Brain-computer interface analysis using continuous wavelet transform and adaptive neuro-fuzzy classifier.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the electroencephalogram (EEG) signals of imaginary left and right hand movements, an application of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). We propose here to use an Adaptive Neuron-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) as the classification algorithm. ANFIS has an advantage over many classification algorithms in that it provides a set of parameters and linguistic rules that can be useful in interpreting the relationship between extracted features. The continuous wavelet transform will be used to extract highly representative features from selected scales. The performance of ANFIS will be compared with the well-known support vector machine classifier

Investigating Omani Novice Teachers’ Perceptions of their Professional Dispositions

يشكل التكوين القيمي للمعلم والمرتبط بأخلاقيات المهنة أحد العناصر الأساسية التي توجه ممارساته المهنية بشكل فاعل، من هنا هدفت هذه الدراسة للكشف عن درجة امتلاك المعلم المبتدئ في مدارس التعليم العام بسلطنة عمان لقيم مهنة التعليم وكذلك قياس مدى تأثير متغيرات النوع الاجتماعي، وعدد سنوات الخبرة في امتلاكهم لهذه القيم. تم استخدام المنهج الوصفي وجمع البيانات من خلال إعداد استبانة مكونة من 60 فقرة موزعة على خمسة محاور هي: القيم المهنية في العمل، القيم المرتبطة بسمات الشخصية، قيم الاتجاه نحو المهنة، قيم التعاون والقيادة، وقيم التعلم المستمر. تم التحقق من الاتساق الداخلي للأداة وبلغت قيمة كرونباخ-الفا 0.95. أظهرت نتائج الدراسة أن درجة امتلاك المعلم المبتدئ للقيم المهنية لمحور القيم المهنية في العمل حصلت على أعلى متوسط حسابي بلغ 4.59 تلاه في المرتبة الثانية محور القيم المرتبطة بسمات الشخصية، بمتوسط حسابي بلغ 4.48 وثم في المرتبة الثالثة محور الاتجاه نحو مهنة التعليم، بمتوسط حسابي بلغ 4.30، وثم محور قيم التعاون والقيادة بمتوسط حسابي بلغ 4.18 فيما جاء في المرتبة الأخيرة محور قيم التعلم المستمر، بمتوسط حسابي بلغ 4.07 وبلغ المتوسط الحسابي العام للمقياس ككل 4.32، وبدرجة عالية جداً في امتلاك المعلم المبتدئ لقيم المهنة. كما أظهرت نتائج الدراسة عن عدم وجود فروق ذات دلالة احصائية عند مستوى α=0.05 بين استجابات أفراد عينة الدراسة تعزى الى متغيرات النوع، وعدد سنوات الخبرة، وقد توصلت الدراسة إلى منظومة قيمية بلغت عدد القيم المتضمنة فيها 32 قيمة مهنية يمتلكها المعلم المبتدىء، وبناءً عليه تقدمت الدراسة بمجموعة من التوصيات.The present study investigated the perceptions of novice Omani teachers of the kind of professional dispositions they have in the job and the influence of two variables, namely gender and teaching experience on these perceptions. The study employed a descriptive research design and used a five level Likert scale questionnaire that assessed the level of possession of the investigated dispositions as perceived by the participants. The questionnaire consisted of five categories of dispositions: Professional values at work, dispositions associated with personality characteristics and traits, dispositions related to cooperation and leadership, dispositions related to continuous and life-long learning and attitudes towards the teaching profession. Reliability of the questionnaire was found to be (0.95) using Cronbach Alpha. Results showed that novice teachers’ evaluation of their dispositions was “very high”. Professional values at work received the highest mean (4.59), followed by dispositions associated with personality characteristics (4.48) and then attitudes towards the teaching profession. Dispositions related to cooperation and leadership, and dispositions related to continuous and life-long learning were rated as “high” with mean values of (4.18) and (4.07) respectively. Findings also showed that there were no significant differences between the participants in their perceptions attributed to gender and teaching experience. Accordingly, the study suggested number of recommendations

Asemi-Empirical Study of the Adsorption of Some Organic Pollutants on Modified Iraqi Clays

In this work semi–empirical method (PM3) calculations are carried out by (MOPAC) computational packages have been employed to calculate the molecular orbital's energies for some organic pollutants. The long– chain quaternary ammonium cations called Iraqi Clays (Bentonite – modified) are used to remove these organic pollutants from water, by adding a small cationic surfactant so as to result in floes which are agglomerates of organobentonite to remove organic pollutants. This calculation which suggests the best surface active material, can be used to modify the adsorption efficiency of aniline , phenol, phenol deriviatives, Tri methyl glycine, ester and pecticides , on Iraqi Clay (bentonite) by comparing the theoretical results with experimental results achived in previous experimental studies between some organic pollutants and modified bentonite by (1- Hexadecyl pyridinium bromide) (HDPYBr). The theoretical calculation is made by using three surface active materials [1- (Hexadecyl pyridinium bromide) (HDPYBr), (1,12- Dipyridiniododecane dibromide) (DPYDDBr2) and Hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (HDTMA)]. Using (HDTMA) leads to the best adsorption efficiency for most pollutants involved in this study. The enthalpy of formations, dipole and energy of molecular orbitale HOMO and LUMO energies levels are calculated for all pollutants and the three surface active materials

