An Evaluation of ASYCUDA Worldwide Customs Information System Success in Jordan

This research aims to develop a conceptual information success model which investigates the success of ASYCUDA information system in customs sector at the individual level in Jordan. The theoretical framework is based on DeLone and McLean (2003) IS success model which is widely used in the information system research. The relationships of DeLone and McLean model were tested; net benefit construct was replaced by perceived usefulness. Training construct was added to the model. In addition, three new relationships between quality constructs (System Quality, Information Quality, and Service Quality) and perceived usefulness were added to the model. The proposed model contains seven variables (System Quality, Information Quality, Service Quality, Training, System Use, Users’ Satisfaction and Perceived Usefulness) that measure the success of ASYCUDA system in providing the desired benefits at the individual level. The quantitative research was used and questionnaire was distributed to Four Jordanian governmental organizations (Jordan Customs, Ministry of Agriculture, Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization, and the Food and Drug Administration) that have used the ASYCUDA system. 257 questionnaires were collected from the four organizations and statistically analyzed to test the developed hypotheses. Seven hypotheses were developed, and all hypotheses were supported. Findings from the analysis showed significantly six predictors; system quality, information quality, service quality, system use, user satisfaction and training are the predictors to perceived usefulness. It was proven that the ASYCUDA system had been used successfully in Jordan. Keywords: IS success, ASYCUDA, perceived usefulness, information quality, system quality, service quality, system use, user satisfaction, training

Factors Affecting Employees' Portal Satisfaction in Jordanian National Electric Power Company

This research aims to understand the factors affecting the users’ satisfaction of employees’ portal. The theoretical framework is based on DeLone and McLean (2003) IS success model which is widely used in the information system research. The research model includes five factors; net benefits (Perceived employees’ performance), system quality, information quality, service quality and user characteristics. The quantitative research was used and questionnaire was distributed to Jordanian National Electric Power Company (NEPCO). 312 questionnaires were collected and statistically analyzed to test the developed hypotheses. Results revealed that gender and age did not have ant statistical significant effect on portal users’ satisfaction. Education and job category have statistical significant effect on portal users’ satisfaction. In addition, the results revealed that net benefits, system quality, information quality and service quality have statistical significant effect on portal users’ satisfaction. Keywords: user satisfaction, employee portal, net benefits, system quality, information quality, service quality, user characteristics

Creativity in Classroom Settings: Multiple Paths are the Rule not the Exception

This theoretical paper is driven by the question, “What does creativity look like in classroom settings?” It is motivated by my past experiences as a teacher: my stories and my students’ stories as we struggled together within a restricted classroom environment to create enough space for our creativity to emerge and flourish. I suggest seven metaphors that can be used to describe creativity as it may apply to classroom contexts: overcoming obstacles, or creative desperation, divergent thinking, or thinking outside the box, assembling things in new ways, route-finding, expanding possibilities, collaborative emergence, and birthing, or originating

Methods to induce earlier onset of cyclicity in transitional mares

The purpose of this study was to investigate methods to induce earlier onset of cyclicity in transitional mares. Two experiments were conducted evaluating the effect of follicular aspiration to advance the onset of cyclicity, more succinctly define criteria for selection of mares for follicular aspiration and to compare aspiration to deslorelin treatment for initiating cyclicity in transitional mares. In Experiment 1, anestrous mares were assigned to control (n=6) or follicular aspiration (n=11). The control mares were monitored twice weekly, until ovulation was detected. The aspiration mares were similarly monitored until a follicle \u3e35 mm was identified, then transvaginal ultrasound guided follicular aspiration was performed. After aspiration, the mares were monitored for luteal tissue formation. In Experiment 2, anestrous mares were assigned to control (n=14), follicular aspiration (n=10), or deslorelin (n=12). The control mares were treated as in Experiment 1. The aspiration mares were monitored in the same manner as Experiment 1 but were treated only if uterine edema was present. The deslorelin treated mares were monitored similarly to the aspiration mares, but instead of aspiration the mares were administered deslorelin. In both experiments, plasma was obtained at each examination from all mares to verify a rise in progesterone. In Experiment 1, the time from January 1 to the first rise in serum progesterone was 23.8 days earlier for aspiration treated mares than for control mares (80.5±7.3 and 104.3±8.8 days, mean±SE, for aspiration and control groups, respectively; P=0.024). In Experiment 2, there was no significant difference in time from January 1 to the first rise in serum progesterone between groups (100.4±5.8, 113.0±3.0 and 110±6.7 days, for the aspiration, control and deslorelin groups, respectively, P=0.328). However, if mares that did not receive a repeat aspiration treatment due to lack of uterine edema are excluded, there was a significant difference between the aspiration and control groups (93.9±6.7 and 113.0±3.0 days, for the aspiration and control groups, respectively, P=0.045). Results of this study indicate that follicular aspiration of a follicle \u3e 35 mm during late transition may be a means to advance the onset of cyclicity in mares

