Discrimination of rice panicles by hyperspectral reflectance data based on principal component analysis and support vector classification

Detection of crop health conditions plays an important role in making control strategies of crop disease and insect damage and gaining high-quality production at late growth stages. In this study, hyperspectral reflectance of rice panicles was measured at the visible and near-infrared regions. The panicles were divided into three groups according to health conditions: healthy panicles, empty panicles caused by Nilaparvata lugens Stul, and panicles infected with Ustilaginoidea virens. Low order derivative sp...     

Comparative mapping of QTLs for Al tolerance in rice and identification of positional Al-induced genes

INTRODUCTION Aluminum (Al) toxicity is one of the mostimportant yield-limiting factors for crop grown onacid upland and lowland acid sulphate soils (IRRI,1978). Al toxicity results in a reduced and damagedroot system, which in turn causes the affectedplants to be susceptible to drought stress and min-eral nutrient deficiencies (Foy, 1988). The physio-logical and biochemical mechanisms of the toxiceffect of Al on root elongation had been extensivelyinvestigated (Matsumoto, 2000). T…     

Comparative mapping of QTLs for Al tolerance in rice and identification of positional Al-induced genes

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is the major factor limiting crop productivity in acid soils. In this study, a recombinant inbreed line (RIL) population derived from a cross between an A1 sensitive lowland indica rice variety IR1552 and an Al tolerant upland japonica rice variety Azucena, was used for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for A1 tolerance. Three QTLs for relative root length (RRL) were detected on chromosome 1, 9, 12, respectively, and I QTL for root length under Al stress is identical on chromosome I after one week and two weeks stress. Comparison of QTLs on chromosome 1 from different studies indicated an identical interval between C86 and RZ801 with gene(s) for Al tolerance. This interval provides an important start point for isolating genes responsible for A1 tolerance and understanding the genetic nature of Al tolerance in rice. Four Al induced ESTs located in this interval were screened by reverse Northern analysis and confirmed by Northern analysis. They would be candidate genes for the QTL.     

Emotional and behavioural difficulties among middle school students in Oman: an examination of prevalence rate and gender differences

Children with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBDs) began to receive considerable attention in several countries in the Middle East and North Africa region including Oman. In the Omani context, there is lack of valid assessment instruments which can be used to obtain information on EBDs in schools. The current study used the Arabic self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (A-SDQ) to examine EBDs in a sample of middle school students. 816 middle school students from both genders, who were randomly selected from different schools in two big cities in Oman, filled out the A-SDQ. Results provided initial evidence of good psychometric properties of the A-SDQ reflecting that it can be a valid tool for use in schools in Oman. Further, the participants reported moderate to high rates of EBDs as measured by the different subscales of the A-SDQ. Significant gender differences were found in students self-report of EBDs. Compared to boys, girls reported more emotional symptoms, less conduct and peer problems. Implications of the study findings for the identification of students with EBDs in schools in Oman are presented.     

项目教学法在《作物施肥原理与技术》课程教学中的应用与思考

文章通过对项目教学法在《作物施肥原理与技术》课程中开展的可行性和必要性进行了分析,论证了在《作物施肥原理与技术》中应用项目教学法开展教学的优势,阐述了当前《作物施肥原理与技术》的教学现状及存在的问题,明晰了对《作物施肥原理与技术》实施项目教学法的具体过程和步骤,最后强调了项目教学法在该课程教学中的重要作用,并就课程教学中存在的系列问题提出了解决方案。     

English language teaching reform in Sultanate of Oman: The case of theory and practice disparity

Sultanate of Oman is one out of many developing countries around the world which have valued English as a very important international language and a tool for achieving multiple purposes. When His Majesty the Sultan came to power in 1970, the government accepted English as the only official foreign language and allocated huge budgets and resources for its implementation through education. However, almost three decades after this, it was found that students exiting the ELT system in Oman suffer from various inadequacies in their English language proficiency, which has had negative implications for Oman??s national development. This has driven the government to attempt to revolutionize English language teaching (ELT) through pursuing a reform plan??Basic Education System (BES). This paper attempts to examine the attitudes of 141 freshmen, who have exited the BES and joined Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in September 2009, about their teachers and the curriculum. The results have shown that there have hardly been any significant changes in the BES reform project, as compared to the previously implemented system??General Education System (GES) mainly due to implementation shortcomings.     

