a large general further education college located on two sites in Chesterfield

Alternative approaches to education provision for out-of-school youth in Malawi:The case of Complementary Basic Education

Young people in Malawi face many challenges. Primary education is struggling with poor internal efficiency, low quality and poor educational outcomes. Access to post-primary education is limited and highly selective. The majority of young people who exit the formal education system dropout in the primary cycle. Few out-of-school youth have had access to technical, vocational or entrepreneurial training, or the chance to develop key skills to support and sustain livelihoods in the country’s predominantly rural-based economies. Until recently education and skills development for out-of-school youth was given scant attention at the national level. However, in response to growing concerns about the ability to meet Education for All (EFA) targets and to support poverty alleviation strategies, the Malawi government now acknowledges the need for alternative approaches to basic education in order to cater for out-of-school children and youth. In 2006, the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) programme was launched in Malawi, first piloted and then expanded across several rural districts in Malawi. This background paper presents an overview and analysis of the role of Complementary Basic Education in the educational provision for out-of-school youth. In doing so, it focuses on the expectations, participation and outcomes of older learners, as well as the challenges faced in the delivery of curriculum content and practical pre-vocational skills training in light of the differing needs of children and youth. It explores the interface between basic education and skills development and reflects on lessons to be learnt with regard to the design, implementation and mainstreaming of complementary and non-formal education programmes