Effect of image degradation on performance of Convolutional Neural Networks

The use of deep learning approaches in image classification and recognition tasks is growing rapidly and gaining huge importance in research due to the great enhancement they achieve. Particularly, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) have shown a great significance in the field of computer vision and image recognition recently. They made an enormous improvement in classification and recognition systems’ accuracy. In this work, an investigation of how image related parameters such as contrast, noise, and occlusion affect the work of CNNs is to be carried out. Also, whether all types of variations cause the same drop to performance and how they rank in that regard is considered. After the experiments were carried out, the results revealed that the extent of effect of each degradation type to be different from others. It was clear that blurring and occlusion affects accuracy more than noise when considering the root mean square error as a common objective measure of the amount of alteration that each degradation caused

Social factors and the natural history of breast cancer: 1. year of diagnosis and tumour location; 2. socio-economic status and prognosis

Breast cancer is the most common form of malignancy in Scottish women and its incidence appears to be increasing with time. It is therefore important to identify factors associated with risk and outcome. In this thesis two separate but interrelated social aspects of the natural history of breast cancer have been examined - (i) the location of the primary tumour within the breast in two groups of patients diagnosed 40 years apart and (ii) the effects of socioeconomic status on prognostic factors and outcome of patients with breast cancer. Whilst breast cancer occurs equally in right and left breasts, tumours most commonly affect the upper outer quadrant (UOQ) of the breast. However, there is no information as to whether the incidence has changed over time. To address this, the present study investigated two groups of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the south-east of Scotland between either 1957-1959 or 1997-1999 (ie 40years apart). The earlier group represent 1158 of 1207 women referred to radiation oncologists in the region and the later group comprised 1477 of about 1600 women referred to the Edinburgh Breast Unit. Whilst the age, menopausal status and laterality of the patients were similar in both groups, the tumour size and tumour location within the breast were significantly different in the two groups. Thus, there was significant reduction in T stage with year of diagnosis (p<0.0001), the incidence of Tl, T2, and T3/4 being 15.6%, 51.9% and 25.6% in the earlier cohort compared with 49.3%, 36.8% and 13.7% in the later group. The overall simple reflection of decreased size between the two time groups. The underlying reason(s) for this change in distribution with time requires further study. Affluent women have a higher incidence of breast cancer than socially deprived women but may have a better outcome from the disease. The aims of the study in this thesis were to (i) quantify and investigate differences in survival and recurrence from breast cancer between women differing in socioeconomic status from the south-east of Scotland and (ii) define the contribution of underlying factors to this variation. To do this, 502 patients with non-metastatic invasive breast cancer referred to the Edinburgh Breast Unit between 1985 and 1993 were stratified according to Carstairs Index. This subdivides individuals into deprivation categories (DEPCAT) according to postal address. The most affluent have DEPCAT 1 and 2 and the most deprived areas are DEPCAT 6 and 7. The majority of women fell into DETCAT status 3 and 4 (25.1 and 27.1 respectively) whilst 10.4 and 16.3 % were placed in the most affluent DEPCAT 1 and 2 groups and 15.1, 2.6 and 3.4% in the most deprived DEPCAT 5, 6 and 7 groups respectively. To increase numbers in small groups and have approximately equal numbers, analyses were also performed combining DEPCAT scoresl and 2 to provide Zone A and DEPCAT scores 5,6 and 7 to provide Zone D (DEPCAT 3 was zone B and DEPCAT 4 was zone C). In terms of recurrence, there were trends for more affluent DEPCAT categories to have a better outcome but these did not reach statistical significance. However women from the most affluent zone had significantly better DFI than the socially deprived (p= 0.0 by Kaplan Meier).More affluent women (on the basis of either DEPCAT groups or zones) had a better survival compared to the most deprived. Based on single follow up time of 5 years, survival difference were statistically significant by chi-square analysis (p=0.026 for DEPCAT and 0.011 for zones). Furthermore, using the total follow-up until 2002, Kaplan Meier analysis of SES zones showed that affluent women had a significantly better survival (p=0.02). SES was not related to menopausal status or established prognostic factors such as lymph node status, tumour size and ER status, although lymph node status and tumour size were highly significantly associated with patient survival (p<0.0001 and 0.0006 respectively by Kaplan Meier). Given that these established factors do not relate to SES and that the patients were treated by defined distribution within the breast was significantly different by chi-squared analysis (p<0.0001). In terms of individual quadrants 469 of 1158 (40.5%) tumours were located in the upper outer quadrant (UOQ), whereas in the more recent cohort it was 788 of 1477 (53.4%), this increase in proportion being statistically significant (p<0.0001). Occurrence in the lower outer quadrant (LOQ) also significantly increased (p<0.028) but was significantly reduced in the upper inner quadrant (UIQ) and centrally (both p<0.0001). Analysing data on location for each T stage separately showed that the increased incidence in the UOQ with time was apparent for each subgroup. The increased incidence in UOQ tumours over time is therefore not a protocols irrespective of SES, the factors underlying the differences in outcome between affluent and deprived women in Edinburgh remain undefined. Further research is required to identify other reasons for poorer outcomes in deprived women, with a view to reducing these survival differences. These 2 studies provide further evidence for social factors influence the natural history of breast cancer

