A Customizable Camera-based Human Computer Interaction System Allowing People With Disabilities Autonomous Hands Free Navigation of Multiple Computing Task

Many people suffer from conditions that lead to deterioration of motor control and makes access to the computer using traditional input devices difficult. In particular, they may loose control of hand movement to the extent that the standard mouse cannot be used as a pointing device. Most current alternatives use markers or specialized hardware to track and translate a user's movement to pointer movement. These approaches may be perceived as intrusive, for example, wearable devices. Camera-based assistive systems that use visual tracking of features on the user's body often require cumbersome manual adjustment. This paper introduces an enhanced computer vision based strategy where features, for example on a user's face, viewed through an inexpensive USB camera, are tracked and translated to pointer movement. The main contributions of this paper are (1) enhancing a video based interface with a mechanism for mapping feature movement to pointer movement, which allows users to navigate to all areas of the screen even with very limited physical movement, and (2) providing a customizable, hierarchical navigation framework for human computer interaction (HCI). This framework provides effective use of the vision-based interface system for accessing multiple applications in an autonomous setting. Experiments with several users show the effectiveness of the mapping strategy and its usage within the application framework as a practical tool for desktop users with disabilities.National Science Foundation (IIS-0093367, IIS-0329009, 0202067

Predictors of students’ enjoyment in learning Mathematics

Despite the role that emotions play in students’ learning, little research has been carried out to study the predictors of the individual emotion that students experience throughout and as a result of their learning. The present research attempts to do that for the enjoyment emotion, where it considers four variables related to different aspects of students’ learning (value of mathematics, self-concept of learning mathematics, teacher’s support and effort in learning mathematics) as predictors of this emotion. Seven hundred and twenty students, from grade eight, nine and ten, participated in the research. Stepwise regression analysis was used to analyze the data. The research results indicated that self-concept was the variable that explained the variation in students’ enjoyment more than the other variables (49.2% of the variance). Value of mathematics came next (10.6% of the variance), then teacher’s support (2.6% of the variance) and then student’s effort (1% of the variance). The research results indicate that special stress needs to be put on promoting student’s self-concept in order to cultivate students’ emotions

Risk perception and awareness of oil and natural gas safety among local populations in the eastern province of Jubail, Saudi Arabia

The main goal of this research was to examine the residents\u27 and Saudi Aramco employees\u27 awareness of risks to public health and the environment as a result of their close proximity to oil and natural gas production facilities in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. The research objective was to characterize social representations of industrial activities by different social actors in order to enhance public participation in the region\u27s risk management plan. Social representation theory was adopted to understand the risk perception of members of the community, both residents and oil plus natural gas employees. Residents were represented by faculty and students at Jubail Technical College (n=42) and employees were selected from Saudi Aramco (SA) Oil Company Environmental Protection Department (EPD) (n=11). An original survey was used to determine factors associated with their risk perceptions with respect to environmental air, water, soil, and community well-being. Quantitative categorical data analysis and ordinal logistic regression were used to find relationships between measures of demographics, health, communication, oil and gas industry-related emergency situations, past experiences and risk perception. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

STUDENTS' POSITIONING AND EMOTIONS IN LEARNING GEOMETRIC DEFINITION

The purpose of the present paper is to study the positions and emotions of grade 7 students who work with technology to learn geometry. This consideration of students’ emotions is socially based, which makes it necessary to use a socially-based theoretical framework in order to study them. One such theory is the discursive analysis framework suggested by Evans, Morgan, and Tsatsarony, which is utilized in the present paper to analyze the positioning and emotions of fifteen groups of grade seven students who utilized technology to investigate the circle topic. The findings show that the group leaders took their positions through knowledge, action, initiation, persistence and meta-processes, while the followers of directions took their positions by accepting the group leader's requests. What most distinguished the collaborator was the communication with the other members of the group. Furthermore, the insiders used pronouns that indicated their inclusion. The results show that technology nurtured students' positive emotions as a result of nurturing their positioning throughout the investigation of the circle topic

