5153 research outputs found
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Knowledge Management Using Student Feedback: A Study Of Online Students’ Lived Experiences On Virtual Teams
No full textIntroducing group projects in online courses provides an excellent learning laboratory for students to experience what it is like to work on virtual teams. This qualitative study leverages a knowledge base containing feedback captured in a university learning management system from a population of thirty-four students in an online M.B.A. project management course over three semesters to examine the lived experience of students assigned to virtual work teams. Anonymous student discussions about their successes and challenges while collaborating on virtual teams to deliver a final research paper are reviewed. A grounded theory is proposed and best practices provided for instructors interested in including virtual team projects in their own online courses
Biochip with Cu-Graphene Glassy Carbon Electrode for Glucose Sensing
No full textDiabetes has become a serious global health threat and glucose test is very important for diabetic patients on a daily basis. Traditional blood glucose test uses a lancet device to prick the patient’s finger to get a drop of blood sample for testing. This invasive test causes pain to patient and increases the risk of cross-infection of blood-transmitted diseases. Non-invasive glucose monitoring has become very attractive alternative to blood glucose test. Research has found that other biological samples (e.g. saliva, tears, sweat, urine) also contains trace amount of glucose molecules and they may be used for diabetes diagnosis. However, glucose level in such biological samples is generally too low for traditional sensors. Nanotechnology offers new hope in high-resolution glucose sensing. In this research, we proposed a saliva glucose sensor that combines graphene-based glucose nanosensor with microfluidic biochip to develop a complete lab-on-a-chip (LoC) system for non-invasive glucose sensing. It is designed to collect, prepare and manipulate the microfluidic sample for glucose sensing using graphene-based glucose nanosensor. The key components of the lab-on-a-chip are designed and simulated with COMSOL. The LoC device may be used for non-invasive glucose sensing for diabetes diagnosis and self-monitoring
Optimized Irrigation system for Water conservation using WSN Systems
No full textFarms, both public and private, make up the largest irrigated crop in Saudi Arabia by surface area. Although there have been improvements in sprinkler head technology and weather assimilation, state-of-the-art irrigation systems do nothing to adjust for heterogeneous terrain or varying crop environments. In this work, a computationally lightweight soil moisture movement model is developed, which allows the computation of optimal irrigation valve scheduling using standard optimization techniques. A prototype sensor system is produced with the ability to sense local soil moisture conditions, wirelessly communicate, and independently actuate based on the optimal schedule is centrally computed. This prototype could then be deployed to control a parallel irrigation systems covering a total of more than 10,000 ft2. It is shown that crop health can be maintained by using the topography of the space to take advantage of runoff to provide improved coverage while using an average of 23.4% less water. We also show that the initial capital and operating costs of our system could be amortized by our water savings in 13 months while maintaining and/or improving quality of irrigation and crop health
Measuring Cross-Culture Variance: Examining the use of emoticons, kaomojis and emojis across Chinese and American Student populations
No full textIn 2016 the world wide Internet usage stood at 3,578,416,746 or 46.1% of the global population. Internet usage in China is currently at 22% of global usage or 52.2% of it’s country population (2016). In contrast, the United States has a higher market penetration (88.5%) however total users is dwarfed by China. The most popular texting software in China is weChat and it is used by 69% of this Internet population. This study identifies how and where Chinese and American students use emoticons, kaomojis and emojis to express emotions and cultural artifacts that each population subscribes to them. In turn, we will examine the variance between these artifact sets as they define the popular cultures. It is our belief that studying this issue on a qualitative basis using investigator led questionnaires will lead to identifying specific cultural differences
Global Networks, Local Concerns: Investigating the Impact of Emerging Technologies on Shi‘i Religious Leaders and Constituencies
No full textThroughout history religious traditions have had to be translated (or “transmediated”) for new generations in changing contexts of communication. Religion, “cannot be analyzed outside the forms and practices of mediation that define it”. It then becomes paramount to explore how the transition from one mode of mediated communication to another contributes to reconfiguring a particular religious practice. The focus should be on the cultural practices of mediation rather than on the media themselves. However, the extent to which media technologies are driving forces in transformations of Shi‘i religious institutions is a key focus in this paper
Efficient and Robust Video Steganography Algorithms for Secure Data Communication
