Taxi Trips Prediction and Bus Capacity Coverage analysis

Transportation agencies aim to serve the commuters with different transport modes through their transportation network, and they try to predict the demand to fulfil it either by optimizing their operation or by expanding their network and fleet capacity, and the only available data is the daily ridership data that can be captured by their ticketing system, this kind of data will help in optimizing the current operation in order to enhance availability of service and meeting the current demand. Encouraging people to use public transportation requires collecting more data about individuals trips using other modes like cars, taxi, Uber and Careem, and the challenge is more complex when it comes to data related to individuals trips using their own cars, and it requires an intensive efforts to capture this data using surveys or buying it from telecom companies which shows the movement of people. In this project we will focus on data captured by taxi dispatching systems, and it will be analyzed using some algorithms to predict the demand in each location and time into which destination. One of the challenges that should be considered is that taxi service is easier for passengers especially in areas that lack rail and bus services, moreover, it is a non-fixed schedule service, non-fixed route and non-fixed stops, while public transportation is a semi-fixed schedule, and fixed route and stops, and to encourage taxi passengers to use public transportation the transportation authority should consider the potential demand per pick up location and drop off destination and time in order to meet this predicted potential demand. However, it is required also to compare between the taxi demand and public transportation capacity, and this can be used to optimize the public transportation operation and enable the organization to encourage taxi passengers to use the taxi as intermediate mode to get another trip with other public transportation modes. Transportation authorities can rely on this prediction by considering the potential demand of public transportation as potential passenger (public transportation users)

Critical Analytical Insights of Palliative Care Process Modelling in a Regional Cancer Care

Palliative care services are rapidly evolving in cancer care organisations. In palliative care processes, administratives are involved without acknowledging that they may hinder rather than facilitate the path of palliative care in respect to cancer patients. Comprehending a palliative care organisation, without looking at current running processes is groundless. Therefore, a critical understanding of palliative care processes is necessary for improving respective cancer care systems. In this research palliative care Business Process Models (BPMs) have been developed to empower palliative care domain experts not only attaining a critical understanding of the currently running palliative care operations, but also in informing further required improvements with associated implications on cancer patients. Amongst the key outcomes of developing and analysing palliative BPMs in a cancer care organisation revealed identifying gaps, limitations, challenges, and opportunities to reflectively improve palliative care processes in cancer care centres. Finally, this research suggests further re-engineering of palliative care processes as reference models that may be instantiated in specific socio-cultural, person-centered, and other contextual settings aimed at improved qualitative palliative care for cancer patients

The Impact of Corporate Governance Mechanisms on Value Relevance of Accounting Information: Evidence from Jordanian

This paper seeks to examine the relationship between corporate governance and the value-relevance of accounting information in Jordan. This paper uses board, audit committee related variables to proxy for corporate governance. Value-relevance is measured by the adjusted R 2 derived from a regression of stock price on earnings and equity book values following Olson’s accounting-based valuation framework. This study used the multiple regression model. The study sample included the banking sector in Jordan, where the study period was from 2009 to 2016 The results of this study showed that there is a statistical relation between( the book value of the ordinary share, the audit committee, the board of directors' independence, and the size of the board of directors)and value relevance of accounting information. There was no statistical significance between (earnings per share, independence of the audit committee) and value relevance of accounting information. The results of the study showed that the independent variables (book value of ordinary shares, audit committee, board independence, size of the board of directors) were able to explain (81.8%) of changes in the dependent variable (the value relevance of accounting information). the variable (book value per ordinary share) alone could account for (73.8%) of the changes in the dependent variable (value relevance of accounting information), While the rest of the variables were able to interpret (8.0%) changes in the variable (the value relevance of accounting information). Overall, this study found a positive influence of corporate governance mechanisms on value relevance of accounting information for the entire firm in Bank sector in Amman Stock Exchange. Thus, it is recommended that further research be undertaken from different aspects, Different sectors and time periods. Keywords: value relevance, corporate governance, accounting informatio

Malaysian IT Social Shopping Community Vendors and End User

Internet provides an efficient and fast access in order to get information as well as it has a basic role to services and business. Basically, social software services has met attention over the past years where characterized by its services such as social interaction and tools for cooperation This study seek to Malaysian IT Social Shopping Community vendors and end user (MITSSC) in order to provide collaboration environment via internet for both of consumers and vendors. Unfortunately, Malaysia is started early to study the possibilities of implementing online-services to help their citizens to perform their needs fast and easier as well as to reduce the overhead of customer services tasks. Furthermore, shopping process requires from users a lot of effort, time for searching for a particular product. Development social network community environment which it can be used as guide for consumer might help them to find information provider, and ensure availability of various products

