bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ZFIRE: 3D Modeling of Rotation, Dispersion, and Angular Momentum of Star-forming Galaxies at z ∼ 2
Authors: Alcorn Leo Y. , Tran Kim-Vy , Glazebrook Karl , Straatman Caroline M. , Cowley Michael , Forrest Ben , Kacprzak Glenn G. , Kewley Lisa J. , Labbé Ivo , Nanayakkara Themiya , Spitler Lee R. , Tomczak Adam , Yuan Tiantian
Published: May 2018

We perform a kinematic and morphological analysis of 44 star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 2 in the COSMOS legacy field using near-infrared spectroscopy from Keck/MOSFIRE and F160W imaging from CANDELS/3D-HST as part of the ZFIRE survey. Our sample consists of cluster and field galaxies from 2.0 < z < 2.5 with K-band multi-object slit spectroscopic measurements of their Hα emission lines. Hα rotational velocities and gas velocity dispersions are measured using the Heidelberg Emission Line Algorithm (HELA), which compares directly to simulated 3D data cubes. Using a suite of simulated emission lines, we determine that HELA reliably recovers input S
0.5 and angular momentum at small offsets, but V
2.2/σ

g
values are offset and highly scattered. We examine the role of regular and irregular morphology in the stellar mass kinematic scaling relations, deriving the kinematic measurement S
0.5, and finding

with no significant offset between morphological populations and similar levels of scatter (∼0.16 dex). Additionally, we identify a correlation between M
⋆ and V
2.2/σ

g
for the total sample, showing an increasing level of rotation dominance with increasing M
⋆, and a high level of scatter for both regular and irregular galaxies. We estimate the specific angular momenta (j
disk) of these galaxies and find a slope of 0.36 ± 0.12, shallower than predicted without mass-dependent disk growth, but this result is possibly due to measurement uncertainty at M
⋆ < 9.5 However, through a Kolmogorov–Smirnov test we find irregular galaxies to have marginally higher j
disk values than regular galaxies, and high scatter at low masses in both populations.
Chemically Dissected Rotation Curves of the Galactic Bulge from Main-sequence Proper Motions*
Authors: Clarkson William I. , Calamida Annalisa , Sahu Kailash C. , Brown Thomas M. , Gennaro Mario , Avila Roberto J. , Valenti Jeff , Debattista Victor P. , Rich R. Michael , Minniti Dante , Zoccali Manuela , Aufdemberge Emily R.
Published: May 2018

We report results from an exploratory study implementing a new probe of Galactic evolution using archival Hubble Space Telescope imaging observations. Precise proper motions are combined with photometric relative metallicity and temperature indices, to produce the proper-motion rotation curves of the Galactic bulge separately for metal-poor and metal-rich main-sequence samples. This provides a “pencil-beam” complement to large-scale wide-field surveys, which to date have focused on the more traditional bright giant branch tracers. We find strong evidence that the Galactic bulge rotation curves drawn from “metal-rich” and “metal-poor” samples are indeed discrepant. The “metal-rich” sample shows greater rotation amplitude and a steeper gradient against line-of-sight distance, as well as possibly a stronger central concentration along the line of sight. This may represent a new detection of differing orbital anisotropy between metal-rich and metal-poor bulge objects. We also investigate selection effects that would be implied for the longitudinal proper-motion cut often used to isolate a “pure-bulge” sample. Extensive investigation of synthetic stellar populations suggests that instrumental and observational artifacts are unlikely to account for the observed rotation curve differences. Thus, proper-motion-based rotation curves can be used to probe chemodynamical correlations for main-sequence tracer stars, which are orders of magnitude more numerous in the Galactic bulge than the bright giant branch tracers. We discuss briefly the prospect of using this new tool to constrain detailed models of Galactic formation and evolution.
The VMC Survey. XXIX. Turbulence-controlled Hierarchical Star Formation in the Small Magellanic Cloud
Authors: Sun Ning-Chen , de Grijs Richard , Cioni Maria-Rosa L. , Rubele Stefano , Subramanian Smitha , van Loon Jacco Th. , Bekki Kenji , Bell Cameron P. M. , Ivanov Valentin D. , Marconi Marcella , Muraveva Tatiana , Oliveira Joana M. , Ripepi Vincenzo
Published: May 2018