Placental Morphology of Pregnant Iraqi Women with Rheumatic Heart Disease

Background: Placental morphology and cellular arrangement can be altered in maternal diseases. Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a chronic heart condition that can lead to death in pregnant women. The aim of this study is to determine the histological changes of the placenta in pregnant women suffering from RHD. Methods: Placentae were collected from 10 healthy pregnant women, and 31 pregnant women with heart conditions (26 with RHD and 5 with NRHD) who had been admitted to the Baghdad Teaching Hospital. Placental tissues were fixed in 10% formal-saline and were processed for light microscopy. Measurements including the placental weight and diameter of the chorionic villi capillaries were recorded. Results: The results indicate that there are many histological changes in pregnant women with RHD such as hyalinisation, fibrosis of the chorionic villi, proliferation of trophoblastic cells, and thickening of its membrane. Additionally, expectant mothers with RHD experience a reduction in capillary diameter and thickening of the capillary walls, and decreased size and weight of their placenta when compared with the control. Conclusions: Heart diseases, especially RHD, are associated with developmental damage of the placenta in pregnant women by injuring the endothelial cells of the placentas capillaries

Optimal Number of States in Hidden Markov Models and its Application to the Detection of Human Movement

In this paper, Hidden Markov Model is applied to model human movements as to facilitate an automatic  detection of the same. A number of activities were simulated with the help of two persons. The four  movements considered are walking, sitting down-getting up, fall while walking and fall while standing. The data is acquired using a biaxial accelerometer attached to the person’s body. Data of the four body gestures were then trained to construct several Hidden Markov models for the two people. The problem is to get a good  representation of the data in terms of the number of states of the HMM. Standard general methods used for training pose some drawbacks i.e. the computational burden and initialisation process for the model estimate.  For this reason, a sequential pruning strategy is implemented to address the problems mentioned.Keywords: Hidden Markov Models, sequential pruning strategy, Bayesian Inference Criterio

Alternatives Strategies to Empower Youth Volunteering in Omani Society Using SWOTAnalysis Technique

The study aimed to develop strategic alternatives to activate volunteer work among Omani youth. SWOT analysis was used to indicate the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges faced by youth. A questionnaire of 32 items with two domains was developed. An estimation of reliability using Cronbach-Alpha indicated 0.887 for level of effectiveness, and 0.918 for level of existences. A sample of 89 experts from civil society organizations and higher education institutions from different Omani governorates was selected. The results revealed that the most powerful aspects of volunteering were the incentives to encourage youth, notably the Sultan Qaboos Award for Volunteerings at the national level, and the existence of many charities, including those related to women associations, and others that provide voluntarily services to special needs people. The overall average weight of the strengths and weaknesses was 194.44 and 186.46 respectively. The main opportunities were reflected by existing governmental departments to follow up the work of the voluntary institutions, and the NGO civil societies’ global awareness of volunteering. Further, the study results showed that average percentage means of opportunities and challenges were 145.04 and 143.79 respectively. Considering these results, four strategic alternatives were developed

Using Phragmites australis(Iraqi plant) to remove the Lead (II) Ions form Aqueous solution.

Lead remediation was achieved using simple cost, effective and eco-friendly way from industrial wastewater. Phragmitesaustralis (P.a) (Iraqi plant), was used as anovel biomaterial to remove lead ions from synthesized waste water. Different parameters which affected on adsorption processes were investigated like adsorbent dose, pH, contact time, and adsorbent particle size, to reach the optimized conditions (maximum adsorption). The adsorption of Pb (?) on (P.a) involved fast and slow process as a mechanism steps according to obey two theoretical adsorption isotherms; Langmuir and Freundlich. The thermos dynamic adsorption parameters were evaluated also. The (?H) obtained positive value that meanes adsorption of lead ions was an endothermic processwhile (?G)values were negative which means that adsorption of lead ions was a spontaneous process and the decrease in (?G) with temperature increasing revealed that lead ions adsorption on (P.a) became favorable with temperature increasin

Assessment of Natural Radionuclides in Powdered Milk Consumed in Iraq

The activity concentrations of 226Ra232Th, and 40K radionuclides were measured for 10 brands of powdered milk samples consumed in Iraq,which are imported from different countries.The main detected activity corresponding to 40K with average activity of 290.661 BqKg-1, while the average activities of 226Ra and232Th were below the detection level (B.D.L.).Results are compared with those of different countries worldwide.The total average annual effective doses due to intake of 40Kfrom the ingestion of the powdered milk for children (2-7, 7-12, 12-17)y and adults (≥ 17y) were estimated to be82.21, 50.90, 29.75 and 22.55 µSvy-1, respectively. These results indicate no significant radiation dose to the public. The resulting data may serve as base-line levels of activity concentration in powdered milk in the area of study. Keywords: Natural Radioactivity, Milk, Ingestion dose, Hazard quotient

Reconstruction of Nonunion Tibial Fractures in War-Wounded Iraqi Civilians, 2006-2008: Better Late Than Never

OBJECTIV