Quantitative inheritance of calpastatin activity as an assessment measure for meat tenderness in Brahman steers

Calpastatin activity at 24 h postmortem is inversely proportional to postmortem tenderization and accounts for a greater proportion of the variation in beef tenderness. Tenderness was determined by measurement of 24 h postmortem longissimus muscle calpastatin activity (CA) and Warner-Bratzler shear force after 7 and 14 d of steak aging. The quantitative inheritance of tenderness in Brahman steers was investigated phenotypically by Multiple Trait Derivative-Free Restricted Maximum Likelihood (MTDFREML) procedures and genotypically by using restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP), a microsatellite marker, and DNA sequence analyses. In experiment 1, MTDFREML was used to obtain the genetic parameters of tenderness traits and their genetic and phenotypic correlations with carcass traits such as fat thickness, hot carcass weight, rib eye area, marbling score, and hump height. Contemporary group (CG) was defined as members that were exposed to the same environmental conditions with respect to year of birth and slaughter group. The statistical model included fixed effects of CG, random effects for animal, and residual effects with the covariable of slaughter age. Heritability estimates were 0.44 ± 0.17, 0.30 ± 0.14, and 0.21 ± 0.11 for calpastatin activity, d-7 shear force, and d-14 shear force, respectively. High heritability and additive genetic correlation estimates for CA and shear force indicated that genetic factors made a large contribution to the variation in tenderness and, therefore, tenderness traits would be reliable predictors not only for the rate of tenderization during the beef aging process but also for carcass characteristics. In experiment 2, DNA samples were extracted for RFLP, microsatellite marker, and DNA sequence analyses from the CG of Brahman steers. No DNA polymorphisms were detected in a RFLP procedure conducted for a region between inhibitory domain I and inhibitory domain II of the calpastatin gene. However, microsatellite marker and DNA sequence analyses conducted on the calpastatin promoter region and a region within the L-domain, respectively, revealed distinctive genetic polymorphisms within the calpastatin gene. These findings indicate that the polymorphic sites identified may reveal specific allelic diversity and such alleles may be used as a marker of tenderness for Brahman steer breeding

Critical Analysis of Palliative Homecare Using the i∗ Framework\u27s Strategic and Social Requirements Modelling Applied to a Cancer Care Organisation

Home Health Care (HHC) is an essential and critical part of palliative care and especially for terminal cancer patients. This research is aimed as a first attempt to align with the research gap in modelling the social requirements of palliative care processes and the HHC process in particular. Consequently, this research is a first attempt at developing an $\mathbf{i}^{\ast}$ framework visual goal-oriented and social requirements models of the HHC process of the domain of palliative care with a reflected application using a case study from a leading regional cancer centre in the Middle East, namely KHCC. Furthermore, this research has made it possible for palliative care domain experts in the HHC process and using the associated $\mathbf{i}^{\ast}$ framework strategic dependency and strategic rationale models to visually trace the most critical and strategic actors in the HHC process along with the highly interacting dependers and dependees. Finally, the HHC $\mathbf{i}^{\ast}$ strategic models contribute to bridging the gap between the world of palliative care requirements and their reflective computer-based information systems and $\mathbf{IoT}$ smart devices. Hence, this sheds light towards the realisation of the field of palliative care as being a “systems of systems” virtual organisation with the respective socio-technical systems involvement, for the best care of the palliative patient and especially terminal cancer patients. A further corollary of this research is the insufficiency and less representativeness of palliative care process models to utilise in guiding the development of the HHC $\mathbf{i}^{\ast}$ framework strategic models without linking to the full associated strategic and policy documents of palliative care

The Accounting Variables’ Ability in Explaining the Volatility of Stock's Price: The Case of Amman Stock Exchange

This study aims at identifying the ability of some accounting variables which are (dividend Payout ratio, dividend yield, market value, net income volatility, debt ratio, and the company’s assets Growth) of explaining the volatility of stock’s price of the industrial companies listed in Amman Stock Exchange during the years 2001 to 2010. To achieve the study’s objectives, the researchers reviewed the annual reports of the public companies listed in Amman Stock Exchange, and also reviewed the Amman Stock Exchange’s statistical bulletins for the years 2001-2010 to get the accounting variables and to get the stocks’ closing prices. The sample of the study consisted of (64) industrial companies. To test the hypotheses of the study, the multiple regression model was used to test the independent variables’ ability in explaining the variance in the dependent variable (Volatility in stock price). The study concluded that the accounting variables (dividend Payout ratio, dividend yield, market value, net income volatility, debt ratio, and the company’s assets Growth) explained (3.8%) of the volatility in stock price while (96.2%) of the volatility in stock price referred to other reasons. The results of the study also showed that there was an important weak correlation between ratios of dividend Payout ratio and between volatility in stock price and this relation explained (1.2%) of the changes in volatility in stock price . Finally, the results indicated lack of significant correlation between the other accounting variables and the volatility in the stock prices explaining (2.6%) of the volatility in the stock prices.   Key words: accounting variables, volatility in the stock prices, industrial companies, Amman stock Exchange