In this paper we report a clustering analysis of upper main-sequence stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud, using data from the VMC survey (the VISTA near-infrared YJK

s
survey of the Magellanic system). Young stellar structures are identified as surface overdensities on a range of significance levels. They are found to be organized in a hierarchical pattern, such that larger structures at lower significance levels contain smaller ones at higher significance levels. They have very irregular morphologies, with a perimeter–area dimension of 1.44 ± 0.02 for their projected boundaries. They have a power-law mass–size relation, power-law size/mass distributions, and a log-normal surface density distribution. We derive a projected fractal dimension of 1.48 ± 0.03 from the mass–size relation, or of 1.4 ± 0.1 from the size distribution, reflecting significant lumpiness of the young stellar structures. These properties are remarkably similar to those of a turbulent interstellar medium, supporting a scenario of hierarchical star formation regulated by supersonic turbulence.
Distinct Pattern of Solar Modulation of Galactic Cosmic Rays above a High Geomagnetic Cutoff Rigidity
Authors: Mangeard Pierre-Simon , Clem John , Evenson Paul , Pyle Roger , Mitthumsiri Warit , Ruffolo David , Sáiz Alejandro , Nutaro Tanin
Published: May 2018

Solar modulation refers to Galactic cosmic-ray variations with the ∼11 yr sunspot cycle and ∼22 yr solar magnetic cycle and is relevant to the space radiation environment and effects on Earth’s atmosphere. Its complicated dependence on solar and heliospheric conditions is only roughly understood and has been empirically modeled in terms of a single modulation parameter. Most analyses of solar modulation use neutron monitor (NM) data from locations with relatively low geomagnetic cutoff rigidity, i.e., the threshold for cosmic rays to penetrate Earth’s magnetic field. The Princess Sirindhorn Neutron Monitor at Doi Inthanon, Thailand, has the world’s highest cutoff rigidity (≈17 GV) where observations span a complete solar modulation cycle (since late 2007). The pattern of solar modulation at Doi Inthanon during 2011–2014 was qualitatively very different from that at a low geomagnetic cutoff and is not well described by the same modulation parameter. At other times, NM count rates from Doi Inthanon and McMurdo, Antarctica (cutoff ∼1 GV), were linearly correlated and confirm the observation from latitude surveys in the previous solar cycle that the slope of the correlation changes with solar magnetic polarity. Low solar magnetic tilt angles (<40° at negative polarity) were well correlated with variations at both NM stations, as predicted by drift models. At a higher tilt angle, the Doi Inthanon count rate is well correlated with the interplanetary magnetic field, which is consistent with an increase in diffusion at high rigidity short-circuiting the effects of drifts and the heliospheric current sheet.
Le temps de la puberté ou celui de la conquête de soi
Authors: Roussel Nathalie
Published: May 2018

La puberté vient faire effraction dans le corps de l’enfant. Que va-t-il faire de cette inquiétante étrangeté ? C’est à la condition de prendre en compte les pulsions qui le submergent qu’il pourra les transformer afin d’en faire une œuvre de création. Le rêve éveillé est au cœur de ce travail de transformation de la pulsion et de sublimation.
La France et la protection des chrétiens maronites. Généalogie d’une représentation
Authors: Heyberger Bernard
Published: May 2018

Le thème de la « protection » de la France sur les chrétiens orientaux a resurgi dans les discours politiques depuis 2013, en faisant référence à une « tradition » longue de plusieurs siècles. En fait, il s’agit d’une représentation, construite au cours du xix e  siècle, élaborée conjointement par certains milieux politiques et publicistes français et des représentants du clergé maronite. Elle a été principalement destinée à soutenir les élans particularistes et proto-nationalistes maronites ainsi que certaines ambitions interventionnistes françaises en Syrie.
Islamophobia and Mobility of Kurdish Students From Northern Iraq
Authors: Sengupta Enakshi
Published: May 2018

In the year 2015, it was estimated that more than 5 million students were studying outside their home countries. After the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003 Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq in its attempt to raise the standard of education started its scholarship program known as Human Capacity Development Program (HCDP) in 2010. This policy advocated KRG's open-door policy toward international markets in an attempt to reintegrate its higher education institutions (HEIs). The current socio-political conditions of the world have led to a tension between university's commitment to racial/religious equality and its racial profiling strategies. The vetting and surveillance of Muslim students is preventing many students from gaining access to higher education globally, thus thwarting student's mobility. The key focus of this chapter will be to explore the plight of these students and their choosing of alternate means of study.
Dare to Hope
Authors: Silber-Furman Dorota , Zagumny Lisa
Published: May 2018