Optimal design of pressure vessel using an improved genetic algorithm

As the idea of simulated annealing （SA） is introduced into the fitness function, an improved genetic algorithm （GA） is proposed to perform the optimal design of a pressure vessel which aims to attain the minimum weight under burst pressure constraint. The actual burst pressure is calculated using the arc-length and restart analysis in finite element analysis （FEA）. A penalty function in the fitness function is proposed to deal with the constrained problem. The effects of the population size and the number of generations in the GA on the weight and burst pressure of the vessel are explored. The optimization results using the proposed GA are also compared with those using the simple GA and the conventional Monte Carlo method.     

Feature selection for face recognition: a memetic algorithmic approach

The eigenface method that uses principal component analysis （PCA） has been the standard and popular method used in face recognition. This paper presents a PCA - memetic algorithm （PCA-MA） approach for feature selection. PCA has been extended by MAs where the former was used for feature extraction/dimensionality reduction and the latter exploited for feature selection. Simulations were performed over ORL and YaleB face databases using Euclidean norm as the classifier. It was found that as far as the recognition rate is concerned, PCA-MA completely outperforms the eigenface method. We compared the performance of PCA extended with genetic algorithm （PCA-GA） with our proposed PCA-MA method. The results also clearly established the supremacy of the PCA-MA method over the PCA-GA method. We further extended linear discriminant analysis （LDA） and kernel principal component analysis （KPCA） approaches with the MA and observed significant improvement in recognition rate with fewer features. This paper also compares the performance of PCA-MA, LDA-MA and KPCA-MA approaches.     

Management of inclusive education in Oman: A framework for Action

Inclusive education (IE) and the special education services related to it are relatively new in Oman. Efforts to manage special/inclusive education face many challenges due to a number of culturally rooted factors. Further, empirical research on IE in Oman is scarce and there is a need to advance IE discourse based on empirically validated perspectives. This article examines how IE is managed in schools from the perspective of school leaders in order to develop a framework for action. The author conducted a preliminary qualitative inquiry into how IE is understood and managed in Key stage 1 schools in Oman. The inquiry was based on a focus group interview with a cohort of 25 school leaders who were completing a two year bachelor in educational administration, an endorsement‐like programme at Sultan Qaboos University. Findings showed a number of challenges and tensions between theory and practice, highlighted by school leaders. These challenges and tensions were analysed in order to map out strengths and difficulties. A three level prism shaped framework for action was developed based on the analysis. The framework for action could potentially serve to guide policy‐ and decision‐makers, researchers, practitioners, and is advocated to develop a model of best practice for the successful implementation and management of IE in Oman.     

Conflict of Learning Styles: University Science Lectures in the Sultanate of Oman

This article examines the differing learning styles found in western lecturers and Omani students in science lectures in the Sultanate of Oman. Oman is a country which modernized very recently, and students there were encountering western lecturers and lecturing methods for the first time. The western lecturers found the Omani approach to science, which they characterized as memorization deficient and wished to introduce a problem-solving approach. However, it is argued that some memorization occurs in all learning of science everywhere, that the Omani approach has its merits, and that a major problem in these lectures was the lack of knowledge of Omani and Arabic culture in the lecturers. It is argued that all learning takes place by matching new knowledge and methods with previous ones, and that to successfully lecture to the Omani students the lecturers would need to research further into ways in which their approach could have built on, rather than replaced entirely, the Omani approach. The article is based on interviews with the lecturers and extracts from the lectures, which were recorded and transcribed by the writer.     

