Research Title: Heuristic Evaluation of Microsoft Teams as an Online Teaching Platform: An Educators’ Perspective

Author: Lamis Al-Qoran, Published Year: 2022

Computers, 11(12)

Faculty: Information Technology

Abstract: The way that education is delivered changed significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic to be completely online in many countries for many institutions. Despite the fact that they are not online teaching platforms, virtual meeting platforms were utilized to deal with this transformation. One of the platforms Philadelphia University utilized for the unplanned shift to online teaching was Microsoft Teams. This paper examines how heuristic evaluation may be used to guide the evaluation of online meeting platforms for teaching and focuses on the use of heuristic evaluation to assess the level of usability of Microsoft Teams. The level of Zoom’s usability is also evaluated using heuristic evaluation in order to compare it to that of Microsoft Teams and to assess Microsoft Teams’ overall usability in comparison to other platforms being used for the same purpose. Microsoft Teams was identified as having a few issues that need to be addressed. Additionally, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to Microsoft Teams’ usability were assessed.

Keywords: Microsoft Teams; usability; usability evaluation; heuristic evaluation

Research Title: Jasmine (Jasminum sambac L., Oleaceae) oils

Author: Yousef Abdel-Kareem Abusamra, Published Year: 2016

Faculty: Pharmacy

Abstract: An ideal food preservative should ensure that foods and food products remain safe and unspoiled. Essential oil as whole or its components can contribute in the prevention of food spoilage. The potency of naturally occurring antimicrobial agents or essential oil from plants varies from species to species. To achieve the goal of preservation using natural compounds/extracts/essential oils can be done by combining essential oil or its components from various species. Since an ideal agent should ensure the complete protection from food spoilage, mode of action, synergistic and antagonistic effects of the agent have to be considered. In this chapter, the potential value of jasmine essential oil for its antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant action is discussed for food preservation. Apart from other uses of jasmine essential oil, it has been found to be active against various gram-negative, gram-positive bacteria and fungi. This property of jasmine oil allows it to be used in food preservation. It also possesses antioxidant activity. The major components of jasmine essential oil are linalool, benzyl acetate, and benzyl benzoate. The linalool is a monoterpeniod alcohol also found in other antimicrobial essential oils. The antimicrobial activity of most terpenoids is linked to their functional groups, and it has been shown that the hydroxyl group of phenolic terpenoids and the presence of delocalized electrons are important for the antimicrobial activity. The mode of action of linalool is associated with membrane expansion, increased membrane fluidity and permeability, disturbance of membrane-embedded proteins, inhibition of respiration, and alteration of ion transport processes of microorganisms. Synergistic antimicrobial effect has been observed for linalool when combined with other groups of monoterpenoids, that is, phenolic monoterpenoid. Various regulatory bodies such as the European commission and US Food and Drug Administration have registered linalool to be a safe flavoring agent used for food products.

Keywords: Jasmine; Jasminum sambac; antifungal; essential oil; preservative; flavor

Research Title: Polymeric-Based Formulation as Smart Drug Delivery System

Author: Mohammad Bayan, Published Year: 2022

Polymers-eCon2022, online

Faculty: Pharmacy

Abstract: Conventional oral formulations are mainly absorbed in the small intestine. This limits their use in the treatment of some diseases associated with the colon, where the drug has to act topically at the inflammation site. This paved the way for the development of a smart colonic drug delivery system, thereby improving the therapeutic efficacy, reducing the dosing frequency and potential side effects, as well as improving patient acceptance, especially in cases where enemas or other topical preparations may not be effective alone in treating the inflammation. In healthy individuals, it takes an oral medication delivery system about 5 to 6 h to reach the colon. A colonic drug delivery system should delay or prohibit the medication release during these five to six hours while permitting its release afterward. The main aim of this study was to develop a smart drug delivery system based on pH-sensitive polymeric formulations, synthesized by a free-radical bulk polymerization method, using different monomer and crosslinker concentrations. The formulations were loaded with 5-amino salicylic acid as a model drug and Capmul MCM C8 as a bioavailability enhancer. The characterization, in vitro swelling and release studies were performed to evaluate the produced formulations, determine the ability of the developed system to retard the drug release at conditions mimicking the stomach and small intestine while triggering its release at conditions mimicking the colon. The polymer-based formulation was found its promising applicability as a potential smart colonic drug delivery system.

