Islam A. T. F. Taj-Eddin

Additive preconditioning and aggregation in matrix computations

We combine our novel SVD-free additive preconditioning with aggregation and other relevant techniques to facilitate the solution of a linear system of equations and other fundamental matrix computations. Our analysis and experiments show the power of our algorithms, guide us in selecting most effective policies of preconditioning and aggregation, and provide some new insights into these and related subjects. Compared to the popular SVD-based multiplicative preconditioners, our additive preconditioners are generated more readily and for a much larger class of matrices. Furthermore, they better preserve matrix structure and sparseness and have a wider range of applications (e.g., they facilitate the solution of a consistent singular linear system of equations and of the eigenproblem).

E-Learning and motivation effects on Egyptian higher education

The information technology educational programs at most universities in Egypt face many obstacles that can be overcome using technology enhanced learning. An open source Moodle eLearning platform has been implemented at many universities in Egypt, as an aid to deliver e-content and to provide the institution with various possibilities for implementing asynchronous e-learning web-based modules. This paper shows that the use of interactive features of e-learning increases the motivation of the undergraduate students for the learning process.

Beyond android: An essential integration for better utilization

Modern mobile communication technology had solved many problems for business and individuals. Modern open source android applications are featured individually. The integration of such applications will be essential for team managers or seniors. Many trials of integration do exist such as TripIt, Gist, TouchDown and iSolve, as an example. In this paper we introduced an integrated third party application that has essential features and functions. The proposed application is user friendly, efficient and cost effective.

Developing an Android Mobile Bluetooth Chat Messenger as an Interactive and Collaborative Learning Aid

With the development of digital technologies in recent decades, there has been drastic change in the mode of communication and usages of digital accessories in our today lives. It is sure that invention of mobile phone/smart phone has enhanced our life standard and made life easier. The main aim of this research paper is to analyze, design, build and test Bluetooth chat software. The software has been developed as an Interactive and collaborative learning aid. That tool could benefit students in general specially students with disability. Using the developed system, disable students can connect with their peer students, who are within Bluetooth range, without having access to Wi-Fi or Internet. The application does not require any Internet connection, the application works just with Bluetooth connectivity, users can send free message to their friends sitting over classroom, school playgrounds and festivals, when nearby, without a cellular connection or Wi-Fi. Moreover, the application is very easy to use. Bluetooth messaging is also great for making new friends in a library or chatting up someone in crowded places, because one can hook up with anyone who has a Bluetooth-enabled phone. There were previous attempts to create a similar product with little success. Short Messaging Service (SMS) offers the same services as Bluetooth Chat for a fee; but the developed Bluetooth Chat Messenger is free. The research will elaborate on the details.

Semantic-Web automated course management and evaluation system using mobile applications

Different types of e-assessment systems that are recognized at universities and based on the campus wireless have been developed. These systems help the students to use their Mobile Phones as learning media to access the information more easily from anywhere and at anytime. Seppala and Alamaki developed a mobile learning project for teacher training. Their study compared the effectiveness of internet, face-to-face and mobile based instructions. Al Masri has proposed a study to compare the effective strategy in paper-based assessment with mobile-based assessment for assessing university students in English literature. It has been found that students gained better scores in mobile phone-based test than in paper-based test. This paper aims to determine and measure the effects of mobile-based assessments on the perception, achievement levels and performance of the students in internet-assisted courses. The main functionalities and features of this paper are: Knowledge evaluation, automatic generation of exams, exam grading, communication, course management, and questions-bank database.

Can we see photosynthesis? Magnifying the tiny color changes of plant green leaves using Eulerian video magnification

Plant aliveness is proven through laboratory experiments and special scientific instruments. In this paper, we aim to detect the degree of animation of plants based on the magnification of the small color changes in the plants green leaves using the Eulerian video magnification. Capturing the video under a controlled environment, e.g., using a tripod and direct current (DC) light sources, reduces camera movements and minimizes light fluctuations; we aim to reduce the external factors as much as possible. The acquired video is then stabilized and a proposed algorithm used to reduce the illumination variations. Lastly, the Euler magnification is utilized to magnify the color changes on the light invariant video. The proposed system does not require any special purpose instruments as it uses a digital camera with a regular frame rate. The results of magnified color changes on both natural and plastic leaves show that the live green leaves have color changes in contrast to the plastic leaves. Hence, we can argue that the color changes of the leaves are due to biological operations, such as photosynthesis. To date, this is possibly the first work that focuses on interpreting visually, some biological operations of plants without any special purpose instruments.

A new compression technique for surveillance videos: Evaluation using new dataset

Traditional video surveillance takes a huge amount of space storage. Recording everything captured by a surveillance camera consumes the storage devices used by the system. Extracting useful and meaningful information from surveillance videos is a time consuming process due to the long time of the recorded videos. These drawbacks limit the effectiveness of traditional video surveillance systems. In this paper, we propose and elaborate on a compression method which investigates the fact that surveillance videos may last for a long time with no changes in the scene it monitors. Using this fact, a new compression technique that reduces the size of the videos dramatically was developed. We also present a dataset for low quality surveillance videos which can be used by researchers for applying different algorithms and techniques in the field of surveillance videos.

A Proposed Lightweight Cloud Security Framework to Secure Communications Between Internet of Things Devices

Cloud services can be categorized into Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), the Platform as a Service (PaaS) and the Software as a Service (SaaS). In (Iaas), the whole IT infrastructure can be delivered as a service. In (Paas), a virtual platform over the internet gives users the ability to develop and deploy applications. In (SaaS), it provides accessing an application through the internet on demand. In the (SaaS) layer, a single instance on the cloud for multiple users could be provided. Google Apps, one of the most powerful (SaaS) that is used by many institutes to provide a variety of Web-based applications for business, education, and government. Security in Cloud computing is an important and critical problem. Cloud service provider and the cloud service consumer should make sure that the cloud is safe enough from all the external threats so that the customer does not face any problem such as loss of data or data theft. Internets of Things (IoT) are small IP enabled devices that can cooperate to perform specific functions for various set of applications. This new emerging technology is strongly involved in applications that have direct impact on human welfare, such as business, education and government. Securing IoT device’s communications are becoming a must. In this paper a lightweight technique for secure and authentic communication between IoT devices. That lightweight technique is based on framework of ideas from virtual server, network management and cloud services.

Comparable and Analytical Study Between Some Security Issues in Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing appears as a computational model and a distributive architecture framework. The main objectives of cloud computing are to provide secure, quick, convenient data storage and net computing service, with all computing resources visualized as services and delivered over the Internet. The term “Cloud Computing” has been in the spotlights of IT, CS and CE specialists in the last years because of its potential to transform this industry. Security in Cloud Computing is an important and critical aspect, and has numerous issues and problem related to it. Cloud service provider and the cloud service consumer should make sure that the cloud is safe enough from all the external threats so that the customer does not face any problem such as loss of data or data theft. This research presents and classifies the factors that affect the security of the cloud then it explores the cloud security issues and problems faced by cloud service provider and cloud service consumer. The main goal of this research study is to introduce a comparable analysis for the proposed security issues, the security categories, and the cloud computing services.

Using handheld mobile system for teaching illiterates

Handheld device systems had been used as a tool for teaching special needs people because of the graphics and simplicity of the usage. Can a handheld device system, such as cellular phone, be used for teaching illiterates people? This paper explores and exploits the possibility of the development of a mobile system to help the illiterate people in Egypt.