Cyclic transfers in school timetabling

In this paper we propose a neighbourhood structure based\ud on sequential/cyclic moves and a Cyclic Transfer algorithm for the high school timetabling problem. This method enables execution of complex moves for improving an existing solution, while dealing with the challenge of exploring the neighbourhood efficiently. An improvement graph is used in which certain negative cycles correspond to the neighbours; these cycles are explored using a recursive method. We address the problem of applying large neighbourhood structure methods on problems where the cost function is not exactly the sum of independent cost functions, as it is in the set partitioning problem. For computational experiments we use four real world datasets for high school timetabling in the Netherlands and England. We present results of the cyclic transfer algorithm with different settings on these datasets. The costs decrease by 8% to 28% if we use the cyclic transfers for local optimization compared to our initial solutions. The quality of the best initial solutions are comparable to the solutions found in practice by timetablers

Cyclic transfers in school timetabling

In this paper we propose a neighbourhood structure based on sequential/cyclic moves and a cyclic transfer algorithm for the high school timetabling problem. This method enables execution of complex moves for improving an existing solution, while dealing with the challenge of exploring the neighbourhood efficiently. An improvement graph is used in which certain negative cycles correspond to the neighbours; these cycles are explored using a recursive method. We address the problem of applying large neighbourhood structure methods on problems where the cost function is not exactly the sum of independent cost functions, as it is in the set partitioning problem. For computational experiments we use four real world data sets for high school timetabling in the Netherlands and England.We present results of the cyclic transfer algorithm with different settings on these data sets. The costs decrease by 8–28% if we use the cyclic transfers for local optimization compared to our initial solutions. The quality of the best initial solutions are comparable to the solutions found in practice by timetablers

Is Students' Mini-Lecture An Effective Strategy to Learn English?

In most general and special English courses of the Iranian universities, reading comprehension is the main component of the syllabus. Nonetheless, in an attempt to improve listening and speaking skills, some general English courses were accompanied by oral presentations, according to which each student had to give a lecture lasting for nearly 10 minutes. The main objective was to investigate the effect of a 10-minute oral presentation on students' linguistic skills, in a comprehension-oriented syllabus. As such, two linguistically homogeneous general English classes were selected. Students in both classes were taught by the same English teacher, using the same textbook and syllabus, which, as usual, focused on reading comprehension. In one class (group 1) a 10-minute lecture, using a Power-point slide presentation software, was included in the syllabus whereas in the other class (group 2) the usual no-lecture syllabus was followed.  At the beginning of the semester, both groups took a pretest composed of a set of reading comprehension, listening comprehension, vocabulary and grammar items, and at the semester end they sat for a posttest, which was similar to the pretest. The results of the two tests were then compared using the student t-test. Comparison of the mean scores on reading comprehension, listening comprehension, vocabulary and grammar, for the pre-test and post-test,  showed no significant differences between the two groups although score gains on listening comprehension for the first group was noticeable.  The conclusion may be that mini-lectures in a reading comprehension-oriented syllabus can improve students' listening comprehension although the level of improvement may not be so significant.

Web Usage Mining with Evolutionary Extraction of Temporal Fuzzy Association Rules

In Web usage mining, fuzzy association rules that have a temporal property can provide useful knowledge about when associations occur. However, there is a problem with traditional temporal fuzzy association rule mining algorithms. Some rules occur at the intersection of fuzzy sets' boundaries where there is less support (lower membership), so the rules are lost. A genetic algorithm (GA)-based solution is described that uses the flexible nature of the 2-tuple linguistic representation to discover rules that occur at the intersection of fuzzy set boundaries. The GA-based approach is enhanced from previous work by including a graph representation and an improved fitness function. A comparison of the GA-based approach with a traditional approach on real-world Web log data discovered rules that were lost with the traditional approach. The GA-based approach is recommended as complementary to existing algorithms, because it discovers extra rules. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Temporal fuzzy association rule mining with 2-tuple linguistic representation

This paper reports on an approach that contributes towards the problem of discovering fuzzy association rules that exhibit a temporal pattern. The novel application of the 2-tuple linguistic representation identifies fuzzy association rules in a temporal context, whilst maintaining the interpretability of linguistic terms. Iterative Rule Learning (IRL) with a Genetic Algorithm (GA) simultaneously induces rules and tunes the membership functions. The discovered rules were compared with those from a traditional method of discovering fuzzy association rules and results demonstrate how the traditional method can loose information because rules occur at the intersection of membership function boundaries. New information can be mined from the proposed approach by improving upon rules discovered with the traditional method and by discovering new rules

Identity formation of TEFL graduate students through oral discourse socialization

