Efficient Incremental Breadth-Depth XML Event Mining

Many applications log a large amount of events continuously. Extracting interesting knowledge from logged events is an emerging active research area in data mining. In this context, we propose an approach for mining frequent events and association rules from logged events in XML format. This approach is composed of two-main phases: I) constructing a novel tree structure called Frequency XML-based Tree (FXT), which contains the frequency of events to be mined; II) querying the constructed FXT using XQuery to discover frequent itemsets and association rules. The FXT is constructed with a single-pass over logged data. We implement the proposed algorithm and study various performance issues. The performance study shows that the algorithm is efficient, for both constructing the FXT and discovering association rules

The Effect of the Six Hats Based on Program in the Development of the Pivotal Thinking of Islamic Concepts Students in Hussein University

This study aimed to detect the effect based on the strategies of the six hats in the development of the pivotal thinking on the achievement of the Al-Hussein University Students Islamic concepts of the program has reached the study sample (216) students, were divided randomly into two groups: an experimental group of (108) students and consisted of (54 students), and (54) student and reached the control group as well (108) students were divided into (54) and students (54 students). The results showed that the degree of improvement with the experimental group students were better than the degree of improvement with the control group on the achievement test results also showed that the degree of female interaction with the teaching method was better than that of the male study recommended: similar studies on other articles of Islamic education materials, the need to develop Islamic education curricula according to different thinking skills, the need to train teachers to use the strategies of the six hats in the teaching of their importance in the development of thinking and improve the education process. Keywords: six hats, pivotal thinking , islamic concepts

Status of Knowledge Based Economy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: An Analysis

This paper highlights on the emerging issues that compelled Saudi Arabia in transforming its economy to a knowledge-based one. It discusses the pillars of a knowledge-based economy i.e. the institutional model; education; research and development (R&D); and information and communication technology (ICT) adopted by the World Bank Institute framework to analyze the status of a knowledge-based economy in Saudi Arabia. The primary objective of this article is to understand the status of the knowledgebased economy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Secondary data was collected for writing the paper. The nine developmental plans of Saudi Arabia (Ministry of Economy and Planning), Ministry of Education reports, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology reports, and Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) reports are some of the important sources of data. The government of Saudi Arabia has laid the foundation for transforming its economy to a knowledge-based one but more is required especially in the field of human resource development and innovation to expedite the easiness of the transforming process

The Effect of Oil Exposure on the Tissues and Health Status of Gulf of Mexico Fishes

The Macondo 252 oil spill occurred on April 20, 2010 and persisted for 86 days. Oil spill exposed Gulf fish demonstrated reduced lymphocyte counts and increased ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) values. Alligator gar were exposed to 0, 0.5 and 4.0 g oil/L of tank water for 48 hours, then moved to oilree water for a 7 day recovery period. After forty-eight hours exposure, lymphocyte and hematopoietic precursor populations were significantly decreased in dose responsive by exposure to oil. Following a 7 day recovery period, lymphocyte and precursor cell numbers increased. After 48 hours exposure, tissue changes included hepatocellular vacuolization and necrosis, necrotizing pancreatitis, splenic congestion and epicarditis. This demonstrates that oil exposure negatively impacts immune cells and tissues in fish and increases their disease susceptibility. Prolonged oil exposure has the potential to dramatically impact the health status of fish populations

Factors Influencing E-Banking Adoption Among Customers in Libyan Banks

Banking has always been a highly information intensive activity particularly over the last few decades that information and Communication technology (ICT) has affected the banking industry heavily. One of the most growing phenomenon's in financial services is internet banking. The main aim of this study is to determine or examine the factors that influence the adoption of internet banking among bank customers in Libya. In the process of finding the desired objectives, four variables were considered based on previous studies to be the independent variables of this study. To this end, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived credibility and computer self efficacy were tested on e-banking adoption. A survey form of study was considered as questionnaires were distributed among the respondents of this study. The subsequent result shows that all the variables considered are significantly related to e-banking adoption. Discussions, recommendations and conclusions are also reported

The Effect of Oil Exposure on the Tissues and Health Status of Gulf of Mexico Fishes

The Macondo 252 oil spill occurred on April 20, 2010 and persisted for 86 days. Oil spill exposed Gulf fish demonstrated reduced lymphocyte counts and increased ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) values. Alligator gar were exposed to 0, 0.5 and 4.0 g oil/L of tank water for 48 hours, then moved to oilree water for a 7 day recovery period. After forty-eight hours exposure, lymphocyte and hematopoietic precursor populations were significantly decreased in dose responsive by exposure to oil. Following a 7 day recovery period, lymphocyte and precursor cell numbers increased. After 48 hours exposure, tissue changes included hepatocellular vacuolization and necrosis, necrotizing pancreatitis, splenic congestion and epicarditis. This demonstrates that oil exposure negatively impacts immune cells and tissues in fish and increases their disease susceptibility. Prolonged oil exposure has the potential to dramatically impact the health status of fish populations

Prediction of Cooling Load of a Glazed Building under Malaysia Weather Conditions