Keywords: 5-amino salicylic acid; smart delivery system; sustainable polymers; triggered drug delivery; ulcerative colitis

Research Title: The extension of the scope of genetic-morphological approach to the kinematics of cutting

Author: Hasan Abdel-Razzaq Al Dabbas, Published Year: 2013

Herson Conference , Herson

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: The motion transmitted by a machine to both a tool and a workpiece being shaped, can be expressed by means of the fundamental kinematic cutting schemes [1, 8, 9 ]. As per the conventional fundamental kinematic cutting scheme, the movement of cutting elements of the tool relative to the surfaces of the workpiece being cut follows a path relative to working motion at speeds, predetermined by relations: the tool (T)–the workpiece (D).

Keywords: Cutting Edges,Tool Relative ,kinematic cutting

Research Title: Static And Dynamic Analysis Of Bevel Gear Set

Author: Hasan Abdel-Razzaq Al Dabbas, Published Year: 2017

Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (IOSR-JMCE), Volume 14, Issue 5 V

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: Abstract: This paper presents a static and dynamic simulation and analysis of the bevel gear set using Solidworks software, stress, strain, deformation, reactions and torque are calculated. Dimensions and materials of the bevel gears are important factors in determining the values of stress, strain, and displacement. The change in angular velocity and torque applied also change the values of stress, strain, and displacement of the bevel gear.

Keywords: Bevel gears, static, dynamic, stress, strain, deformation, solidworks

Research Title: FABRICATION OF STIR CASTING FURNACE AND PRODUCTION OF METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES

Author: Hasan Abdel-Razzaq Al Dabbas, Published Year: 2016

,

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: ABSTRACT- The fabrication of Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) using the stir casting technique is the focus of this study. A significant part of the work consists of the design of a specialized rig for this high temperature processing method. Following preliminary tests, graphite is chosen as the crucible material in which melting of the molten metal takes place. Al 6061 is chosen as the matrix material and SiC particles with mesh size 460 as the reinforcement material. In order to optimize stirring conditions, an externally operated motor driven stirrer is used to stimulate the fluid flow in the process crucible. The main research challenge was to solve the problem of poor wet ability between particulate SiC and molten aluminium, materials which are potentially suitable to the proposed fabrication approach as reinforcement and matrix materials respectively The percentages of SiC particles used are in the range of 2 to 4 weight percent, samples were cast into ingot or tensile specimen, It is found that increasing the silicon carbide content, increase the mechanical properties such as hardness and tensile strength of the matrix alloy. Characterization of the MMCs produced included observation of tensile strength, brinel hardness, and wear strength measurements. The fabrication approach is successful in producing cast MMCs samples which have reasonable mechanical properties. The use of clean SiC particles, magnesium as a wetting agent, and continuous stirring while the MMC slurry is solidifying were found to promote the wet ability of SiC and Al 6061 matrix alloy.

Keywords: Metal matrix composite, stir casting, wet ability, tensile wear, ageing, silicon carbide, yield strength, young’s modulus.

Research Title: Characteristics and Analysis for Mechanical Instrumentation Used to Measure Fluid Viscosity

Author: Hasan Abdel-Razzaq Al Dabbas, Published Year: 2016

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: The task of development of the measurement procedure and the general-purpose control equipment which can allow us to analyze fluid rheological properties and to ascertain the dependence of the stress tensor of the sample on the deformation tensor over a wide range of strain rates is urgent nowadays. At the same time the question of providing the continuous inspection of the product properties under the condition of high precision and measuring automation is a matter of principle.