In this critical examination, 10 culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) international graduate students attending a public university in the southeastern US were interviewed to understand their graduate school experience. Students' writing samples and university policy and website were also analyzed. Findings indicated that obstacles included off and on campus challenges, physical barriers, and intangible conceptualizations that deemed international students different or even deficient. CLD students struggled with academic English proficiency. University policy limited students' opportunities and time. The university website was incomplete and/or outdated. Universities should develop research-based guidelines for working with international population. Students need strong language skills and must be academically proactive. Mutual recognition, understanding, and acceptance of a pluralistic society via international education can bolster international relationships.
The Bridge to America
Authors: Kwok Tsz Kin
Published: May 2018

The current mixed method research study explored the acculturative experiences of international graduate students through a summer bridge program known as the webinar. The study was conducted at a comprehensive research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before newly admitted graduate students arrived in the United States. Both quantitative and qualitative results were collected to gain greater insights during their transitional period. The following themes emerged in this study: (1) physiological and psychological needs, (2) sense of belonging, (3) peer-to-peer support, and (4) faculty and professional staff engagement. The themes presented in this study may assist international graduate students with their adjustment timeframe from their home country to the host environment.
Controlling STATCOM by Full Order State Feedback Controller for Stability Improvement
Authors: Nandi Champa , Chakraborty Ajay Kumar
Published: May 2018

Today's power systems have been extended due to interconnections with the neighboring systems. Energy cost is increasing due to greater sensitivity of new transmission lines. These have demanded the search of new controllers. These objectives were met by reactive power control on transmission lines. Hence, FACTS controllers are becoming an important part of the modern power transmission systems. Different control techniques are in use with STATCOM to generate control signals. But the conventional controllers like P; PI provide a slow dynamic response during the fault condition. This chapter creates an awareness of control issues and proposes an observer-based state feedback controller for STATCOM. The mathematical explanation of the observer-based state feedback controller for STATCOM is presented. Simulations have been carried out with one case study in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. The simulation results show that the observer-based state feedback controller gives better performance than conventional PI controller during contingency condition.
Physics, Modelling, and Optimization Studies of Photon-Enhanced Thermionic Emission-Based Hybrid Energy Conversion System
Authors: Kaushik S. C. , Lamba Ravita , Tyagi S. K.
Published: May 2018

The sustainable development of clean and efficient electricity generation techniques accelerated the research for invention of alternative electricity generation methods. In this chapter, the conceptual analysis of newly invented photon-enhanced thermionic emission (PETE) energy conversion process has been presented. It is a promising option for harvesting solar energy in terms of capturing photon as well as thermal energy simultaneously and converting solar energy into electrical energy based on photovoltaic and thermionic emission processes of energy conversion. Thus, the PETE process utilizes photons for PV conversion and heat of radiation for thermionic emission process. The main objective of this chapter is to review and analyze the performance of PETE converters including thermal modeling, choice of materials, and parametric optimization. The appropriate choice of material requirements for cathode and anode of PETE converters is necessary for practical design of PETE converters. The PETE converter may be an efficient future option for electricity generation using solar energy.
Demand-Side Management
Authors: Kumar Pawan , Ali Ikbal , Thanki Dip V.
Published: May 2018

Growing demands are causing increased pressure on the electrical infrastructure and perpetually escalated energy prices. Utilities around the world have been considering demand-side management in their strategic planning. The costs of constructing and operating a new capacity generation unit are increasing every day as well as transmission, distribution, and land issues for new generation plants, which force the utilities to search for other alternatives. Here, demand-side management has been implemented as it is less expensive to intelligently influence a load than to build a new power plant or install electrical based storage device. In this chapter, the author has discussed energy efficiency and demand response fulfilling the criteria of energy management which usually tries to take influence onto the energy consumption of a number of energy consumers. The explained demand-side management technical objectives are peak clipping, valley filling, load shifting, load building, energy conservation, and flexible load shape.
Market Power in Deregulated Power System
Authors: Fahad Mohammad Quadeer , Khan Mohd Tauseef , Siddiqui Anwar Shahzad
Published: May 2018