The Child Abuse Potential Inventory: Development of an Arabic version

The Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAPI) is a well-validated screening tool for assessing potential for child physical abuse, and has been translated into many different languages. To date the CAPI has not been translated into Arabic or used in any studies in Arabic-speaking populations. This study reports on the process of adapting the CAPI into Arabic Language which was undertaken following the International Society of Pharma-economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) guidelines. The translation/adaptation process was multi-stage, and involved the use of a Delphi process, cognitive debriefing, back translation, and a pilot testing of the Arabic CAPI at two primary health care centers with a population of pregnant women (n = 60). Following “literal translation” 73 out of the 160 items needed re-phrasing to adapt the items to the Oman context. No differences were found when comparing results of the translated or back-translated versions to source; however, eight items needed further amendment following translated to back-translated comparison and feedback from the pilot. Iterations were resolved following in-depth interviews. Discrepancies were due to differences in culture, parenting practices, and religion. Piloting of the tool indicated mean score value of 155.8 (SD = 59.4) and eleven women (18%) scored above the cut off value of 215. This Arabic translation of the CAPI was undertaken using rigorous methodology and sets the scene for further research on the Arabic CAPI within Arabic-speaking populations.     

Assessment of rice fields by GIS/GPS-supported classification of MODIS data

INTRODUCTIONInthelastdecade,remotesensinghasbeenincreasinglyidentifiedasanobjective,standardized,possiblycheaperandfastermethodologyforcropproductionsurveysthanconventionalfieldinves-tigations(Bauman,1992).Muchprogresshasbeenmadethroughintensivestudiesoninventoryandproductionforecastingformajorcrops,suchaswheat,rice,cottonandmaize(Tennakoonetal.,1992;Rayetal.,1994;Fangetal.,1998).China,adevelopingcountrywith1.2billionpeople,hasbeenpayingcloseattentiontoitsex-istingandfuturefoodproduction…     

Assessment of rice fields by GIS/GPS-supported classification of MODIS data

The new Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite image offers a large choice of opportunities for operational applications. The 1-km Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) image is not suitable for retrieval of field level parameter and Landsat data are not frequent enough for monitoring changes in crop parameters during the critical crop growth periods. A methodology to map areas of paddy fields using MODIS, geographic information system (GIS) and global position system (GPS) is introduced in this paper. Training samples are selected and located with the help of GPS to provide maximal accuracy. A concept of assessing areas of potential cultivation of rice is suggested by means of GIS integration. By integration of MODIS with GIS and GPS technologies the actual areas of rice fields in 2002 have been mapped. The classification accuracy was 95.7% percent compared with the statistical data of the Agricultural Bureau of Zhejiang Province.     

改进的基于遗传算法与FCSS相结合的模糊球壳聚类算法

遗传算法（GA）被广泛地应用在聚类算法中.但是当数据点多时,其计算量大的问题是不容忽视的.针对与遗传算法相结合的FCSS算法中的这一不足,主要通过研究了GA初始化种群的选取方法,对GA-FCSS算法进行了改进.实验数据表明：改进的GA-FCSS算法在收敛速度方面有令人满意的效果.     

Researching the uses of the english language in the law job market in the sultanate of oman: implications for policy-practice improvement

The Sultanate of Oman is a developing country that has accepted the English language as a significant tool for modernization. This was best interpreted in the opening of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in 1986, which has delivered its different academic programmes totally or partially through the English language. One of the colleges of SQU has been the College of Law. It was opened in 1997 to help contribute to effective implementation of nationalisation and national development in the Sultanate of Oman, which English language proficiency is a part and parcel of. However, graduates exiting the College so far have been unable to fulfil this strategic aim due to policy-practice drawbacks. Evident weaknesses in their English language and legal knowledge have provoked repeated complaints from the employers in both sectors. Accordingly, a decision was made to introduce a bilingual programme through which approximately 30 % of the subjects at the College of Law would be taught in English. This study, therefore, researches the uses of English language in the Law job market in the Sultanate of Oman and its implications for policy-practice improvement. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to 182 graduates of the College of Law, SQU. Findings have shown that while the new programme has the potential to serve national development and Omanisation, the College faculties have a pivotal role to play in influencing a positive implementation of the plan.     

