Search results

Recognizing facial expressions and emotions is a basic skill that is learned at an early age and it is important for human social interaction. Facial expressions are one of the most powerful natural and immediate means that humans use to express their feelings and intentions. Therefore, automatic emotion recognition based on facial expressions become an interesting area in research, which had been introduced and applied in many areas such as security, safety health, and human machine interface (HMI). Facial expression recognition transition from controlled environmental conditions and their improvement and succession of recent deep learning approaches from different areas made facial expression representation mostly based on using a deep neural network that is generally divided into two critical issues. These are a variation of expression and overfitting. Expression variations such as identity bias, head pose, illumination, and overfitting formed as a result of a lack of training data. This paper firstly discussed the general background and terminology utilized in facial expression recognition in field of computer vision and image processing. Secondly, we discussed general pipeline of deep learning. After that, for facial expression recognition to classify emotion there should be datasets in order to compare the image with the datasets for classifying the emotion. Besides that we summarized, discussed, and compared illustrated various recent approaches of researchers that have used deep techniques as a base for facial expression recognition, then we briefly presented and highlighted the classification of the deep feature. Finally, we summarized the most critical challenges and issues that are widely present for overcoming, improving, and designing an efficient deep facial expression recognition system.

Blockchain technologies have grown in popularity over the last few years, with various experts touting the technology's potential applications in a range of businesses, markets, organizations, and governmental institutions. In the brief history of blockchain, an astounding number of incredible implementations have been done in terms of how it may be utilized and the potential effect it may have on a range of sectors. And, because of the great number and complexity of these characteristics, addressing the blockchain's potential and complications can be difficult, especially when seeking to address its purpose and fit for a certain activity. The blockchain's practical skills in fixing multiple challenges that are currently preventing further progress in various industrial fields are significant benefits. Securing and sharing transactional data, automating and optimizing supply chain procedures, and enhancing transparency throughout the value chain are just a few of the issues that companies are concerned about. Blockchain technology efficiently overcomes these challenges by leveraging distributed, shared, secure, and permission-based transactional ledgers. This paper concentrates on the many industrial application domains that blockchain technology offers. In addition, it examines and investigates the benefits, drawbacks, and challenges of incorporating blockchain into various industry applications, as well as defines the criteria for using blockchain in multiple industry applications and provides a brief overview of the technology.

THIS PAPER IS A COMPILATION OF FOUR SEPARATE CONFERENCE PAPERS, COVERING HOUSING, UNEMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION AND HEALTH. THE LEGAL DIMENSION, THE NEGLECT OF THE PLO AND THE REDUCTION IN AVAILABLE FUNDING ARE COMMON STRANDS RUNNING THROUGH THE FOUR PAPERS. UNRWA, WITH ITS INSTITUTIONAL AND BUDGETARY LIMITATIONS, IS THE PRINCIPAL GUARANTOR AGAINST FURTHER DECLINE IN THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF PALESTINIANS IN LEBANON. FOR BOTH PRACTICAL AND POLITICAL REASONS, MOST OF THE PROPOSED SOLUTIONS TO THE HOUSING, EDUCATIONAL AND HEALTH CONDITIONS ARE CONCEIVED WITHIN THE AGENCY'S FRAMEWORK. ALL THE PAPERS DEAL WITH SOCIAL AND CIVIL RIGHTS, SINCE LEGAL ISSUES PERMEATE EVERY SOCIO-ECONOMIC LEVEL. THE PAPERS CHALLENGE THE LEBANESE GOVERNMENT TO ANNUAL RESTRICTIONS, TO RESPECT HUMAN RIGHTS AND TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL DIMENSION OF THE PALESTINIAN PRESENCE IN LEBANON. PALESTINIAN CAMPS ARE SEEN AS SOCIAL SPACES THAT NEED TO BE IMPROVED, UPGRADED, EXPANDED BUT NEVER ISOLATED OR DISBANDED. THE INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION, IN THE FORM OF THE PEACE PROCESS, IS ALSO ADDRESSED BY ALL THE WRITES. FOR THE PALESTINIANS IN LEBANON, THIS IS SHOWN TO BE A PROCESS WHICH HAS CREATED A NO-WIN SITUATION AND ONE WHICH HAS ONLY SERVED TO EXACERBATE THEIR SUFFERING AND HARDSHIP.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease that affects the respiratory system. In addition to the severe effects of the disease on health, the pandemic caused a negative impact on basic needs and services, employment, education, and economy worldwide. In Jordan, the whole country locked down, and quarantine was enforced by the military forces, which successfully controlled the spread of the disease. This research aims to study the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated quarantine on university students' beliefs about online learning practice in Jordan. An online descriptive survey involved questions that covered students' demographic information, student's basic and advanced knowledge about COVID-19, students' online learning experience during the quarantine, and finally students' views on the enforced quarantine practice in Jordan. Results showed that students have a good knowledge (>50%) about the COVID-19 basic information and a moderate knowledge (90%) supported the military-enforced quarantine implemented in the country despite the hard time the students had during the quarantine. We conclude that university students were able to protect themselves from COVID-19 through their good knowledge about the infectious disease and their commitment to follow the rules imposed by the Government of Jordan. Nevertheless, the challenges caused by the pandemic and its associated quarantine, combined with the sudden ...

AbstractPolyethersulfone (PES) blended with glycopeptide Vancomycin was fabricated via phase inversion method. The fabricated membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), contact angle (CA) and optical profilometry. The PES/Vancomycin membranes showed a notable increase in hydrophilicity, porosity, pore size, antibacterial activity and water flux in comparison with pristine membranes. The changes are due to the hydrophilic nature of Vancomycin molecules and ability to form hydrogen bond quickly. The surface hydrophilicity of PES/Vancomycin membranes decreased up to 48° with increase in surface roughness (Ra), that is, 0.347 μm, thus increasing the water flux of PES/Vancomycin membranes up to 340 L/m2. h. The bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection decreases, that is, pristine 70.9% to PES/Vancomycin 26% and BSA flux increases at constant ionic strength (0.1) and above the isoelectric point (IEP) of the BSA. Under these conditions, electrostatic interactions are expected to be minimum between protein and the membrane surfaces.