Ali Al-Dahoud

An approach to the specification of user interface templates for business applications

Through a number of research projects we propose a form-driven approach to business application generation. Our IIS*Studio development environment (IIS*Studio DE, current version 7.1) is aimed to support the form-driven approach and provides the information system (IS) design and generating executable business application prototypes. An executable business application specification, generated by means of IIS*Studio, may be visually interpreted in different ways. In the paper we present the extension of the IIS*Studio repository containing the common model of user interface (UI). The IIS*UIModeler is an integrated part of the IIS*Studio development environment, aimed at modelling UI templates. Applying it, a designer specifies UI templates. UI template specification contains attribute values that describe common UI characteristics, such as: screen size, main application window position, background/foreground colour, etc. UI template specifications are independent from any specific IS project specification, generated by means of IIS*Studio tool. The same UI template may be used for the business application prototype generation of different ISs. Also, the same IS project specification may be visually interpreted in different ways by means of different UI templates. The specification of a UI template may be seen as a fully platform independent UI model. Besides the detail description of UI template common model, we illustrate the main features of the IIS* UIModeler tool.

Dependability Aspects of e-Learning Systems

This work is devoted to dependability analysis of e-learning systems. Authors present technical aspects of the software part of e-learning systems (e-learning platforms, distant lectures, multimedia presentations and virtual laboratories). Next, a high availability approach to hardware part is discussed. It is followed by a short analysis of several dependability aspects (availability, usability, scalability, interoperability, stability and security) with a conclusion that business continuity is a crucial factor. Therefore, the analysis of the e-learning system monitoring techniques is given. It is followed by a proposition of a new technique of monitoring: the virtual user representative.

Video fingerprinting using AED of CGO based signatures

Video fingerprinting is the process of extracting features from a given video. These fingerprints, are used to uniquely identify a video from other videos. The goal of a video fingerprinting system is to decide whether two videos have the same contents or not, by measuring distance between fingerprints extracted from these videos. This paper proposes, a simple and fast video fingerprints matching method. The proposed method is based on matching of centroids of gradient orientation using Absolute Euclidean Distance (AED). The Absolute Euclidean Distance, is chosen for matching because of its low calculation complexity and more accurate performance as compared to other matching measures. Experimental results show that the proposed method performs fairly well for videos affected by various types of video processing techniques and distortions such as compression, resizing, blurring, cropping, rotation etc. as compared to existing SED method.

A comparative analysis of data fragmentation in distributed database

Distributed database technology is supposed to have a remarkable impact on data processing in the next years. This paper overviews Data Fragmentations in distributed database system. We discussed in briefly distributed database environment, fragmentations and distributed databases design. We compared between the horizontal fragmentations, vertical fragmentations, and mixed fragmentations. The Correctness rules of fragmentation have been used; the best type of Data Fragmentations for distributed databases design has been suggested.

Remote monitoring system for solar power panels using intelligent sensors network

Improving pre-installed monitoring system for a set of Photovoltaic (PV) panels, using wireless sensor network (WNS) with embedded fuzzy controller, is our contribution in this work in order to control and detect faults within solar panels that affect considerably the energy produced by the solar panels. The new solution is to integrate the detection and classification of faults within the sensors node. The proposed classifier based on Fuzzy logic controller is integrated within the Node. The WSN nodes are implemented with appropriate sensors for more often occurred faults on the solar power panels. A simulation has been done on nodes distribution and a study for the design of a node with appropriate sensors taking into account the priorities of the processing faults. The primary results of simulation are very encouraging in point of fast detection of faults with minimum computation and minimum data transmission.

Multiclass SVM/HMM Vowels Recognition System Towards Improving Human Computer Interaction

In this paper, we present experimental results on using vowels and one syllable words (VOSW) to activate some input device such as the control of mouse pointer on the screen. This type of Human Computer Interface might be used by a category of disabled person such as upper arm and finger stroke. Our goal is to design a system for the control of mouse cursor based on voice input command, using the pronunciation of certain vowels and some syllable words which can be produced even by persons affected by chronic inflammation of the larynx and vocal fold nodules. Linear predictive coefficients (LPC) and Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCCs) with derivatives are selected as features. Multiclass SVM then Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) have been tested as classifiers for matching components (vowels and short words). Tests and results using different features were are presented on tables, then the two classifiers were experimented independently and results were registered. Finally a verbal user interface has been designed and experienced on web page browser.

Dependable E-learning Systems

Education in nowadays fast changing world is a very important aspect. The need of gaining more professional knowledge, shortening the time available for stationary methods of learning (esp. when somebody works) resulted in the development of distant learning methods [UNDP, 2002]. In a more widely usage of internet and development of internet based techniques for distributing multimedia materials a modern distant learning [M. Woda, 2006] is commonly known as e-learning. E-learning is being more willingly and widely employed [W. Baranski W., Walkowiak T., 2003],[Ch. Dean, 2002]. Therefore, in an effort to diversify this form of sharing knowledge, it is common to use various available tools given by the available technology. We can safely say that Internet is at present the most interesting and dynamically expanding medium for providing educational contents in a truly distributed fashion for different actors. E-learning becomes also very important for traditional universities. On one hand development of e-learning gives universities opportunity to reach potential wider audience. On the other there is a large need from students for supporting traditional way of teaching by a internet based one (so called blending learning). During the last decade necessity of education, that facilitate gaining new abilities in IT and High Tech related professions, was exposed. The job market situation constantly changes; this state enforces constant skill improvement and also people retraining whose jobs are being replaced by automated processes. A lot of universities create new educational services based on different e-learning solutions. This situation resulted in growing interest of jobless community and youth toward alternative forms of learning. This form of teaching, when well organized, gives new undisputed opportunities for many social strata. Despite of the fact that e-learning already proved its great usefulness, it suffers from many childlike deficiencies. We can count, among other things, to these drawbacks lack of the coherent vision for learning process accomplishment, practical guidelines how to organize consistent learning content. Due to these disadvantages e-learning is being perceived ambiguously and incorrectly implemented in e-systems, which leads to limitation its reliability. Usually, in reality, theory and practice are not on the par, same situation is clearly visible in e-learning theory and its implementations. In e-learning, whole pressure was put on the theory of learning, and there is no restrictions or even practical guidelines 15