Air conditioning systems in the buildings are essential for the occupants comfort. Good estimation of the cooling load result in a better design of the HVAC system. Moreover, direct solar radiation into the office for buildings that face the east affects the occupants comfort leading to less productivity and might cause illness. This project is aimed to predict the cooling load for a glazed building (Block 16, lecturers’ offices at UTP) under Malaysia weather conditions using cooling load temperature difference (CLTD) method and Hourly Analysis Program. Cooling capacity estimations undertake many variables in order to have optimum air conditioning unit and satisfy the occupant’s needs. Some of these parameters are occupant gains, gains of heat via infiltration, lightening and ventilation and gains through windows and doors. The cooling load results have been compared against the cooling capacity of the system. The project studied the effect of tinted film on glazed wall and the temperature set point. The results show that there is 17.8% overdesign on the cooling capacity of the air handling unit compared to Hourly Analysis Program results

Synthesis and applications of nanostructured metal oxide films

This research project focuses on the creation and optimisation of the nanomaterial films for enhancing their medical and photocatalytic applications. Developing controlled drug delivery systems has been gaining increasing interest. Processing of metal oxides into porous nanostructures has been considered as a promising strategy. In this work, the morphology of TiO2 nanotubes was modified and tubes with a bottle shape were designed and used for controlled drug delivery. It was found that, the drug loading and release kinetics can be controlled by adjusting the nanotubes and nanobottles morphology. Moreover, there is increasing interest of using metal oxides as photocatalyst for capturing solar energy and converting it to chemical energy in the form of hydrogen. However, the current photoconversion efficiency over nanostructured metal oxides is limited by a number of factors such as low surface area, limited light absorption, poor conductivity, poor electron mobility and high rate of electron-hole recombination. In this project, a number of strategies have been developed to overcome these difficulties. Firstly, optimizing the film morphology, density and thickness helps to increase the photoconversion efficiency. 1-D nanorods with relatively low densities offer high surface area with a large number of reaction sites to be in contact with the electrolyte. In addition, the small film thickness allows light to illuminate through the whole nanorods layer. This offers good electron conductivity through the rods, reducing the rate of electron-hole recombination. TiO2 nanorods (TNR) with optimised structures were prepared and the photoelectrochemical measurements revealed that a tilted TNR film at the density of 14 μm-2 and the thickness of 2.2 μm exhibited optimal photocatalytic performance. Secondly, the surface treatment over TNRs, through a reduction in hydrogen and re-oxidation in air, was demonstrated in order to improve electron mobility and inhibit the electron-hole recombination. The measurements revealed that a sequence of reduction and re-oxidation helps to achieve an enhancement in the photoelectrochemical water splitting efficiency. Thirdly, copper doped TiO2 nanorods were synthesized through one step hydrothermal synthesis for enhancing their photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting performance. The performance of the Cu doped TNRs was improved by at least a factor of 3 due to the improved light absorption, charge separation and transportation and appropriate nanorods morphology. Finally, a three dimensional photoanode was designed and fabricated for a PEC device in order to enhance the photocatalytic performance. Clear conductive glass rods decorated with a zinc oxide thin film were attached to a copper disc, forming a three dimensional photoanode. It was observed that, high photocurrent can be achieved by using this 3-D photoanode configuration. The efficiency of this electrode can be further enhanced by improving the conductivity of the ITO film and the light leakage from the side of the glass rods (with increased roughness of the glass surface). In addition, by adding organic compounds to the PEC system, the photocurrent density could also be further enhanced. Further effort was involved in the developing of perovskite copper titanate. Cubic shaped CuTiO3 crystals were successfully synthesised with molten salt synthesis. The reaction conditions have been investigated in order to achieve high purity CuTiO3. In summary, different strategies and nanomaterials have been developed and demonstrated in this thesis for specific applications

Hematological and Histopathological Changes associated with Chronic Diazinon Exposure in Alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula

Extensive use of the organophosphate diazinon has led to its accumulation in aquatic environments and negative effects on fish health. Most studies focus on the effects of short term exposure to high levels of organophosphate pesticides. This research was conducted to assess the effect of chronic sub-lethal exposure to 0, 0.01, and 0.1 mg/L diazinon for 15 and 30 days on blood parameters and histopathological damage in alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula. Fish exposed to either concentration were motionless, produced excess mucous, had lighter skin color, and had skin lesions. Blood indices of red blood cells, leukocytes and hematocrit values significantly decreased but there was no significant change in mean cell volume. Hemoglobin values significantly increased in fish exposed to the low dose for 15 days, but significantly decreased for the other exposure doses and times. On the contrary, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration values significantly increased in fish exposed to both concentrations and duration times. Leukocyte differentials showed significant decreases in lymphocytes with significant increases of monocytes in fish exposed to the high dose in both exposure times. The most frequent biomarker for exposure to organophosphate pesticides is the inhibition of cholinesterase (ChE). Diazinon significantly reduced plasma ChE activity in a dose-dependent manner, with 62% and 72% in the low and high concentrations for 30 days, respectively. Plasma ChE could be determined from peripheral blood samples and did not require sacrifice of the fish. Fish exposed to either diazinon concentration or duration time developed histopathological changes in skin, gills, liver, and kidney tissues. The skin lesions were on the head and body, and progressed into deep ulcerations. The histopathological changes in the liver included hepatic vacuoles, swollen hepatocytes, steatosis, aggregation of macrophages, necrosis, and hepatic fibrosis. Also, exposed fish demonstrated vacuolar degeneration in the hematopoietic tissues of the kidney. Gills showed epithelial hyperplasia in the secondary lamellae. In conclusion, long term exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of diazinon induced significant changes in hematological indices and histopathological alteration in various tissues. Plasma ChE can be used to monitor diazinon exposure in wild gar populations