Efficient Descriptor of Histogram of Ridges Orientation Delineate for Fingernail

Fingernails structure are rich in orientation, ridges and edge features. Inspired by Edge Histogram Descriptor (EHD), this paper presents an efficient orientation-based local descriptor, named histogram of ridges orientation delineate (HROD). HROD is based on the fact that human vision is sensitive to edge features for image perception. For a given image, HROD algorithm first execute and perform a pre-process i.e., re-sizing, filtering, enhancement, segmentation, edge detection and feature extraction. Then, finds oriented edge maps according to predefined orientations using a well-known edge operator mask (2×2 sub block) and obtains a ridges orientation delineate map by choosing an orientation with the maximum edge magnitude for each pixel. In the experiment on this research, five oriented edge maps were used to generate and detect the maximum edge orientation construction of each block, namely vertical, horizontal, diagonal 45°, diagonal 135° and isotropic (non-orientation specific) orientation. Experimental results on fingernail images show that the performance of HROD comparable with the state-of-the-art orientation-based methods (e.g., Gabor filter, histogram of oriented gradients, and local directional code). Furthermore, the proposed HROD algorithm has advantages of low feature dimensionality and fast implementation for a real-time fingernails orientation recognition system.Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP) © Copyright: All rights reserved

Convex Optimization Approach to the Optimal Power Flow Problem in DC-Microgrids with Energy Storage

Humanity is currently facing a global energy crisis. This is due to the shortage in the conventional energy resources while the demand for energy is rising. In response to this crisis, research in designing more energy efficient systems has gained significant importance. The Microgrids (MGs) are one of the main key elements in giving significant momentum to efficient decentralized energy generation. From the perspective of MGs power management, economical scheduling for generators, energy storage, and demand loads are critical. Performance optimization processes are needed to minimize the operating costs while considering operational constraints. In this thesis, the optimal power flow problem for managing energy sources with storage devices is presented for dc microgrids. The power management model has been examined in various scenarios. One of them is based on a network of a six-bus power system, including an energy storage device coupling at a certain bus. The other scenario is based on the same model but including more energy storage devices. After analyzing the results of these scenarios, several conclusions have been made such as when the energy storage should charge/discharge to minimize costs. The study shows the feasibility of optimal power flow operation in DC microgrids

Corporate governance and firm performance: A study of public listed companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This thesis examines the relationship between CG mechanisms and firm performance among firms in the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) for the periods 2007-2011. Two models have been developed using the framework of agency theory, stewardship theory, and resource dependence theory to test this study’s hypotheses. Model 1 comprises three categories of determinants. The first category is board of directors’ characteristics: board Royal family members, board size, independence, board meetings, board financial knowledge, CEO duality, and board multiple directorships. The second category of determinants is audit committee characteristics: audit committee outside financial expertise, multiple directorships, size, independence, meetings, and financial expertise. The third category is ownership structure: Royal family, non-Royal family, government, and domestic corporate ownership. Model 2, including ownership structure, comprises board of directors’ effectiveness score and audit committee effectiveness score. This study utilizes the Weighted Least Squares (WLS) models. The final sample comprises 573 observations. The results showed that Royal family members, board size, and CEO duality are positively associated with firm performance. In contrast, board meetings, board financial knowledge, and board multiple directorship are negatively associated with firm performance, whereas board independence has no association. Audit committee characteristics, outside financial expertise, size, independence, and meetings are negatively associated with firm performance. In contrast, financial expertise is positively associated with firm performance, whereas multiple directorships have no relationship. For both models, ownership structure—Royal family, non-Royal family, government, and domestic corporations—is positively associated with firm performance. Board of directors’ effectiveness score and audit committee effectiveness score are positively associated with firm performance. It should be noted that the findings established in this study could be useful to regulators, especially the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI), the Capital Market Authority (CMA), Tadawual, and the Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accounting (SOCPA) to improve CG practices. For companies, this study proposes that they should put more emphasis on enhancing the role and the quality of the board of directors and audit committee members, as they are involved in the decisions that improve firm performanc