No full textOver the last two decades, the science of secretly embedding and communicating data has gained tremendous significance due to the technological advancement in communication and digital content. Steganography is the art of concealing secret data in a particular interactive media transporter such as text, audio, image, and video data in order to build a covert communication between authorized parties. Nowadays, video steganography techniques are important in many video-sharing and social networking applications such as Livestreaming, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook because of noteworthy developments in advanced video over the Internet. The performance of any steganography method, ultimately, relies on the imperceptibility, hiding capacity, and robustness against attacks. Although many video steganography methods exist, several of them lack the preprocessing stages. In addition, less security, low embedding capacity, less imperceptibility, and less robustness against attacks are other issues that affect these algorithms. This dissertation investigates and analyzes cutting edge video steganography techniques in both compressed and raw domains. Moreover, it provides solutions for the aforementioned problems by proposing new and effective methods for digital video steganography. The key objectives of this research are to develop: 1) a highly secure video steganography algorithm based on error correcting codes (ECC); 2) an increased payload video steganography algorithm in the discrete wavelet domain based on ECC; 3) a novel video steganography algorithm based on Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi (KLT) tracking and ECC; 4) a robust video steganography algorithm in the wavelet domain based on KLT tracking and ECC; 5) a new video steganography algorithm based on the multiple object tracking (MOT) and ECC; and 6) a robust and secure video steganography algorithm in the discrete wavelet and discrete cosine transformations based on MOT and ECC. The experimental results from our research demonstrate that our proposed algorithms achieve higher embedding capacity as well as better imperceptibility of stego videos. Furthermore, the preprocessing stages increase the security and robustness of the proposed algorithms against attacks when compared to state-of-the-art steganographic methods
A Cognitive Approach to Mobile Robot Environment Mapping and Path Planning
No full textThis thesis presents a novel neurophysiological based navigation system which uses less memory and power than other neurophysiological based systems, as well as traditional navigation systems performing similar tasks. This is accomplished by emulating the rodent’s specialized navigation and spatial awareness brain cells, as found in and around the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, at a higher level of abstraction than previously used neural representations. Specifically, the focus of this research will be on replicating place cells, boundary cells, head direction cells, and grid cells using data structures and logic driven by each cell’s interpreted behavior. This method is used along with a unique multimodal source model for place cell activation to create a cognitive map. Path planning is performed by using a combination of Euclidean distance path checking, goal memory, and the A* algorithm. Localization is accomplished using simple, low power sensors, such as a camera, ultrasonic sensors, motor encoders and a gyroscope. The place code data structures are initialized as the mobile robot finds goal locations and other unique locations, and are then linked as paths between goal locations, as goals are found during exploration. The place code creates a hybrid cognitive map of metric and topological data. In doing so, much less memory is needed to represent the robot’s roaming environment, as compared to traditional mapping methods, such as occupancy grids. A comparison of the memory and processing savings are presented, as well as to the functional similarities of our design to the rodent’ specialized navigation cells
Best Instructional Practices for English Language Learners: A Program Evaluation
No full textStamford Public Schools’ host approximately 2000 ELL students. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a professional development program designed specifically for the district to increase teachers’ knowledge of instruction specific to English Language Learners (ELLs) and make the delivery of that instruction common across all grades and schools
Environmentally Concerned Logistics Operations in Fuzzy Environment: A Literature Survey
No full textGrowing environmental awareness coupled with stricter governmental regulations has fueled the need for integrating sustainability into supply chain and logistics activities. Accordingly, recent studies in the literature have emphasized the significance of environmentally concerned logistics operations (ECLO). Research in the broad area of ECLO encompasses a wide range of topics including sustainable supply chain, green supply chain, closed-loop supply chain, low-carbon logistics, and waste management. In this paper, a comprehensive content analysis and area review is presented. Over 800 papers published between 1994 and 2017 in peer-reviewed journals, proceedings, and book chapters are utilized. These papers are analyzed in consecutive stages after being reviewed under a structural dimension process that addresses the fields of environmentally concerned logistics operations. Following the state-of-the-art review, a detailed analysis of ECLO research with a special emphasis on fuzzy applications is provided. The findings clearly indicate that the fuzzy multi-criteria decision making technique is a frequently used hybrid method, whereas fuzzy sets theory and other fuzzy hybrid techniques identify a gap in the related literature. This paper provides further critical analysis and other research suggestions in order to clarify these gaps and offer additional research perspectives. This information may provide extensive data that will enable future researchers to fill these gaps within this field.https://doi.org/10.3390/logistics101000
Exploring Contributing Factors to Oral Health Disparities Seen Among Adult Immigrants
No full textThe objective of the research study was to help identify sociodemographics, socioeconomic status, and cultural barriers that may have been a contributing or limiting factor to immigrants’ oral health. Each of these factors were looked at closer by narrowing down possible subproblems among three immigrant social groups of Brazilian, Indian, and Korean ethnicities at the researchers’ respective local churches (4 in total). A total of one-hundred and forty-nine subjects (n=149) were involved in the research study