Experimental and numerical study of a fixed multi-chamber oscillating water column device (MC-OWC)

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.This thesis focuses on preliminary investigating the hydrodynamic performance of a fixed Multi–Chamber OWC (MC–OWC) wave energy converter, which consists of a linear array of four OWC chambers aligned in the same direction of the incident wave propagation. These investigations address the gaps found in previous works by putting forward detailed explanations of the effect of wave height, wave period, device draught and power take–off (PTO) damping on MC–OWC device performance using a combined numerical and experimental approach. The research methodology was based on two series of experimental sessions and two numerical models. The first experimental campaign was conducted in a small wave flume in the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) for a MC–OWC device at a model–scale of 1:25. This experiment was performed mainly to validate the numerical models and initially observe device response when subjected to limited regular wave conditions. The second experimental session was carried out in the wave flume at the Manly Hydraulic Laboratory (MHL) in New South Wales, Australia for a MC–OWC devices at a model–scale of 1:16. This experiment was designed to 1) assess the device performance over a wide range of regular and irregular wave conditions, 2) study the impact of wave height, wave period and device draught on the performance of a MC–OWC device, and 3) investigate the effect of the pneumatic damping induced by the power take–off (PTO) system on device performance. The first validated numerical model was a MATLAB time–domain model that was based on a coupling between the rigid piston model and the thermodynamic forces on a MC–OWC device to get a preliminary understanding of device performance. The second numerical model was a fully nonlinear 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model that was constructed using the commercial code STAR–CCM+. After being validated in good agreement against the physical scale model tests, the CFD model was utilised to study the influence of the power take–off (PTO) damping on the water surface elevation inside the chamber, the differential air pressure, the airflow rate and the device capture width ratio under different incident regular wave conditions. The extensive analysis of 198 physical tests and 84 CFD simulations revealed that the water surface elevation, differential air pressure, and airflow rate had a similar response in all chambers to the wave conditions, device draught and PTO damping. However, the first chamber always played the primary role in wave energy extraction, and the performance gradually decreased down to the fourth chamber where the lowest performance was found. The maximum capture width ratio of the whole MC–OWC device was found to be 2.1 under regular wave conditions and 0.95 under irregular wave conditions. These ratios were the highest among all similar concepts that have been reported in previous research

Detecting Land use/cover dynamics and land suitability mapping for Irbid governorate using an integrated approach

This research proposes to design an approach recognizing land use/cover change for Irbid governorate from 1985 to 2015 in 10 years period bases, with an agriculture suitability map using remote sensing and GIS. In this paper, ENVI6 was used to analyse Landsat images, which helps to understand the land uses’ classes. LULC Changes results showed an increase in urban land, from 2% in 1985 reached to 11% in 2015; soil and agricultural classes had declined, in 1985 they were 74% of the total area, and reduced to 67% in 2015.  Irbid Governorate’s change detection results revealed that the decline of agriculture and rock land areas is due to the accelerated expansion of urbanization, which negatively affects agricultural lands. Modelling the area showed high suitability for agricultural activities, which should be considered for the upcoming plans

Nausea and vomiting as major presenting symptoms of thyrotoxicosis after bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing's disease

Thyrotoxicosis has a variety of presentations which depend on its severity and duration, as well as the age of the patient. In elderly patients, thyrotoxicosis may present with a variety of nonspecific symptoms. Nausea and vomiting as major presenting symptoms of thyrotoxicosis have rarely been reported. Thyrotoxicosis after adrenalectomy in patients with Cushing's syndrome and normal thyroid function, or with autoimmune thyroid dysfunction has rarely been reported previously. We describe a very rare case of an elderly patient with hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's thyroiditis who presented with persistent nausea and vomiting as major presenting symptoms of thyrotoxicosis, which developed after bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing's disease. Similar case has not been reported previously. In reporting this patient we aim at drawing attention to these forgotten symptoms of thyrotoxicosis, nausea and vomiting, and to emphasize that, at times, these symptoms may be the only presenting features of thyrotoxicosis, leading to considerable difficulty in diagnosis. Furthermore, cessation of glucocorticoid excess may sometimes be accompanied with thyrotoxicosis