In today's competitive market, deregulation of power industry is inevitable. The aim of deregulating the power markets is to bring competition into them and thereby make them more economically efficient. In an economically efficient market, no consumer or producer has the ability to impact on prices by itself or by collaborating with any other participant. However, the electricity wholesale market is not a perfect market and the potential for market power exploitation is an issue. Sometimes private companies collaborate with each other to get more profit, driving the prices to a higher level and thus acquiring a market power which is an anti-competitive practice. Thus, market power is the capability of a seller or a group of sellers to profitably maintain the prices above a competitive level and control the total output for a noteworthy period of time.
A Suggestion for Energy Policy Planning System Dynamics
Authors: Şenaras Arzu Eren
Published: May 2018

The system dynamics approach was developed by Jay Forrester from MIT during 1950s to analyze the complex behavior in administration with computer simulation in social sciences. System dynamics is a form of systems approach as a methodology to understand the dynamic behavior of complex systems. The basis of system dynamics is to understand how system structures cause system behavior and system events. System thinking and system dynamics provide computer technology and conceptual and numerical modeling techniques that could help explain the dynamics and forces underlying the complexity and change in business, politics, socio-economic, and environmental systems. System dynamics, policy analysis, and design are used for learning and decision making.
Boundless Banking
Authors: Rajan Varun
Published: May 2018

This chapter covers the evolution and growth of the personal banking industry (i.e., banking for customers) and its role in leading to financial inclusion. Since the personal banking industry deals with making banking an ease for customers. The chapter will emphasize the various milestones in the personal banking industry that were significant to improve and increase financial inclusion in India. Personal banking has come a long way from paper formats to now fully computerized formats and this all has been a boon for all customers in the banking industry in India. The chapter looks at the evolution of regulation, technological innovation, and customer acceptance as modern delivery systems outpaced the old. The research article's emphasis is on how the customer has found it easier to perform personal banking transactions over time.
Financing Millennials in Developing Economies
Authors: Amezcua Bernardo , De la Peña Alicia , Briseño Arturo , Sánchez-Aldape Alfredo , Saucedo-Soto Juana María , Hernández-Bonilla Alicia
Published: May 2018

Young millennials (i.e., 18 to 24 years old) are not a primary market for the traditional banking system, especially in emerging economies. Despite the fact that almost 30% of college students have partial jobs, economic resources are limited and access to finance seems utopic. Banking services throughout the world but especially in growing economies do not fully serve students because of their lack of resources. Whether to pay for college studies or clothing, dinner or a weekend vacation, young millennials do not expect to receive banking credit from the big bank brands. In fact, this market segment is served by the retail industry with their own credit programs and financial services. In this chapter, the authors explore how young millennials have access to savings and credit, their spending behavior, their attitudes towards traditional sources of finance, and their financial inclusion and literacy. They also conducted an empirical exploratory study among college students in Mexico to hear firsthand how they managed their finances.
The Study of the Relationship Between the Slum Customers and the Factors Affecting Bank Account Opening Under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna in Lucknow
Authors: Misra Vaibhav , Vashisht Anubha , Tolani Parul , Mishra Kushendra
Published: May 2018

The study is conducted over 113 respondents from the slum area of Lucknow city with the objective of exploring the relationship between the slum customers and the factors affecting bank account opening under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna in Lucknow city. The data is collected using structured questionnaire consisting of both open-ended and close-ended questions. The area of sampling is selected on judgement basis and the data is collected using convenience sampling. It is found that there is a positive relationship between slum customers and the factors affecting bank account opening under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna.
Analysis of Users in an Immersive Environment for Teaching Science
Authors: Nunes Felipe Becker , Zunguze Manuel Constantino , Hannel Kelly , Antunes Fabiano Ferreira , Franco Sérgio Roberto Kieling , De Lima José Valdeni
Published: May 2018