Keywords: viscosimeter, measuring automation

Research Title: Novel General Regression Neural Networks for Improving Control Accuracy of Nonlinear MIMO Discrete-Time Systems

Author: Ahmad Jobran Al-Mahasneh, Published Year: 2022

IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics,

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: In this article, a novel version of the general regression neural network (Imp_GRNN) is developed to control a class of multiinput and multioutput (MIMO) nonlinear discrete-time (DT) systems. The improvements retain the features of the original GRNN along with a significant improvement of the control accuracy. The enhancements include developing a method to set the input-hidden weights of GRNN using the inputs recursive statistical means, introducing a new output layer and adaptable forward weighted connections from the inputs to the new layer, and suggesting an interval-type smoothing parameter to eradicate the need for selecting the parameter beforehand or adapting it online. Also, controller stability is studied using Lyapunov's method for DT systems. The controller performance is tested with different simulation examples and compared with the original GRNN to verify its superiority over it. Also, Imp_GRNN performance is compared with an adaptive radial basis function network controller, an adaptive feedforward neural-network (NN) controller, and a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller, where it demonstrated higher accuracy in comparison with them. In comparison with the formerly proposed control methods for MIMO DT systems, our controller is capable of producing high control accuracy while it is model free, does not require complex mathematics, has low computational complexity, and can be utilized for a wide range of DT dynamic systems. Also, it is one of the few methods that aims to improve the control system accuracy by improving the NN structure.

Keywords: Artificial neural networks, MIMO communication, Control systems, Adaptation models, Dynamical systems, Adaptive systems

Research Title: Online Model-Free Reinforcement Learning for Output Feedback Tracking Control of a Class of Discrete-time Systems with Input Saturation

Author: Ahmad Jobran Al-Mahasneh, Published Year: 2022

IEEE Access, 10

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: In this paper, a new model-free Model-Actor (MA) reinforcement learning controller is developed for output feedback control of a class of discrete-time systems with input saturation constraints. The proposed controller is composed of two neural networks, namely a model-network and an actor network. The model-network is utilized to predict the output of the plant when a certain control action is applied to it. The actor network is utilized to estimate the optimal control action that is required to drive the output to the desired trajectory. The main advantages of the proposed controller over the previously proposed controllers are its ability to control systems in the absence of explicit knowledge of these systems’ dynamics and its ability to start learning from scratch without any offline training. Also, it can explicitly handle the control constraints in the controller design. Comparison results with a previously published reinforcement learning output feedback controller and other controllers confirm the superiority of the proposed controller.

Keywords: Reinforcement learning, adaptive control, nonlinear control, optimal control.

Research Title: Guidance, Navigation and Control System for Multi-Robot Network in Monitoring and Inspection Operations

Author: Ahmad Jobran Al-Mahasneh, Published Year: 2022

Drones , 6

Faculty: Engineering and Technology

Abstract: This work focuses on the challenges associated with autonomous robot guidance, navigation, and control in multi-robot systems. This study provides an affordable solution by utilizing a group of small unmanned ground vehicles and quadrotors that collaborate on monitoring and inspection missions. The proposed system utilizes a potential fields path planning algorithm to allow a robot to track a moving target while avoiding obstacles in a dynamic environment. To achieve the required performance and provide robust tracking against wind disturbances, a backstepping controller is used to solve the essential stability problem and ensure that each robot follows the specified path asymptotically. Furthermore, the performance is also compared with a proportional- integral-derivative (PID) controller to ensure the superiority of the control system. The system combines a low-cost inertial measurement unit (IMU), a GNSS receiver, and a barometer for UAVs to generate a navigation solution (position, velocity, and attitude estimations), which is then used in the guidance and control algorithms. A similar solution is used for UGVs by integrating the IMU, a GNSS receiver, and encoders. Non-linear complementary filters integrate the measurements in the navigation system to produce high bandwidth estimates of the state of each robotic platform. Experimental results of several scenarios are discussed to prove the effectiveness of the approach.

Keywords: backstepping controller; complementary filters; motion planner; navigation system; ground robot; aerial robot; inspection and monitoring