This paper reports on academic discourse socialization of several EFL teachers in a TEFL graduate program in Iran through oral discourse practices over the first year of the program. It explores how the professional identity of the in-service teachers is affected by the socialization process, their prior histories and contextual factors. It concludes that dialogical interactions through oral discourse practices are likely to result in re-consideration of their prior professional identity. The paper is likely to make a contribution to our understanding of professional identity construction of EFL teachers in graduate programs as far as academic oral discourse practices are concerned

An XML format for benchmarks in High School Timetabling

The High School Timetabling Problem is amongst the most widely used timetabling problems. This problem has varying structures in different high schools even within the same country or educational system. Due to lack of standard benchmarks and data formats this problem has been studied less than other timetabling problems in the literature. In this paper we describe the High School Timetabling Problem in several countries in order to find a common set of constraints and objectives. Our main goal is to provide exchangeable benchmarks for this problem. To achieve this we propose a standard data format suitable for different countries and educational systems, defined by an XML schema. The schema and datasets are available online

Experimental Investigation on the Deviated Sediment and Flow to Sediment Bypass Tunnels (SBTs) Using Submerged Plates

Sediment Bypass Tunnels (SBTs) are deviant channels that convey the current containing sediments from the upstream of the reservoir to the downstream of the dam. In this research, by applying submerged plates on the entrance of a 90-degree diversion channel for sediment transport, the effect of hydraulic parameters of flow and changes in the angle of plates on sediment transport and deviated flow are studied and compared with the state without using submerged plates. The experiments were conducted on a 10-meter-long Laboratory Flume, with a main channel of 60 cm width and a secondary channel of 30 cm width and a height of 75 cm. In this regard, the variables of Froude number and flow depth in three angles of 30, 45 and 60 degrees were considered. The results of this study highlight that an increase in Froude number on average would result in reduction of 22.2% of the channel deviated flow and reduction of 53.3% of the deviated sediment to the secondary channel. The 60-degree angle of the plates is effective in decreasing the deviated flow while the 30-degree angle is responsible for the increased deviated sediments. With a decrease in Froude number and depth along with submerged plates with a 30 degree angle, the optimum condition in conveying sediments is achieved where the maximum amount of sediments are conveyed in the minimum flow rate. Based on prediction results, the best equation to calculate the deviated sedimentation flow using the Genetic Algorithm (GA) is suggested

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B virus Infection by Quantitative Chemiluminescent in Tabriz (North West of Iran), 2010-2011

Background: Hepatitis B is considered as one of the most common infectious diseases. The contamination of this virus has caused hygienic problems all over the world. Liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma are most important consequences of this disease. The purpose of this study is to determine the rate of infection in Tabriz North West of Iran.Materials and Methods: This study is carried out, on partial and short time basis between 2010 and 2011, on test results of 21421 examined individuals whom have visited clinics in Tabriz. HBsAg of the samples was analyzed with chemiluminescence apparatus and finally, SPSS software was used to conduct the statistical examination of the results.Results: Among 21421 examined individuals (5021 cases in 2010 and 16400 cases in 2011), 594 samples (2.77%) were reported positive and 20827 samples (97.23%) were reported negative.Conclusion: According to the results, gender was not a determining factor affecting the susceptibility of patients. Our country is endemic to this disease, so diagnostic and preventive methods are crucial, more over comprehensive national vaccination can help to noticeably reduce the infectious cases caused by the disease

Mixed convection of thermomicropolar AgNPs-GrNPs nanofluid: An application of mass-based hybrid nanofluid model

Here, a mass-based hybridity model is applied to inquire about the mixed convection of a thermomicropolar binary nanofluid (TMBNF) upon a shrinking and porous plate. The nanoparticles are the silver (AgNPs) and the graphene (GrNPs), in a spherical shape, suspended in an aqua base fluid. The applied methodology considers the masses of base fluid and nanoparticles as an alternative to the first and second nanoparticles volume fraction, according to the single-phase approach named the Tiwari-Das model. By using the similarity transformation technique, the dominating PDEs are changed to a system of ODEs that can be solved numerically by the bvp4c pattern of Matlab. To validate the numerical method, a comparison is implemented for the heat transfer, the shear stress, and the gradient of microrotation values, with results reported previously that consequently a supreme agreement is observed. The variations of the angular velocity, velocity, temperature distribution, gradient of microrotation, shear stress, and the heat transfer of the TMBNF with the prominent parameters are presented and analyzed by the tabular and graphical results. The originality of this work is related to the use of the mass-based model for TMBNF flow and the derivation of a new configuration of governing equations. It is concluded that the mass-based model with its significant benefits can be utilized successfully with tremendous assurance to abundant theoretical problems of micropolar binary nanofluid flow and heat transfer. New models for the nanofluid hybridity can undoubtedly be quite helpful in the many fields where cooling technologies are essential.The work of U⋅F.-G. was supported by the government of the Basque Country for the ELKARTEK21/10 KK-2021/00014 and ELKARTEK22/85 research programs, respectively