Bounds on R-parity violating SUSY Yukawa couplings from semileptonic decays of baryons

We consider tree-level corrections to hypercharge changing semileptonic decays of certain baryons induced by a minimal supersymmetric standard model with explicitly broken R-parity via $L$-violation. This study leads to a new set of constraints on the products of couplings arising from the LQd$^c$ operator of the superpotential.Comment: Latex (8 pages), no figur

Effective Capacity of Cognitive Radio Links: Accessing Primary Feedback Erroneously

We study the performance of a cognitive system modeled by one secondary and one primary link and operating under statistical quality of service (QoS) delay constraints. We analyze the effective capacity (EC) to quantify the secondary user (SU) performance under delay constraints. The SU intends to maximize the benefit of the feedback messages on the primary link to reduce SU interference for primary user (PU) and makes opportunistic use of the channel to transmit his packets. We assume that SU has erroneous access to feedback information of PU. We propose a three power level scheme and study the tradeoff between degradation in EC of SU and reliability of PU defined as the success rate of the transmitted packets. Our analysis shows that increase in error in feedback access causes more interference to PU and packet success rate decreases correspondingly.Comment: Accepted for publication in International Symposium on Wireless Communication Systems (ISWCS) 201

Analyzing Undergraduate Students’ Performance in Various Perspectives using Data Mining Approach

The data mining provides better insight rather than the predefined queries or reports for quality enhancement and improvement of an academic program to extract hidden knowledge in students’ performance in various courses. This paper presents data mining approach applied to discover students’ performance patterns in two different perspectives (a) supervised and unsupervised assessment instruments and (b) discover students’ performance patterns in mathematics, English, and programming courses in an engineering degree program. The interesting patterns emerging from both analytic studies offer helpful and constructive suggestions for the improvement and revision of assessment methodologies, restructuring the curriculum, and modifying the prerequisites requirements of various courses. Keywords: Association Rules, Supervised and Unsupervised Assessment, Educational Data Minin

An e-Course file management system: A green campus initiative

Most accreditation agencies require academic institutions to maintain course files as an integral part of monitoring the overall quality of the educational process and to gauge how effective the course(s) have been taught and assessed at the time of offering each individual course. The paper-based course files maintained manually present a variety of disadvantages that include physical storage, retrieval issues, and recurring paper and printing costs. Moreover, the extensive paper usage required to maintain course files poses negative environmental impacts occurring during the paper making and disposal stages of paper life-cycle. As a green campus initiative, we propose a prototype eCourse file database management system to compile and organize the course files via user friendly graphical user interfaces. Keywords: Assessment items, Course file, Accreditation, Data sharing, Information retrieva

Analyzing Lifestyle and Environmental Factors on Semen Fertility using Association Rule Mining

The data mining has been used to extract hidden knowledge more effectively for analysis of business, academic, agricultural, as well as medical data in contrast to the predefined queries or reports. This paper presents the impacts of lifestyle and environmental factors of a man on the fertility and quality of semen using association rule mining. The association rules have been mined from data collected by a normalized questionnaire from young volunteers and are found to be useful in predicting the quality of semen based on individual’s lifestyle and environmental factors. Keywords: Association rules, Knowledge Discovery, Fertility potential, Rule confidenc

A Force Sensing Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization Device

Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) is a form of massage using rigid manufactured or cast devices. The delivered force, which is a critical parameter in massage during IASTM, has not been measured or standardized for most clinical practices. There is a strong need to characterize the delivered force to a patient. This paper proposes a novel mechatronic design for a specific instrument to apply localized pressure which is a frequently used tool to clinically deliver localize pressure to treat soft tissue. The design is based on 1-D compression load cells, where 4-load cells are used to measure the force components in three-dimensional space. Here the proposed design of the mechatronic IASTM tool is modeled, analyzed, and simulated as a mechanical structure with simplifying assumptions on the elastic behavior of the skin under a certain amount of force conditions. A finite element model of a human arm is simulated to show the relationship between the applied forces, stress and strain on the skin, and force measurements to improve the design. The relation between device’s tip and the modeled arm was assumed to be frictional contact similar to the real IASTM practice

Saudi SCD patients’ symptoms and quality of life relative to the number of ED visits

Background Individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD) have significantly increased emergency department (ED) use compared to the general population. In Saudi Arabia, health care is free for all individuals and therefore has no bearing on increased ED visits. However, little is known about the relationship between quality of life (QoL) and frequency of acute care utilization in this patient population. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 366 patients with SCD who attended the outpatient department at King Fahad Hospital, Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through self-administered surveys, which included: demographics, SCD-related ED visits, clinical issues, and QoL levels. We assessed the ED use by asking for the number of SCD-related ED visits within a 6-month period. Results The self-report survey of ED visits was completed by 308 SCD patients. The median number of SCD-related ED visits within a 6-month time period (IQR) was four (2-7 visits). According to the unadjusted negative binomial model, the rate of SCD-related ED visits increased by (46, 39.3, 40, and 53.5 %) for patients with fever, skin redness with itching, swelling, and blood transfusion, respectively. Poor QoL tends to increase the rate of SCD-related ED visits. Well education and poor general health positively influenced the rate of SCD-related ED visits. Well education tends to increase the rate of SCD-related ED visits by 50.2 %. The rate of SCD-related ED visits decreased by 1.4 % for every point increase in general health. Conclusion Saudi patients with sickle cell disease reported a wide range of SCD-related ED visits. It was estimated that six of 10 SCD patients had at least three ED visits within a 6-month period. Well education and poor general health resulted in an increase in the rate of SCD-related ED visits

On the vertex degree polynomial of graphs

A novel graph polynomial, termed as vertex degree polynomial, has been conceptualized, and its discriminating power has been investigated regarding its coefficients and the coefficients of its derivatives and their relations with the physical and chemical properties of molecules. Correlation coefficients ranging from 95% to 98% were obtained using the coefficients of the first and second derivatives of this new polynomial. We also show the relations between this new graph polynomial, and two oldest Zagreb indices, namely the first and second Zagreb indices. We calculate the vertex degree polynomial along with its roots for some important families of graphs like tadpole graph, windmill graph, firefly graph, Sierpinski sieve graph and Kragujevac trees. Finally, we use the vertex degree polynomial to calculate the first and second Zagreb indices for the Dyck-56 network and also for the chemical compound triangular benzenoid G[r].Publisher's Versio

Antibacterial Activity and Preliminary Phytochemical Screening of Four Medicinal Plants

       The present study was undertaken to investigate the antibacterial activity and to find the biologically active functional groups of four medicinal plants. The ethanolic extracts which were obtained by maceration were tested against in vitro five bacterial strains, using cup-plate agar diffusion method. Preliminary phytochemical screening techniques were also used to test for the presence and nature of the active constituents in these plant extracts.      Extracts of the plants; Adansonia digitata, Eucalyptus globulus and Trigonella foenum graecum showed a remarkable antibacterial activity against all tested bacterial strains. Meanwhile, the ethanolic extract of Ficus sycomorous exhibited a considerable antibacterial activity against Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeuroginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of terpenes, tannins and saponins in all tested plant extracts, whereas alkaloids and cardiac glycosides were found in appreciable amounts in extracts Trigonella foenum graecum and Adansonia digitata respectively.       It can be concluded that the tested plants demonstrating broad spectra of activity which may help to discover new chemical classes of antibiotics that could serve as selective agents for the maintenance of health