Teachers’ professional identity measures in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from the perspective of Rasch Model Framework

This study aims to assess the psychometric properties of the professional identity measure of the professional identity of Mathematics teachers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Professional identity topic has not been widely addressed in the Arab environment. Studying the Mathematics Teachers’ Professional Identity (TPI) is important because only few and inadequate body of research has been performed in the Arab environment. Establishing measuring tool on the TPI contributes on the evaluation of the teachers in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and their roles in the educational process in the country. This study applies descriptive approach. 600 secondary Mathematics teachers were involved. The adapted version of the questionnaire designed by Albaqi'i (2014) used to measure the Mathematics TPI. Delphi techniques in three rounds to gather experts’ opinion about the suitability of Mathematics TPI questionnaire used in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia context. Rasch model as a framework applied to assess the psychometric properties of Mathematic TPI questionnaire. The results are valuable in terms of analyzing the psychometric properties for the first version of Mathematics TPI, to improve Differential Item Functioning (DIF) and the psychometric properties for the revised version of Mathematics TPI Questionnaire

A Detail Study of Wavelet Families for EMG Pattern Recognition

Wavelet transform (WT) has recently drawn the attention of the researchers due to its potential in electromyography (EMG) recognition system. However, the optimal mother wavelet selection remains a challenge to the application of WT in EMG signal processing. This paper presents a detail study for different mother wavelet function in discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and continuous wavelet transform (CWT). Additionally, the performance of different mother wavelet in DWT and CWT at different decomposition level and scale are also investigated. The mean absolute value (MAV) and wavelength (WL) features are extracted from each CWT and reconstructed DWT wavelet coefficient. A popular machine learning method, support vector machine (SVM) is employed to classify the different types of hand movements. The results showed that the most suitable mother wavelet in CWT are Mexican hat and Symlet 6 at scale 16 and 32, respectively. On the other hand, Symlet 4 and Daubechies 4 at the second decomposition level are found to be the optimal wavelet in DWT. From the analysis, we deduced that Symlet 4 at the second decomposition level in DWT is the most suitable mother wavelet for accurate classification of EMG signals of different hand movements.

Numerical solution of SOR iterative method for fuzzy Fredholm integral equations of second kind

In this paper, we deal with the application of Successive Over-Relaxation (SOR) iterative method for solving fuzzy Fredholm integral equations of the second kind (FFIE-2). In addition to that, we apply the trapezoidal rule to derive the approximate solution of FFIE-2 which consists of a system of integral equations. Next, the approximate equation is used to develop a system of linear equations. Then, we consider SOR iterative method to solve the generated system of linear equations. Next, SOR iterative method is implemented on some numerical examples. Finally, the numerical results is discussed in details by comparing the number of iterations, the computational time, and the Hausdorff distance to analyze the performance of proposed method. Based on the numerical results obtained from all the numerical examples by using Gauss-Seidel (GS) and SOR methods, it can be pointed out that SOR method is more efficient than the GS method

Total Quality Management System in an Education Environment: The Case of a Private University in Bahrain

The study aims to analyze and explain the effectiveness and efficiency of implementing total quality management principles in private educational institutions. The context of the study narrowed down the areas of comparisons to tutorial conducts, student affairs and infrastructure. A detailed analysis of the existing total quality management currently in place at the selected university was duly comprehended. This resulted in finding the flaws/weaknesses in the system of universities in the kingdom of Bahrain generally. Findings through a survey and interview sessions indicated that teachers were not consulted for any changes in curriculum which leads to a lack of co-operation between management and teachers. Another problem in regards to the total quality management implementation was that students perceived the university as not being concerned with maintenance of the premises. Moreover, student affairs/services section was seriously lacking sport facilities, limited training sessions, poor equipment maintenance

SOR Iterative Method with Simpson’s 1/3 Rule for the Numerical Solution of Fuzzy Second Kind Fredholm Integral Equations

In this study, we present the application of Successive Over-Relaxation (SOR) iterative method to solve fuzzy Fredholm integral equations of the second kind (FFIE-2). In addition to that, the Simpson’s 1/3 quadrature rule is applied to derive the approximate solution of FFIE-2. Then, we use the approximate equation to generate a system of linear equations. Next, SOR iterative method is introduced to solve the generated system of linear equations. Moreover, we conduct some numerical examples to illustrate the applicability of the SOR iterative method. Finally, we discuss the efficiency of the proposed method by comparing the number of iterations, computational time and Hausdorff distance. Based on the numerical results, we conclude that SOR method is better than Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel iterative methods

A content-addressable memory structure using novel majority gate with 5-input in quantum-dot cellular automata

Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) technology is one of the most important new nanotechnologies and is a suitable replacement for CMOS circuits. Majority gate and Inverter are the primary building blocks in QCA circuits. Content Addressable Memory (CAM) is a type of memory used in applications that require high speed. In this paper, a novel five input majority gate is introduced. This gate is simulated with QCADesigner tool and compared with previous same structures. Then, the proposed gate used to design a CAM cell in a single layer after deriving the minority gate from the proposed majority gate. The proposed CAM cell has a simple and robust structure and does not require wire crossover, also it reduces circuit complexity by 7% in term of cell count compared to existing structures

Full adder circuit design with novel lower complexity XOR gate in QCA technology

Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) is a new technology for designing digital circuits in Nanoscale. This technology utilizes quantum dots rather than diodes and transistors. QCA supplies a new computation platform, where binary data can be represented by polarized cells, which can defne by the electron’s confgurations inside the cell. This paper explains QCA based combinational circuit design; such as half-adder and full-adder, by only one uniform layer of cells. The proposed design is accomplished using a novel XOR gate. The proposed XOR gate has a 50% speed improvement and 35% reduction in the number of cells needed over the best reported XOR. The results of QCADesigner software show that the proposed designs have less complexity and less power consumption than previous designs