Virtual worlds can be considered immersive e-learning environments, whose characteristics of interactivity, immersion, and collaboration can be applied in different areas of teaching, such as in the field of sciences. In this way, this chapter presents the construction of a virtual world to aid in the teaching of sciences in which different types of learning materials and simulations were developed in the OpenSim platform. A group of sixth grade students used the immersive environment for a semester, being evaluated their learning through a pre- and posttest applied together with an analysis of their learning styles, being realized a correlation between the results obtained. Added to this, usability assessments with interviews about the environment was applied. The results demonstrated the potential of virtual worlds to contribute to the adaptation of the different learning styles in a class and their contribution to the improvement of the learning process.
A Medical Decision Support System Based on Ensemble of Complex-Valued Radial Basis Function Networks
Authors: Peker Musa , Gürüler Hüseyin , İstanbullu Ayhan
Published: May 2018

The use of machine learning techniques for medical diagnosis has become increasingly common in recent years because, most importantly, the computer-aided diagnostic systems developed for supporting the experts have provided effective results. The authors aim in this chapter to improve the performance of classification in computer-aided medical diagnosis. Within the scope of the study, experiments have been performed on three different datasets, which include heart disease, hepatitis, and BUPA liver disorders datasets. First, all features obtained from these datasets were converted into complex-valued number format using phase encoding method. After complex-valued feature set was obtained, these features were then classified by an ensemble of complex-valued radial basis function (ECVRBF) method. In order to test the performance and the effectiveness of the medical diagnostic system, ROC analysis, classification accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, kappa statistic value, and f-measure were used. Experimental results show that the developed system gives better results compared to other methods described in the literature. The proposed method can then serve as a useful decision support system for medical diagnosis.
A Kaupapa Māori Facebook Group for Māori and Indigenous Doctoral Scholars
Authors: Lee Maryann
Published: May 2018

This chapter examines the use of Facebook to support Māori and Indigenous doctoral scholars who are enrolled in the MAI ki Tāmaki Makaurau doctoral programme in Auckland, New Zealand. The programme is part of a National Māori and Indigenous (MAI) Network aimed to increase doctoral participation and completion rates of Māori scholars. Drawing on three Kaupapa Māori principles introduced in chapter three: tino rangatiratanga (self-determination principle), taonga tuku iho (cultural aspirations principle), whānau (extended family structure principle), the author explores some of the key considerations in creating a Kaupapa Māori digital learning space with the use of social media. Through conversations with three Māori academics who adminisiter the MAI ki Tāmaki Facebook group, this chapter captuers their unique perspectives and provide rich insights into the ways in which the Facebook group can provide a strong network of support for Māori and Indigenous scholars.
Twenty-First Century Issues Impacting Turnover of IT Professionals
Authors: Ford Valerie , Swayze Susan
Published: May 2018

Identifying the precursors of turnover has been the subject of examination for the past four decades. IT professionals are a critical group of employees in the current knowledge-driven economy, and as such, they experience unique job stressors. This chapter explores recent research on the organizational stressors that influence IT turnover intentions. The goal is to provide insights on how organizations can begin to stem burnout, turnover intentions, and eventual turnover while improving work-related wellbeing. A revised model of work-related wellbeing is also presented in this chapter. Another objective is to discuss current issues in the IT domain and provide new research directions. New research for the IT turnover literature will provide information to scholars and practitioners on how they might improve and alleviate the impact of turnover on organizations.
A Comprehensive Report on Security and Privacy Challenges in Software as a Service
Authors: Tiwari Pradeep Kumar , Joshi Sandeep
Published: May 2018

Researchers have done tremendous works for data security, but a robust security mechanism is not available yet. Researchers are doing continuous work to build robust SaaS mechanism. SaaS has several security vulnerabilities. Data security is still the most important challenge to researcher and they can constantly do research to protect the data over the network but they are facing numerous technical challenges to completely secure the cloud network and cloud storage. This work would be helpful to understand data security and privacy problems. Researchers can find the new way to understand SaaS security vulnerabilities and currently available solutions.
Intelligent Semantics Approaches for Adaptive Web
Authors: Sharma Anu , Singh Aarti
Published: May 2018

Intelligent semantic approaches (i.e., semantic web and software agents) are very useful technologies for adding meaning to the web. Adaptive web is a new era of web targeting to provide customized and personalized view of contents and services to its users. Integration of these two technologies can further add to reasoning and intelligence in recommendation process. This chapter explores the existing work done in the area of applying intelligent approaches to web personalization and highlighting ample scope for application of intelligent agents in this domain for solving many existing issues like personalized content management, user profile learning, modelling, and adaptive interactions with users.
Impact Analysis of Intelligent Agents in Automatic Fault-Prone Components Prediction and Testing
Authors: Dharmalingam Jeya Mala
Published: May 2018