Parents Attitudes towards the Flipped Classroom Strategy and Their Satisfaction with it during the Corona Pandemic from Their Perspectives

This study identified the attitudes of parents of primary school students toward using the flipped classroom strategy in online learning during the Corona pandemic. The study developed a questionnaire consisting of (20) items, which was administered to a sample of (339) parents who were chosen in the simple method from the parents of students during the academic year 2020/2021, in Irbid Governorate. The instruments validity and reliability were confirmed. The results of the study showed the existence of neutral attitudes for parents towards the strategy of the flipped classroom while supporting them electronically in light of the Corona pandemic. The results also indicated their satisfaction with the use of the flipped classroom strategy, where face-to-face instruction is lacking. It was found that there were no statistically significant differences in the attitudes of primary school parents towards using the flipped classroom strategy in teaching and learning children

Improved Residual Dense Network for Large Scale Super-Resolution via Generative Adversarial Network

Recent single image super resolution (SISR) studies were conducted extensively on small upscaling factors such as x2 and x4 on remote sensing images, while less work was conducted on large factors such as the factor x8 and x16. Owing to the high performance of the generative adversarial networks (GANs), in this paper, two GAN’s frameworks are implemented to study the SISR on the residual remote sensing image with large magnification under x8 scale factor, which is still lacking acceptable results. This work proposes a modified version of the residual dense network (RDN) and then it been implemented within GAN framework which named RDGAN. The second GAN framework has been built based on the densely sampled super resolution network (DSSR) and we named DSGAN. The used loss function for the training employs the adversarial, mean squared error (MSE) and the perceptual loss derived from the VGG19 model. We optimize the training by using Adam for number of epochs then switching to the SGD optimizer. We validate the frameworks on the proposed dataset of this work and other three remote sensing datasets: the UC Merced, WHU-RS19 and RSSCN7. To validate the frameworks, we use the following image quality assessment metrics: the PSNR and the SSIM on the RGB and the Y channel and the MSE. The RDGAN evaluation values on the proposed dataset were 26.02, 0.704, and 257.70 for PSNR, SSIM and the MSE, respectively, and the DSGAN evaluation on the same dataset yielded 26.13, 0.708 and 251.89 for the PSNR, the SSIM, and the MSE

Searching surveillance video contents using convolutional neural network

Manual video inspection, searching, and analyzing is exhausting and inefficient. This paper presents an intelligent system to search surveillance video contents using deep learning. The proposed system reduced the amount of work that is needed to perform video searching and improved the speed and accuracy. A pre-trained VGG-16 CNNs model is used for dataset training. In addition, key frames of videos were extracted in order to save space, reduce the amount of work, and reduce the execution time. The extracted key frames were processed using the sobel operator edge detector and the max-pooling in order to eliminate redundancy. This increases compaction and avoids similarities between extracted frames. A text file, that contains key frame index, time of occurrence, and the classification of the VGG-16 model, is produced. The text file enables humans to easily search for objects of interest. VIRAT and IVY LAB datasets were used in the experiments. In addition, 128 different classes were identified in the datasets. The classes represent important objects for surveillance systems. However, users can identify other classes and utilize the proposed methodology. Experiments and evaluation showed that the proposed system outperformed existing methods in an order of magnitude. The system achieved the best results in speed while providing a high accuracy in classification