Association rules discovery is one of the vital data mining techniques. Currently there is an increasing interest in data mining and educational systems, making educational data mining (EDM) as a new growing research community. In this paper, we present a model for association rules discovery from King Abdulaziz University (KAU) admission system data. The main objective is to extract the rules and relations between admission system attributes for better analysis. The model utilizes an apriori algorithm for association rule mining. Detailed analysis and interpretation of the experimental results is presented with respect to admission office perspective.

In this paper, we describe a novel spatial domain method for steganography in RGB images where a secret message is embedded in the blue layer of certain blocks. In this algorithm, each block first chooses a unique t1xt2 matrix of pixels as a “matrix pattern” for each keyboard character, using the bit difference of neighbourhood pixels. Next, a secret message is embedded in the remaining part of the block, those without any role in the “matrix pattern” selection procedure. In this procedure, each pattern sums up with the blue layer of the image. For increasing the security, blocks are chosen randomly using a random generator. The results show that this algorithm is highly resistant against the frequency and spatial domain attacks including RS, Sample pair, X2 and DCT based attacks. In addition, the proposed algorithm could provide more than 84.26 times of capacity comparing with a competitive method. Moreover, the results indicated that stego-image has almost 1.73 times better transparency than the competitive algorithm.

Some techniques for the use of bitwise operations are described in the article. As an example, an open problem of isomorphism-free generations of combinatorial objects is discussed. An equivalence relation on the set of square binary matrices having the same number of units in each row and each column is defined. Each binary matrix is represented using ordered n-tuples of natural numbers. It is shown how by using the bitwise operations can be implemented an algorithm that gets canonical representatives which are extremal elements of equivalence classes relative to a double order on the set of considered objects.

Ant Algorithms are techniques for optimizing which were coined in the early 1990’s by M. Dorigo. The techniques were inspired by the foraging behavior of real ants in the nature. The focus of ant algorithms is to find approximate optimized problem solutions using artificial ants and their indirect decentralized communications using synthetic pheromones. In this paper, at first ant algorithms are described in details, then transforms to computational optimization techniques: the ACO metaheuristics and developed ACO algorithms. A comparative study of ant algorithms also carried out, followed by past and present trends in AAs applications. Future prospect in AAs also covered in this paper. Finally a comparison between AAs with well-established machine learning techniques were focused, so that combining with machine learning techniques hybrid, robust, novel algorithms could be produces for outstanding result in future.

Recent proliferation of mobile market has swiftly increased the competition in mobile software market, new technology and new devices are emerging at phenomenal speed. As the number of mobile applications is increasing at daily rate, quality is becoming major issue. So mobile software organization need some quality model as guideline to improve and maintain quality of application under development. Mobile application mainly depends on user response and user acceptance so they need maintainability, usability, suitability etc. This research paper presents mobile application quality model focusing on key quality characteristics mainly extracted from ISO 9126 quality model, which effect quality of mobile applications. Furthermore some responsibilities of QA team in mobile application development are also discussed and lastly focused on the issue of ‘tracking the quality of mobile applications after deployment’.

Knowing about nature of science (NOS) and its products is a basic requirement of all graduate students and researchers due to being both members of society and experts on different scientific disciplines. As the first step, determining NOS understandings of graduate students has importance to go further in developing current situation. Therefore, this study aimed to determine NOS understandings of graduate students from different disciplines. The study included seven graduate students who were enrolled in universities as researchers. As the data collection way, face-to-face interview was utilized. The data of the study was analyzed by assigning the participants to four categories; expert, naive, mixed and not applicable. The results showed that majority of the participants were expert on social and cultural embeddedness of science and role of creativity and imagination in science while majority of the participants were naive on the aspects of “hierarchy between theories and laws”. Majority of them had mixed understandings on the aspects of existence of only one method in science, subjectivity, tentativeness. Interestingly, all of the participants were naive in terms of definition of science. The results and implications of the study will be discussed.

Technology has changed the way we teach and the way we learn. Many learning theories can be used to apply and integrate this technology more effectively. There is a close relationship between technology and constructivism, the implementation of each one benefiting the other. Constructivism states that learning takes place in contexts, while technology refers to the designs and environments that engage learners. Recent efforts to integrate technology in the classroom have been within the context of a constructivist framework. The purpose of this paper is to examine the definition of constructivism, incorporating technology into the classroom, successful technology integration into the classroom, factors contributing to teachers’ use of technology, role of technology in a constructivist classroom, teacher’s use of learning theories to enable more effective use of technology, learning with technology: constructivist perspective, and constructivism as a framework for educational technology. This paper explains whether technology by itself can make the education process more effective or if technology needs an appropriate instructional theory to indicate its positive effect on the learner.

This paper presents the design and implementation of a new low-cost and minimum embedded board based on TMS320C6713 (PYP 208-PIN (PQFP)) DSP and Spartan-3 (XCS400-4PQG208C) FPGA in two layers with mount elements on two sides of the board. The proposed embedded board was developed satisfactorily for different applications such as data acquisition of sensor’s with serial port, control units, finite state machines, signal processing algorithms, navigation computing, Kalman filtering etc. Goal of the design was to implement as many as possible low-cost and minimum sizes of the board, also to receive input signals in a short time period and as real time. The board features are include: mount elements in two side of the board for minimization of the proposed board and also placed decoupling capacitors (by pass) for the DSP and FPGA in bottom layer of board strictly below these two ICs because should be placed as close as possible to the power supply pins DSP and FPGA, GND polygon layer is used in total top layer and microcomputer ground for DSP & FPGA in bottom layer, use FPGA for two aim ones for implementation of glue logic total of board and interface between serial connectors, use three RS-232 serial port, one RS-422, and SPI serial port on FPGA, use MT48LC16M16A SDRAM-256MB(4*4MB*16), Am29LV400B Flash memory 4 Megabit (512 K x 8-Bit/256 K x 16-Bit) and XCF02S configuration PROM. The size of the proposed embedded board is 11.1cm*17. 7cm so this board is optimized of aspect cost, performance, power, weight, and size.