Automatic reflective writing analysis based on semantic concepts

This study proposes a semantic-based approach for reflective writing analysis to overcome the limitations of existing shallow processing approaches. The semantic analysis examines the meaning of linguistic input that depends mainly on transferring words, phrases and sentences into concepts in knowledge sources, such as WordNet- Affect and analysing the relationships of mapped concepts in the underlying know ledge sources. The proposed reflective writing analysis approach focuses on the efficiency of using affectional and emotional concepts identified in WordNet-Affect to classify text into reflective or non-reflective

Towards Measuring Learning Effectiveness considering Presence, Engagement and Immersion in a Mixed and Augmented Reality Learning Environment

The current era of advanced display technologies, such as a head mounted displays, smart glasses and handheld devices, have supported the usage of mixed-reality and augmented reality concepts in smart educational classrooms. These advanced technologies have enabled enhanced collaboration and an interactive communication between distance learners and local learners. Being present' is a key factor in both worlds (real and virtual) as it plays an important role in increasing the students' collaborative engagement during the learning activity. However, few studies have considered how much using such immersive interfaces with various learning scenarios may ultimately affect learning outcomes, and whether students feel fully engaged or not in such environments. This work-in-progress paper will demonstrate a MiRTLE+ prototype of how remote students can collaborate within mixed-reality environments by using an augmented reality approach. Secondly, it will explore the learning effectiveness based on the following factors: students' presence, engagement, and immersion in smart environments. With regard to the learning task, we will consider a card game task to measure the learners' progress as they progress from novice to expert player. To evaluate these factors, we utilise several existing frameworks which have been applied to our mixed-reality worlds that help us to examine the learning outcomes from using these environments

Children and their parent's perceptions of overweight and obesity in Kuwait children

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children are a major public health concern internationally. Recognition of overweight and obesity status is an important step to prevent unhealthy weight. This study was designed to assess the prevalence and to explore the perceptions of children and their parents towards overweight and obesity in children. Methods: A cross-sectional study approach was utilized surveying 635 children aged 11 to 14 years (males and females) in 12 randomly selected public schools in Kuwait. Trained nurses performed measurements of children's height and weight to determine their Body Mass Index.Valid questionnaire were used to assess children and their parent perception of child's weight. Results: One quarter of the surveyed children 25.5% (N = 162) were overweight. Over one third of the participants 36.5% (N = 232) were classified as obese. The nurses' measurements did not coincide with the children's perceptions but were better aligned with parents' perceptions of overweight and obesity. Conclusion: The results indicated that there is high prevalence of overweight and obesity among Kuwaiti children. Furthermore, both the children and their parents underestimate the child weight status. Health education programs are highly recommended

AutoScor: An Automated System for Essay Questions Scoring

The automated scoring or evaluation for written student responses have been, and are still a highly interesting topic for both education and natural language processing, NLP, researchers alike. With the obvious motivation of the difficulties teachers face when marking or correcting open essay questions; the development of automatic scoring methods have recently received much attention. In this paper, we developed and compared number of NLP techniques that accomplish this task. The baseline for this study is based on a vector space model, VSM. Where after normalisation, the baseline-system represents each essay by a vector, and subsequently calculates its score using the cosine similarity between it and the vector of the model answer. This baseline is then compared with the improved model, which takes the document structure into account. To evaluate our system, we used real essays that submitted for computer science course. Each essay was independently scored by two teachers, which we used as our gold standard. The systems’ scoring was then compared to both teachers. A high emphasis was added to the evaluation when the two human assessors are in agreement. The systems’ results show a high and promising performance

Performance Evaluation of Semi-transparent CdTe Thin Film Photovoltaic for Building Façade Applications

In recent years, building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) applications have gained a considerable interest. Different semi-transparent photovoltaic (STPV) glazing can be used in such applications. This thesis aims to investigate the thermal performance, energy performance and daylight performance of a CdTe thin-film based semi-transparent PV glazing of different transparencies. Outdoor and indoor experimental setups were installed, in Penryn, UK, to investigate the performance of 35%, 25%, 19% and 0.5% CdTe thin-film based semi-transparent photovoltaic glazing in comparison to conventional clear glazing under realistic conditions. Data from the experimental setups were collected in different day conditions and different orientations that are South and South West. Overall heat transfer coefficient (U-value) and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) were calculated for thermal performance evaluation. Net energy performance was evaluated for energy performance assessment. Daylight glare index (DGI) and daylight factor (DF) were calculated for daylight performance evaluation. Results showed that, CdTe STPV glazing are better thermal insulators than conventional single glazing, and CdTe STPV glazing with lower transparencies have better thermal insulation property than higher transparency ones. In addition, compared to conventional single glazing, the application CdTe STPV glazing can achieved a net energy saving up to 20%. Moreover, Using CdTe STPV as a glazing façade can control the daylight glare inside the enclosures to acceptable levels, it also permits for usable daylight to be transmitted into enclosures