Software quality is imperative for industrial strength software. This quality will be often determined by a few components present in the software which decides the entire functionality. If any of these components are not rigorously tested, the quality will be highly affected. Without knowing which of these components are really critical, it will not be possible to perform high level testing. Hence, to predict such fault-prone or critical components from the software prior to testing and prioritizing them during the testing process, an agent-based approach is proposed in this chapter. The framework developed as part of this work will certainly reduce the field failures and thus will improve the software quality. Further, this approach has also utilized important metrics to predict such components and also prioritized the components based on their critical value. Also, the work proposed in this research has also been compared with some of the existing approaches and the results reveal that, this work is a novel one and can both predict and test the components from the software.
Evolution of e-Sales as A Form of e-Entrepreneurship in Poland
Authors: Mesjasz-Lech Agata
Published: May 2018

Growth of e-sales is the effect of global economic problems, technological progress, especially in information technology and consumers' tendency towards on-line shopping. The main aim of the article is to recognise the tendencies in e-sales in Poland and the factors blocking it, and the other to identify the relationships between the evolution of e-sales and the application of computers in businesses. In the article, the elements of dynamics and relationships analysis were used, as well as statistical tests to verify hypotheses for two indexes of a structure. The analysis is for the period 2011-2015 and focuses on enterprises functioning in Poland, classified in economic sectors.
A Novel Drainage System Using Cellular Automata to Avoid Urban Flood
Authors: Kumar Neeraj , Agrawal Alka , Khan Raees Ahmad
Published: May 2018

Floods are problems which become disasters if they persist for a long duration. Out of all kind of floods, a rainfall-induced flood is just a problem created by a lack of water storage methods, which can be eliminated if a better removal system is available. For flood avoidance, many methods have been used, out of which a dedicated drainage pipeline structure may facilitate better removal. This article shows the theory of cellular automata with its new application for flood avoidance using ground leveling. This article analyzes the performance of hexagonal shapes compared with a popular rectangle grid. The article also shows the impact of various layers on the size of the tank. This article provides knowledge towards the flood avoidance for a flood free smart city.
Blind Detection of Partial-Color-Manipulation Based on Self-PRNU Estimation
Authors: Yuting Sun , Jing Guo , Ling Du , Yongzhen Ke
Published: May 2018

This article describes how to detect color manipulation which is a commonly used method in the field of digital image forgery. The difficulty that hue forgery does not change the image edges, shapes and gradations brings certain challenge to authenticity detection. Current methods utilize the PRNU from multiple un-tampered images, requiring the camera type to be known. However, the increasing varieties of digital devices greatly complicates the preparation of prior knowledge. This article proposes a blind detection method for partial color manipulation based on self-PRNU of suspicious image, eliminating the necessity of acquiring camera information. The authors estimate the PRNU of suspicious image by removing the regions due to its texture complexity. The tamper region is detected by calculating the correlation between estimated PRNU and residual noise. As to partial manipulation detection, an introduced threshold of connected components is used to reduce the false positive. The experimental results show that the method can effectively detect and locate the partial color manipulation.
Survey on the Indoor Localization Technique of Wi-Fi Access Points
Authors: Liu Yimin , Liu Wenyan , Luo Xiangyang
Published: May 2018

This article describes how indoor localization of Wi-Fi AP (access point) plays an important role in the discovery of illegal indoor Wi-Fi and for the safety inspection of confidential places. There have been many related research results in recent years. In this article, a review is presented on the indoor localization technique of Wi-Fi AP. First, indoor localization methods of Wi-Fi AP can be divided into three categories: localization based on signal strength; fingerprint feature; and distance measurement. Then, the basic principles of the three methods are described respectively, and an evaluation of the typical methods are provided. Finally, the authors point out some research tendency of the indoor localization techniques of Wi-Fi AP.
An Improved Essential Secret Image Sharing Scheme with Smaller Shadow Size
Authors: Li Peng , Liu Zuquan
Published: May 2018