SMANJENJE TROŠKOVA TRANSPORTA OTPADA U PROVINCIJI TAIF, SAUDIJSKA ARABIJA

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a critical issue in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Management of solid waste in crowded conditions, especially in main cities such as the Al-Taif Province. This paper deals with that case study and focuses on how to solve material handling problems by applying conventional methods and computer ability. One of the costliest operations in the civil sector is transportation for material handling. City mayors considered transportation and materials handling as a subclass of the linear programming technique, thus linear programming problems take into consideration that the main objective is to handle materials from the city centre site to the identified dumping area. There are many methods and tools used to solve the transportation problem (TP) to find out the maximum or minimum in order to reduce cost or maximize profit. The methods related to manual solutions and others used many different computer applications. Manual solutions include the northwest corner method, the minimum cost method, the row minimum cost method, the column minimum cost method, and Vogel\u27s approximation method, and computer applications such as LINGO, Lingo, and solver function using Microsoft Excel. This case study focuses on applying the Microsoft Excel function to find the minimum cost of the transportation system in waste materials to reduce the transportation cost from the city centre to the final destination (dumping area) to be used. The results achieved with the model aided in obtaining optimal solutions and finally, the optimal solutions were checked.Gospodarenje čvrstim komunalnim otpadom kritično je pitanje u Kraljevini Saudijskoj Arabiji (KSA), posebice u uvjetima guste naseljenosti u glavnim gradovima i pokrajinama kao što je Taif. Ovaj rad prikazuje studiju slučaja i usredotočen je na to kako riješiti probleme gospodarenja i manipulacije materijalima primjenom konvencionalnih metoda i informatičkom tehnologijom. Jedan od najskupljih poslova u komunalnome sektoru jest transport materijala. Gradske uprave transport i rukovanje materijalima smatraju potklasom tehnologije linearnoga programiranja, stoga problemi linearnoga programiranja uzimaju u obzir da je glavni cilj rukovanje materijalima od središta grada do identificiranoga odlagališta. Postoje mnoge metode i alati koji se koriste za rješavanje problema transporta (TP) kako bi se saznao maksimum ili minimum u smislu smanjenja troškova ili maksimiziranja profita. Te metode primarno su se odnosile na manualna rješenja, a druge su se koristile mnogim različitim računalnim aplikacijama. Manualna rješenja uključuju metodu sjeverozapadnoga kuta (northwest corner method), metodu minimalnoga troška, metodu minimalnoga troška retka, metodu minimalnoga troška stupca i Vogelovu metodu aproksimacije te računalne aplikacije kao što su LINGO, Lingo i funkciju Solver koja je uključena u Microsoft Excel. Ova studija slučaja usredotočuje se na primjenu Microsoft Excel funkcije za pronalaženje minimalne cijene sustava transporta otpadnoga materijala kako bi se smanjio trošak transporta od centra grada do konačnoga odredišta (odlagalište). Rezultati dobiveni modeliranjem dali su optimalna rješenja koja su na kraju rada i provjerena

The role of data mining techniques and tools in big data management in healthcare field

Data mining is one of the most important modern techniques used to achieve high output standards at all levels. The twenty-first century saw the advent of a new trend to improve medical services in the healthcare sector. To bridge the gap between previous studies and the practical applications of data mining, this study aimed to review the theoretical literature and previous studies related to the demonstration of data mining techniques and tools and their role in big data management. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers used a descriptive, analytical, documentary method. The study concluded many results including that in the era of the knowledge and technology revolution, data mining is one of the important issues, that requires everyone to take into account its achievements in our current era, as well as the existence of a correlation between big data and the provision of a separate health service in the field of healthcare, and work to address epidemics and discover vaccines for them. In the healthcare industry, data mining plays a vital role, especially in predicting various types of diseases. In detecting diseases, diagnosis is the main tool. The study recommended the need to conduct more experimental and exploratory studies dealing with healthcare data mining techniques and tools and their effect on the management of big data volumes, especially in our Arab countries and the need for the development of models and action plans and the development of processes and methods from which data in the healthcare sector can be explored