Weather in Relation to the Yield of Dry-Land Winter Wheat

Agriculture first developed in the Middle East where, probably about 15,000-10,000 B.c., the earliest wheat crop was reaped from cultivated wild grasses. In Biblical times the Middle East acted as a granary of the western world and led the world in cereal production. Now, however, the situation is different. The Middle East is one of the lowest yielding areas in the world. This failure of the agriculture of the Middle East may be due to both climatic and cultural reasons. Many students of the Middle East report tha tthe climate has changed and that there has been a gradual decline in the amount of rainfall, especially of the autumn rainfall on which the grower of winter wheat depends for the sowing and germination of his crop. Cultural practices have not change appreciably in that region even though the while area may have changed from sub-humid to semi-arid. farmers still follow the same routine thousands of years ago. Another eason for agricultural failure is the lack of knowledge about climate and crop relationships and the attempts of growing wheat in areas where the climatic pattern is not suited to wheat production. The present problem is to investigate weather in relation to winter wheat production and to determine the extenet to which yields are influenced by climatic factors at different periods of the growth cycle of the wheat plant. Knowledge of such relationships makes it possible to determine, to a certain degree of accuracy, the suitability of a region to winter wheat production

Bounds for the Riemann–Stieltjes integral via s-convex integrand or integrator

Several bounds in approximating the Riemann–Stieltjes integral in terms of s-convex integrands or integrator are given

Did silicon aid in the establishment of the first bacterium?

Silicic acid increased numbers of both aerobic and facultatively anaerobic bacteria in ultrapure water incubated under strict oligotrophic conditions; soil extracts acted as the bacterial inoculum. The results are discussed in relation to the possibility that silicic acid, produced by the hydrolysis of silicates on the early Earth, could have stimulated the growth of the first bacterium, thereby allowing it to become established in the then prevailing conditions (presumed to be oligotrophic)

Investment in Human Capital and Economic Growth in Pakistan: A Time Series Analysis for CPEC Project

The issue that is Pakistan labor market will be fulfill the demand for technical human skill of increasing investment activities in the country under CPEC project which is the main part of china “one belt one road” initiative project. Therefore this study conducted on the bases of time series analysis, aim to investigate empirically the impact of Human capital on economic growth of Pakistan from 1985 to 2016. This study used Labor force of Pakistan as a target independent variable While GDP are used as proxy variable for Economic growth of Pakistan. ADF unit root test, Johansen co-integration, and granger causality techniques were used for long run nexus between the variables while Error Correction Model (ECM) has been used to investigate short run nexus between the dependent and independent variables. The result of various techniques shows that Human capital has statistically significant impact on GDP. The investment in CPEC will required more skillful, technical and non-technical labor force therefore to conclude that human capital recently are more important for economic growth of Pakistan. The empirical result on other side shows that all the define variables in our model accelerate economic growth but labor force for economic growth of Pakistan in short run is more important contributing growth. Keywords: Human capital, GDP, Labor force, CPE

Acute Midgut Volvulus in a Previously Healthy 9- Year Boy

Intestinal malrotation is an uncommon cause of bowel obstruction after the first month of life. Nevertheless, this abnormality can be diagnosed even at older ages. In this case, we present a 9-year-old, healthy, well-nourished boy who came in Emergency Department with intermittent cramping abdominal pain, associated with bilious vomiting. After clinical examination, plain AXR, and ultrasonography with no important findings, we performed doppler ultrasound screening of the abdominal vessels, in which abnormal orientation of superior mesenteric vessels was found. After that, contrast-enhanced CT scan was performed, which confirmed the diagnosis of intestinal malrotation, and revealed the "Whirlpool Sign", confirming the diagnosis of midgut volvulus. He underwent laparotomy and Ladd´s procedure was done for him. We recommend investigation for the possibility of intestinal malrotation in all patients of non-specific abdominal pain regardless of age, even if there is no intestinal obstruction