This article describes how in conventional (k, n) secret image sharing (SIS), any k or more shadows can be collaborated together to reveal the secret image. Usually, all shadows have the same importance. Recently, an essential (t, s, k, n) secret image sharing (ESIS) with different importance of shadows were proposed where the n shadows are divided into s essential shadows and n − s non-essential shadows. In reconstruction, it needs at least k shadows which should include at least t essential shadows. In this article, the authors propose an improved (t, s, k, n)-ESIS scheme, where t<k. In their scheme, essential shadows and non-essential shadows have the equal sizes. No concatenation operation is needed in generating shadows. Besides, all shadow sizes are reduced to 1/k times of the secret image. Theoretical analyses and experimental results show that the proposed scheme is feasible with optimal sharing ratios among related works.
User Experience Design of History Game
Authors: Wong Seng Yue , Ghavifekr Simin
Published: May 2018

User experience (UX) and user interface design of an educational game are important in enhancing and sustaining the utilisation of Game Based Learning (GBL) in learning history. Thus, this article provides a detailed literature review on history learning problems, as well as previous studies on user experience in game design. Future studies on educational history games will benefit from this systematic review and analysis of current educational history games, as this article examines in detail which game features are the most effective in promoting engagement and supporting the process of learning Malaysian history. The results have revealed that mobile game applications with historical content can indeed be a meaningful way to create gaming experience, learning experience, adaptivity and usability, which can facilitate history learning through UX of playing history mobile games. The correlation results of these four dimensions have indicated four positive and significant relationships.
A Nonuniform Method for Extracting Attractive Structures From Images
Authors: Wang Yiyang , Jiang Zhiying , Su Zhixun
Published: May 2018

This article describes how attractive structures are always correspond to objects of interest in human perception, thus extracting attractive structures is a fundamental problem in many image analysis tasks, which is of great practical importance. In this article, the authors propose a novel nonuniform method to maintain the attractive structures of images while removing their meaningless details. Different from the existing norm based operators that are a uniform method proposed on regular image grids, our nonuniform method is not limited to special type of datum and grid structure, which has better performance for image analysis tasks. Besides, a strategy based on proximal algorithms is put forward to obtain fast convergence in practice due to the nonconvex and nonsmooth property of the corresponding optimization. Though the model with our proposed nonuniform operator can be used for various applications, the authors chose the tasks of image smoothing and saliency detection to demonstrate the good performances of our nonuniform method and show its superiority against other state-of-the-art alternatives.
Design and Application of a Containerized Hybrid Transaction Processing and Data Analysis Framework
Authors: Tao Ye , Wang Xiaodong , Xu Xiaowei
Published: May 2018

This article describes how rapidly growing data volumes require systems that have the ability to handle massive heterogeneous unstructured data sets. However, most existing mature transaction processing systems are built upon relational databases with structured data. In this article, the authors design a hybrid development framework, to offer greater scalability and flexibility of data analysis and reporting, while keeping maximum compatibility and links to the legacy platforms on which transaction business logics run. Data, service and user interfaces are implemented as a toolset stack, for developing applications with functionalities of information retrieval, data processing, analyzing and visualizing. A use case of healthcare data integration is presented as an example, where information is collected and aggregated from diverse sources. The workflow and simulation of data processing and visualization are also discussed, to validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework.
IDS Using Reinforcement Learning Automata for Preserving Security in Cloud Environment
Authors: Ghosh Partha , Bardhan Meghna , Chowdhury Nilabhra Roy , Phadikar Santanu
Published: May 2018

Cloud computing relies on sharing computing resources. With high availability and accessibility of resources, cloud computing is under the threat of major cyber-attacks. To detect attacks and preserve security in cloud environment, having an efficient intrusion detection system (IDS) is required. In this article, an effective and efficient IDS is proposed to maintain high level security of data in cloud. The authors have incorporated Reinforcement Learning Automata with their proposed IDS while detecting and classifying attacks. Using learning automata an effective rule set is generated with the proposed algorithm from vast training set to improve the learning process at reduced computation cost and time. After which, the proposed reinforcement learning algorithm helps in classification of attacks accurately using the reinforcement signal. This proposed model was experimented with NSL-KDD as well as KDD 10% dataset and have proved its robustness by detecting attacks more accurately being an IDS.
The Analysis of Flipped Learning Centered on Prospective Study
Authors: Jeong Lae-Ok , Kim Yong-Myeong , Kang Mun-Koo
Published: May 2018

