A General Framework for Fair Regression

Fairness, through its many forms and definitions, has become an important issue facing the machine learning community. In this work, we consider how to incorporate group fairness constraints in kernel regression methods, applicable to Gaussian processes, support vector machines, neural network regression and decision tree regression. Further, we focus on examining the effect of incorporating these constraints in decision tree regression, with direct applications to random forests and boosted trees amongst other widespread popular inference techniques. We show that the order of complexity of memory and computation is preserved for such models and tightly bound the expected perturbations to the model in terms of the number of leaves of the trees. Importantly, the approach works on trained models and hence can be easily applied to models in current use and group labels are only required on training data.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 2 pages reference

The Effect of Land Cover on the Air and Surface Urban Heat Island of a Desert Oasis

Cities often experience a distinct climate compared to the surrounding area characterized by differences in air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and amount of precipitation. Thus far, research on the urban heat island (UHI) effect has focused on cool temperate, Mediterranean and tropical climatic regions, whereas less attention has been given to the study of arid regions where the daytime surface temperature can be extremely high. This study concerns the Al Ahsa oasis, Saudi Arabia, which is a rapidly developing urban centre in an arid region. The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of land cover on the urban and sub-urban environment using ground data and multi-scale and multi-temporal satellite thermal imagery. Land surface temperatures derived from satellite thermal imagery are compared with observations from ground-based fixed and mobile temperature and relative humidity logging stations for periods in February and July. Thermal radiometers from different sensors, Landsat 7 ETM+ and MODIS, were used to measure the outgoing radiation budget at specific locations within the urban landscape. Fieldwork was undertaken contemporary with satellite overpasses to measure the diurnal air temperatures and relative humidity across different land cover types including agriculture, urban, water, exposed rock surfaces, sabkha and sand dunes. These data provide the most complete experiment so far conducted to test and refine models of the thermal radiation budget of the arid zone at the sub-city scale. The findings of this study have emphasized the effectiveness of combining the two methods, ground and satellite data, to investigate the relationship between land cover and UHI intensity. Results reveal a significant relationship between UHI spatial distribution and land cover using the two methods: mobile traverses and remote sensing. The UHI intensity is higher during the summer than the winter and at night-time than in the day. The highest UHI intensity, (10.5 °C), is located over the two major cities in the oasis (Al Hufuf and Al Mubarraz) while the lowest temperatures (- 6.4 °C below UHI), are recorded in the small villages and vegetated areas during summer at night. The outcome of this thesis will help future urban development and planning projects and provide a framework for implementing rules and regulations by local government agencies for a sustainable urban development approach

Urban land utilization : case study : Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Thesis. 1975. M.Arch.A.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture."The analysis and evaluations were carried out in the Urban Settlement Design Program, School of Architecture and Planning, M.I.T."Bibliography: p.91.by Mohammed A. Al-Hussayen & Ali M. Shuaibi.M.Arch.A.S

Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation from Seawater using High Performance Polymeric Materials

Recently, there has been renewed interest in the use of solar energy as a resource to meet the world’s energy needs in an environmentally sustainable way. Hence, our research focuses on the generation of hydrogen from non-fresh water using the sun as an energy source. The research aims to characterize, assess, and developed new research-grade materials and commercial photocatalysts that can achieve sunlight-driven unassisted photo-splitting of water. In this work, novel conjugated polymer nanoparticles were developed and characterized. The nanoparticles are composed of a donor-acceptor system where two acceptors (A1 and A2) were developed and tested, and different ratios of each donor-acceptor system were assessed. The use of platinum or molybdenum as co-catalysts was explored. Hydrogen evolution reactions with ascorbic acid as sacrificial reagent was performed using these materials and their performance was assessed. The results show that the first system consisting of acceptor A1 and the donor (A1/D) produces more hydrogen than the (A2/D) system. Furthermore, the best ratio of donor to acceptor was determined to be 10:90 for the (A1/D) system. The use of platinum as a co-catalyst was shown to result in a better performance in terms of hydrogen production compared to the use of molybdenum. Furthermore, the results show that the use of nanoparticles suspended in solution results in a higher hydrogen evolution rate compared to the use of films. Hydrogen production of 2018 micromole per hour of catalyst was achieved using the A1/D nanoparticle system with platinum, which represents the best result as initial findings. For future steps, optimization of the reaction will take place to generate more hydrogen