Detection of mine roof failure using inexpensive LiDAR technology

Slope, Roof, and mine wall stability problems are some of the main reasons for deaths at U.S. surface or underground mining. The safety instruments were not enough to prevent that failure or even predict it before it occurs. However, the cost of such a tool that can be helpful in detecting roof failures is very high and not reachable in most instances. The present study investigates the feasibility of using the M16 Leddar Evaluation Kit to detect the roof failure in mines. The M16 Leddar Evaluation kit cost is between 300$-800$, so it is the reachable price if it provides the required safety in mines. In fact, the underground mines have many openings, so the needs for instruments that can be distributed in all tunnels and safe all workers are urgent. The Leica Scan Station P40-3D Laser Scanner costs $123915.00, so in mine industry, it is not worthy to establish the mining with such high cost like that. Buying one unit of the Leica ScanStation P40-3D Laser Scanner to provide the safety and minimize the expenses in the mining industry is not a practical idea which is providing safety to some of the workers in one tunnel spot and neglect the others. Steel movement plate has been built and attached to a linear actuator that can move with a resolution around 0.00375 mm per step and stroke 50 mm in order to simulate the roof failures in mines. It is not possible to try the M16 in real mine due to the time limits and absence of not unstable mines locally, besides the intention that the author has to start with an office environment. The M16 Leddar Evaluation kit is aimed directly to movement plate and collecting the deformation derived by the actuator. The results collected has many of anomalies and irregular data that can be eliminated by doing some of the statistical identification of outliers. The results show that the M16 Leddar evaluation kit is capable of detecting the movement plate profile with a precision between 0.1 mm and 3 mm per integration period --Abstract, page iii

The Proportions Code and the Environmental Aspects as a Design Generator for the Minarets in Cairo of the Mamluks

One of the logic approaches to improve the contemporary design criteria of the Minarets understands the design methods of the built Minarets of Mamluks. To demonstrate how the geometrical proportions and environmental aspects played the role of design generator which remained the backbone of the process of “designing” a geometrical analyses of various designs of Mamluk Minarets were presented by concentrating on the derivation process of the design idea. By geometric morphological analysis of 20 Minarets a not fixed certain proportional relationships were found. The study depended on analyzing the proportions of the geometric shapes and the Minarets heights in relation to the whole composition to suggest the proportions code and the environmental principles, which may be considered as the inherent design method that govern the design of the Minarets in Cairo of the Mamluks. The research reached to suggest a design generative technique; this technique is a combination of architectural grammar which can be understood as a bundle design principles which formulate a design guideline. This technique illustrates how Mamluk architects proceeded to apply the proportions code and environmental principles to the practical problem of Minarets design, the research name it ‘Unwritten Design Method’, which is orderly and methodical arrangement of proportions to produces the Minarets design

Petroleum Hydrocarbon and Living Organisms

Living matters are inadvertently exposed to the highly toxic petroleum hydrocarbon (PH) byproducts. Despite the fact that petroleum-related industry is globally thriving, the health hazard of most hydrocarbons is not well characterized. In human, organs and, sometimes, whole systems such as the nervous system, respiratory, circulatory, immune, reproductive, and endocrine systems are susceptible to PHs depending on the level of exposure. Marine organisms are known to be affected by PHs in various stages. Impacts from lethal to sub-lethal dose of PHs range from habitat destruction, mass mortality, and impaired physiological functions such as reduced feeding, slow growth and development, respiration problems, loss of locomotion, balance, and swimming ability. Bioaccumulation of toxic PHs in food chains in marine environment can be retained for decades and affect plants, animals, and eventually human. This chapter summarizes the PHs toxic effects on living organisms and the potential mechanisms of action based on epidemiological studies

The Proportions Code and the Environmental Aspects as a Design Generator for the Minarets in Cairo of the Mamluks

One of the logic approaches to improve the contemporary design criteria of the Minarets understands the design methods of the built Minarets of Mamluks. To demonstrate how the geometrical proportions and environmental aspects played the role of design generator which remained the backbone of the process of “designing” a geometrical analyses of various designs of Mamluk Minarets were presented by concentrating on the derivation process of the design idea. By geometric morphological analysis of 20 Minarets a not fixed certain proportional relationships were found. The study depended on analyzing the proportions of the geometric shapes and the Minarets heights in relation to the whole composition to suggest the proportions code and the environmental principles, which may be considered as the inherent design method that govern the design of the Minarets in Cairo of the Mamluks. The research reached to suggest a design generative technique; this technique is a combination of architectural grammar which can be understood as a bundle design principles which formulate a design guideline. This technique illustrates how Mamluk architects proceeded to apply the proportions code and environmental principles to the practical problem of Minarets design, the research name it ‘Unwritten Design Method’, which is orderly and methodical arrangement of proportions to produces the Minarets design