In vivo mechanical assessment of human elbow kinematics using a six axis parallel mechanism developed in house

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel UniversityElbow joint laxity is a problem that normally comes with age; it increases up to critical levels due to rupture or damage to the ligaments of the elbow and affects the stability and capacities of the joint, interfering even with daily activities. This work investigates the kinematics of the elbow through in-vivo experimental measurement. To this end, a platform based on Stewart Platform mechanism was built and used at the bioengineering labs of Brunel University in West London, the UK, to measure the six degrees of freedom of the joint. This thesis aims to develop a method to simulate such motion which could be used for elbow implant design and manufacture. This work contributes to both the basic science of joint movement measurement and to the clinical applications of diagnosing elbow illness. In addition this research presents the preliminary results for a design for elbow implants. Tracking system developed in house was used to measure the degrees of freedom in healthy elbow motion. A pilot study was performed to assess the joint motion and its repeatability. A group of volunteers with normal elbow movement was used to carry out this study. A Stewart Platform mechanism based on the tracking system was used in this study as a non-invasive tool to capture elbow joint motion and track the trajectory and pattern of the motion in three-dimensional space. This thesis aimed to develop a method to simulate the elbow joint motion that could potentially be used for the elbow implants design and there manufacture. The goal of this study was achieved by in vivo measurement of the elbow movement. It was found that the results vary from person to person, but a healthy pattern of motion can be distinguished from an abnormal pattern. To ensure the result, the motion of the right and left hand of each person was compared,allowing the behaviour of the elbow motion to be judged and the results can help surgeons to analyze the motion of the elbow joint and follow up suspicions of abnormal behaviour in the joint or trace any possible joint laxity. Furthermore, the errors involved with the mechanism were calculated and appropriate factors were applied to correct them. As part of this study the manufacturing of medical implants was reviewed and discussed.Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) in the State of Kuwait

TRAUMATIC INJURIES PRESENTING TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IN A LEVEL-1

Objective: Traumas are a major health concern in Saudi Arabia, and they can result in many injuries burden. Furthermore, it is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the worldwide. As a result, the awareness of physicians who are the first to see trauma is critical. The study aims to determine the prevalence of traumatic injuries in emergency department. Methods: It is a retrospective study that used the trauma registry of the King Abdulaziz Medical City, Trauma Center to analyze data from January 2015 to January 2020 on trauma patients admitted to the hospital. Demographic features, date and time of admission, type and mechanism of injury, patterns of transportation, and rates of severity were analyzed. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 6095 patients, the majority were male (79.9%). Blunt trauma was the most prevalent type of injury (85.7%, p<0.001). A motor vehicle accident was the most prevalent mechanism of injury (37.5%). The highest proportion of trauma per age group was in the 21–30 year age group (28.7%). The mean of Injury Severity Score in the current study was found to be 10.7 and the injured patients’ Glasgow coma scale (GCS) mean was 13.4. The ICU stay average was 3.6 days while the hospital stay was 17.2 days. Conclusion: This study revealed trauma injury patterns in a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, demonstrating the local variation across genders, age groups, types of injury, and mechanisms of injury. These demographic data would be useful for local resourcing of the healthcare system to full impact

An Investigation of Quality of Urban Life: A Case Study of Quba Municipality, Medina City, Saudi Arabia

The term quality of urban life (QoUL) usually refers to the well-being of people and the quality of the environment in which they live. Over the past three decades, there has been an increasing interest in the study and an investigation of QoUL, which has attracted the attention of researchers in several fields, such as geography, psychology, economics, politics and sociology. In general, outputs of QoUL investigation can be used to diagnose previous policy strategies and to design future planning policies. The investigation of QoUL provides a basis of data that helps identify issues concerning the urban environment, causes of dissatisfaction, people’s priorities in their daily lives, as well as monitoring and assessment of the efficiency of policies and strategies related to QoUL. Despite the large body of QoUL literature, there is still no agreed definition, or agreement over the way in which QoUL is investigated. However, there is wide consensus that QoUL has both subjective and objective dimensions. Although QoUL has been of interest in many disciplines around the world during the past three decades, it is relatively unexplored in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the QoUL in the city of Medina, the case of Quba Municipality. To this end, this research uses different conceptual approaches, namely functionalist and postmodernity approaches, in order to provide an overarching understanding of the QoUL characteristics in the study area. Such understanding involves identifying the most influential aspects of the physical, economic, social and cultural domains, and exploring the impact of these aspects on QoUL in the study area. In so doing, this thesis tries to address some key challenges related to the current approaches to QoUL and provides a research framework of investigation that may lead to rethinking about QoUL