Manual fruit picking is labor-intensive and can damage fruit. Fully mechanized picking is efficient, but it also risks fruit damage. Therefore, semi-automated tools are needed to improve bitter orange picking. This paper presents a smart manual picker designed to facilitate picking while predicting fruit maturity based on picking force as well as various chemical and physical parameters using machine learning (ML). The study methodology consists of five stages: (1) manufacturing the smart picker, (2) picking 50 bitter orange samples, (3) measuring the characteristics of the bitter oranges in the laboratory, (4) training different ML models, and (5) identifying the most accurate model for predicting fruit maturity. The results indicate that as fruits mature, their weight, CIE-L*a*b* values, and pH levels increase, while picking force and hardness decrease. Notably, picking force exhibited a strong correlation (93.5%) with maturity compared to other physical parameters. The Kruskal–Wallis test also showed that the relationship between picking force and bitter orange physical parameters, including weight, CIE-L*a*b*, pH, and hardness, was statistically significant. The extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) model achieved the highest training accuracy (100%), outperforming stacking (99.91%), random forest (91.17%), and gradient boosting machine (89.08%) on all evaluation metrics. However, the stacking model is considered better, even though XGBoost achieved 100% training accuracy, as the former showed a better balance between training, testing, and validation. This study contributes to improving bitter orange quality by accurately predicting maturity through data collected from the smart picker.
Online learning is not a new concept in education, but it has been used extensively since the Covid-19 pandemic and is still in use now. Every student in the world has gone through this learning process from the primary to the college levels, with both teachers and students conducting instruction online (at home). The goal of the current study is to investigate college students’ attitudes towards online learning. To accomplish the goal of the current study, a questionnaire is developed and adjusted before being administered to a sample of 155 students. Additionally, validity and reliability are attained. Some conclusions, recommendations, and suggestions are offered in the end.
Natural settings make it challenging to identify facial expressions since head position, illumination level, and occlusion vary. Thus, developing a more generic model without front-facing images alone is quite crucial. This research proposes a facial expression recognition model based on pre-trained deep convolutional neural networks with transfer learning. The model was trained on several cases to classify face expressions into seven classifications efficiently. The proposed system used the EfficientNetB0 model that has one dense dropout layer. The model first rescales and norms the input dataset in the input layer that takes images of a larger resolution to get better results. After entering 7 blocks sequential
... Show MoreThe increasing demand for continual learning in sequential data processing has led to progressively complex training methodologies and larger recurrent network architectures. Consequently, this has widened the knowledge gap between continual learning with recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and their ability to operate on devices with limited memory and compute. To address this challenge, we investigate the effectiveness of simplifying RNN architectures, particularly gated recurrent unit (GRU), and its impact on both single-task and multitask sequential learning. We propose a new variant of GRU, namely the minion recurrent unit (MiRU). MiRU replaces conventional gating mechanisms with scaling coefficients to regulate dynamic updates of hidden
... Show MoreThe objective of this study is to analyze the difficulties faced by intermediate-level Iraqi students in the use of Spanish unstressed pronouns as a foreign language (ELE). Through a mixed methodology, a descriptive and explanatory analysis was conducted based on written and oral productions of B1-level students at the University of Baghdad.The results show that factors such as interference from the native language (Arabic) and English, as well as grammatical differences between Spanish and Arabic, generate difficulties in the correct use of unstressed pronouns. A contrastive teaching approach is proposed that takes advantage of students' cognitive abilities to highlight similarities and differences between both languages.This stu
... Show MoreThe present study aims at empirically investigating the effect of vocabulary learning strategies on Iraqi intermediate school students’vocabulary performance and reading comprehension. The population of the present study includes all the 1st year male students of Al-Wark’a intermediate school of Al-Risafa 1/ General Directorate of Education for the first course of the academic year (2015-2016). To achieve the aim of the study ,a pre-test and post-test after (5) weeks of experiment are administrated .The sample of the present study consists of (100) subjects :(50) students as an experimental group and other (50) students as a control group . The subj
... Show MoreThe study aimed to prepare a measure of metacognitive thinking commensurate with learning the skill, preparing educational units using the Claus Meyer model for metacognitive thinking, and learning the skill of defending the court in volleyball. To identify the effect of educational units using the model (and Claus Meyer) for metacognitive thinking and learning the skill of defending the court in volleyball. The two researchers used the experimental approach with the design of the experimental and control groups.The research community consisted of students of the second stage / College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences / University of Baghdad for the academic year 2021-2022, whose number is (385) st
... Show MoreThe aim of this study is to compare the effects of three methods: problem-based learning (PBL), PBL with lecture method, and conventional teaching on the understanding of thermodynamics, group work and self-directed learning skills among physics undergraduates. The actual sample size comprises of 122 students, who were selected randomly from the Physics Department, College of Education in Iraq, for academic year 2011-2012. In this study, the pre and posttest were done and the instruments were administered to the students for data collection. Inferential statistics were employed to analyze data. The independent variables were the PBL, the PBL with lecture method, and the conventional teaching. Dependent variables of statistical analysis were
... Show MoreThe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused an unprecedented disruption in medical education and healthcare systems worldwide. The disease can cause life-threatening conditions and it presents challenges for medical education, as instructors must deliver lectures safely, while ensuring the integrity and continuity of the medical education process. It is therefore important to assess the usability of online learning methods, and to determine their feasibility and adequacy for medical students. We aimed to provide an overview of the situation experienced by medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of medical students regarding electronic medical education.
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