纯分析信号算法及其改进

纯分析信号(NAS)是一种即可用来评价矩阵数据的定量分析结果，又可以直接用来对矩阵数据进行定量分析的化学计量学方法．基于纯分析信号的思想建立起来的混合线性分析(HLA)和扩展混合线性分析(HLAE)可适用于不同的情况．HLA方法在建模时需要同时得到待测物质准确的浓度和纯谱信息．我们发展的HLAE是对HLA的扩展，不需用到体系组份的纯谱信息，利用已知物质的浓度信息构造投影矩阵用来提取体系背景信息，然后又用浓度信息和背景信息构造该物质的校正矢量，HLAE对模拟体系和实际体系的分析都取得了比HLA、PLS更好的结果。     

车用无刷直流电机转速控制系统设计及仿真

以新型4相24极车用无刷直流电动机为研究对象,采用改进遗传算法对其转速控制系统进行了优化设计。该遗传算法在相当程度上解决了标准遗传算法搜索效率低和早熟收敛的问题。仿真结果表明:相对于传统的3相6拍无刷直流电动机,采用改进遗传算法转速控制系统的4相24极无刷直流电动机具有转矩脉动较低、输出相应快速、稳态性能好以及抗干扰能力强等优点。     

Genetic engineering of insects

Insects, which constitute one of the most abundant groups of living creatures on Earth, are significant to human life in numerous ways. There are many beneficial ones like the honey bee, silk worm, etc. and quite a few that are harmful and cause direct or indirect damage to the well being of human beings. Researchers have been continuously trying to find new ways to mitigate problems of harmful insects like crop pests and also to harness the potential of beneficial ones. In this regard, advances made in genetic engineering have enabled the genetic modification of insects for various purposes. Some of the potential applications of this lie in crop pest management, vector management in public health, production of medically important proteins and genetic improvement of beneficial insects like parasitoids, predators, silk worm and honey bee. The proposed release of genetically engineered insects is evoking serious debate among researchers and environmental groups on safety issues as is happening with transgenic plants and engineered microbes.     

Religious coping,meaning‐making and stress: perspective of support staff of children with disabilities in residential disability centres in Oman

Staff providing support to children with disabilities in residential disability centres in Oman are exposed to stressful work environments which may put them at an increased risk of burnout. Previous research has examined predictors of stress in disability support staff, but there is little consensus as the findings are inconclusive. Using a cross‐sectional design, a short survey examined religious coping styles, meaning and inner sense of peace, attitude to meaning in life, organisational religiousness practices and stress of 142 female disability support staff from community disability centres in Oman. Multiple regression analyses indicated that positive religious coping was more predictive of stress than negative religious coping. There was an association between meaning‐making and stress in disability support staff. Religious organisation explained most of the variance in stress scores and was the best predictor of stress in disability support staff. Implications of the study are discussed in relation to the role of both culture and religion.     

Views of Omani post-basic education students about religious and cultural tolerance

The study aims to investigate the views of Omani post-basic education students (Grades 10–12) about religious and cultural tolerance. The sample consisted of 1390 male and female students in grades 10, 11 and 12, from four of Oman’s seven regions. A questionnaire was used to gather data, which consisted of 27 items divided into five domains. The results showed that students place a strong emphasis on the importance of religious and cultural tolerance, both within Oman society and worldwide. They are also not in favour of any type of aggression, religious and cultural symbols or the fuelling of disagreements between religions or cultures. The results also indicated that female students are more strongly concerned with tolerance than males, grade 12 students more concerned than those in grades 10 and 11, and students from Muscat more concerned than those in other less urban areas.