TNF-α, TNF-β and IL-10 gene polymorphism and association with oral lichen planus risk in Saudi patients

Objectives Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory oral mucosal disease. Cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis and disease progression of OLP. Various reports have implicated cytokine gene polymorphisms in susceptibility to develop some immune mediated conditions including OLP. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, TNF-β and interleukin (IL)-10 gene polymorphisms with the OLP risk. Material and Methods Forty two unrelated patients with OLP and 211 healthy volunteers were genotyped for TNF-α (-308 G/A), TNF-β (+252A/G), IL-10 (-1082G/A), IL-10 (-819C/T), and IL-10 (-592C/A) polymorphisms. Results The frequencies of allele A and genotype GA of TNF-α (-308G/A) were significantly higher while allele G and GG genotypes were lower in OLP patients as compared to the controls (P;0.05). However, haplotype ATA extracted from 1082G/A, -819C/T, -592C/A polymorphisms of IL-10 were more prevalent in OLP patients when compared to controls indicating its possible association with OLP susceptibility. Conclusion It is concluded that TNF-α (-308G/A), TNF-β (+252A/G) and IL-10 (-1082G/A, -819C/T and -592C/A) polymorphisms are associated with the susceptibility of OLP, thus giving additional support for the genetic basis of this disease

Photostablization and Antioxidant Activity of Some New Bis(Indazole-6-Imino) Subsituted-9,10-Anthracene Compounds

Four series of some new compounds composed from diamine and anthraquinone have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis and spectroscopic techniques. The photostablizer activities of these compounds against low density polyethylene after exposure to Xenon U.V light were measured and compared with standard photostablizer (BHT). The antioxidant properties of these compounds were also studied using scavenger technique. Photostablization and antioxidant results for the prepared compounds indicate that these materials are very effective. Keywords: Imino-Indazole, synthesis, photostablization, Antioxidan

FRACTURE STRENGTH OF PALATAL DENTURE BASE CONSTRUCTED FROM DIFFERENT ACRYLIC DENTURE BASE MATERIALS

Background: Acrylic resins constitute about 90% of polymeric materials used in prosthetic dentistry. However, they are not devoid of drawbacks. Their weakness includes poor resistance to fracture and abrasion, as well as changes in volume and shape during fabrication and use. Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the mechanical strength in fracture force test of maxillary palatal denture bases, fabricated from different acrylic resins. Materials and Methods: Twenty five maxillary edentulous stone casts were constructed from a standard silicon model of maxillary edentulous jaw. Five palatal denture bases were made from each of the following materials; conventional heat cure acrylic (Control Group), rapid cure acrylic, high impact acrylic and Biostar pure acrylic, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The fracture force test was carried out on a universal testing machine (GUNT HAMBURG) at a crosshead speed of 10mm/min. The results were analyzed using ANOVA and t- test to determine the significant differences between tested groups at a significant level (P<0.05). Results: The high impact acrylic resin showed the highest fracture force value, while the Biostar pure acrylic resin showed the lowest value as compared with other tested materials. The results revealed highly significant differences between the high impact acrylic and conventional heat cure acrylic (P<0.001), and other tested denture base materials (P<0.05). Also, rapid heat cure acrylic resin showed significantly higher fracture force value than those obtained by both conventional heat cure acrylic resin and Biostar pure acrylic resin (P<0.05),(P<0.001) respectively. Finally, significantly lower fracture force value was obtained by the Biostar acrylic resin as compared to the conventional heat cure acrylic (P≤0.05) and other tested denture base materials (P<0.001). Conclusions: Under the limitation of this study for those patients who fracture their dentures on regular basis, it is possible to consider a high impact and rapid cure acrylic resins denture base, which shows a higher degree of resistance to fracture in comparison with conventional heat cure acrylic resin. However, this is unlike the Biostar pure acrylic resins that showed undesirable results as compared with conventional heat cure acrylic and other tested denture base materials

A comparative study of social media networks among higher education students

This study aims to compare how students perceive and use social media networks (SMNs) in both Omani and Russian higher education institutions. An extensive literature survey was conducted through which the content of the questionnaire was compiled in English, validated for its content, clarity and accuracy by Russian and Omani reviewers and then translated. Data was collected from 837 undergraduate Russian and Omani students using online Google Forms. The results indicate a moderate level of SMNs use in both Higher Education Institution (HEIs) contexts with cross-platform mobile applications at the top of list of the SMNs used by both groups for social connections and multimedia sharing. The overall perceptions towards SMNs seem to be neutral among Russian and Omani students followed by positive perceptions. The study recommends that teachers in both countries provide 'attractive' academic content through a social and multimedia design approach

FRACTURE STRENGTH OF PALATAL DENTURE BASE CONSTRUCTED FROM DIFFERENT ACRYLIC DENTURE BASE MATERIALS

Background: Acrylic resins constitute about 90% of polymeric materials used in prosthetic dentistry. However, they are not devoid of drawbacks. Their weakness includes poor resistance to fracture and abrasion, as well as changes in volume and shape during fabrication and use. Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the mechanical strength in fracture force test of maxillary palatal denture bases, fabricated from different acrylic resins. Materials and Methods: Twenty five maxillary edentulous stone casts were constructed from a standard silicon model of maxillary edentulous jaw. Five palatal denture bases were made from each of the following materials; conventional heat cure acrylic (Control Group), rapid cure acrylic, high impact acrylic and Biostar pure acrylic, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The fracture force test was carried out on a universal testing machine (GUNT HAMBURG) at a crosshead speed of 10mm/min. The results were analyzed using ANOVA and t- test to determine the significant differences between tested groups at a significant level (P<0.05). Results: The high impact acrylic resin showed the highest fracture force value, while the Biostar pure acrylic resin showed the lowest value as compared with other tested materials. The results revealed highly significant differences between the high impact acrylic and conventional heat cure acrylic (P<0.001), and other tested denture base materials (P<0.05). Also, rapid heat cure acrylic resin showed significantly higher fracture force value than those obtained by both conventional heat cure acrylic resin and Biostar pure acrylic resin (P<0.05),(P<0.001) respectively. Finally, significantly lower fracture force value was obtained by the Biostar acrylic resin as compared to the conventional heat cure acrylic (P≤0.05) and other tested denture base materials (P<0.001). Conclusions: Under the limitation of this study for those patients who fracture their dentures on regular basis, it is possible to consider a high impact and rapid cure acrylic resins denture base, which shows a higher degree of resistance to fracture in comparison with conventional heat cure acrylic resin. However, this is unlike the Biostar pure acrylic resins that showed undesirable results as compared with conventional heat cure acrylic and other tested denture base materials

CDIO project on MaViCo heat compress for tackwondo players

Taekwondo is a traditional Korean martial arts sport which is currently practiced by many countries around the world. As claimed by the International Olympics Committee (2015), this sport made its debut in 1988 as a demonstration of Olympic sport in Korea and became an official medal sport in Sydney, Australia in the year 2000. The art of taekwondo develops posture, graceful movement, excellent coordination, and attention to detail. As a martial arts sport, taekwondo is characterized by its emphasis on dynamic techniques for taking mobile stances, speed, flexibility, and endurance in order to perform the whole process perfectly. Thus, athletes are required to have control over their shoulders, back, hips, knees, ankles, and feet when practicing this sport