This article describes how the advent of the Information Age has brought an educational tendency to focus on the quality and morality, excluding the quantity of education and rote learning. This highlights the importance of developing competence of critical insight, problem solving, collaboration, communication, creative thinking, and cultural understanding in public education. However, the reality of education in Korea is that the public school fails to be apart from content-based learning, teacher-centered learning and ranking-oriented learning. To solve this problem, the Education Ministry suggests cultivating a creative human resource with integrated competency in the revised curriculum of 2015 and implement a free semester program. Moreover, flipped learning is being realized and researched as the shift the teaching paradigm, aiming to introduce it in each school. Accordingly, this project suggests establishing a step in the right direction of flipped learning so that it can be boosted on stage. This article also suggests the purpose and its goal of flipped learning based on precedent studies and their implications on political, administrative and financial, cultural, school curriculum and assessment-based view.
Integration of Gaussian Processes and Particle Swarm Optimization for Very-Short Term Wind Speed Forecasting in Smart Power
Authors: Alamaniotis Miltiadis , Karagiannis Georgios
Published: May 2018

This article describes how the integration of renewable energy in the power grid is a critical issue in order to realize a smart grid infrastructure. To that end, intelligent methods that monitor and currently predict the values of critical variables of renewable energy are essential. With respect to wind power, such variable is the wind speed given that it is of great interest to efficient schedule operation of a wind farm. In this article, a new methodology for predicting wind speed is presented for very short-term prediction horizons. The methodology integrates multiple Gaussian process regressors (GPR) via the adoption of an optimization problem whose solution is given by the particle swarm optimization algorithm. The optimized framework is utilized for the average hourly wind speed prediction for a prediction horizon of six hours ahead. Results demonstrate the ability of the methodology in accurately forecasting the wind speed. Furthermore, obtained forecasts are compared with those taken from single Gaussian process regressors as well from the integration of the same multiple GPR using a genetic algorithm.
Integration of Web-Based Learning into Higher Education Institutions in Uganda
Authors: Asuman Baguma , Khan Md. Shahadat Hossain , Clement Che Kum
Published: May 2018

This article reports on the barriers encountered by teachers and the possible solutions to the integration of web-based learning (WBL) into higher educational institutions in Uganda. A total of 50 teachers in the departments of ICT, management, and social sciences from five different universities were purposively selected. A self-designed questionnaire was adapted to collect participants responses. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze data. The findings indicate that teachers had a positive attitude to incorporate WBL into teaching and learning process, but they encountered some difficulties which were identified as slow internet speeds, insufficient web-based tools, lack of technical support, etc. It further identified possible enablers to overcome these difficulties and provides empirical evidence of incorporating new knowledge in the existing literature. It also provides recommendations in terms of overcoming difficulties to enhance and incorporate WBL in teaching and learning contexts of higher education in Uganda particularly and developing countries in general
Achievements of the Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka
Authors: Mahaliyanaarachchi Rohana P.
Published: May 2018

No abstract available
A Study on Market Window and Economic Efficiency in Assessing Profitability of Selected Upcountry Vegetables in Sri Lanka
Authors: Priyadarshani M. D. , Wickramasinghe Y. M.
Published: May 2018

Purpose : Vegetable subsector being a foremost source of income and employments, plays an outstanding role in Sri Lankan economy. However, profits from vegetable farming have become low due to low prices and frequent price fluctuations. Thus, this study identifies the existence of profitable markets, profitability, economic efficiency and price fluctuations of selected upcountry vegetables; bean, tomato, potato, cabbage and knol-khol in Bandarawela Divisional Secretariat Division, Badulla district. The aim of the study is to address the key issues in Sri Lankan upcountry vegetable sector.Research Method : Stratified random sampling was applied to draw a sample of 150 vegetable growers to collect primary data. Market window analysis was done to identify profitable markets for each crop. Profit function, economic efficiencies, seasonal price indexes, coefficients of variation of prices and Garret’s ranking technique were employed to examine profitability, price fluctuations and factors that have contributed to above situations from farmers’ point of view.Findings : The results indicated that, market windows were existed during the year 2016 for all crops considered. When compared profits, tomato and bean have produced high profits in Yala; the shorter rainy season (4910.35 US$ ac-1) and Maha; the longer rainy season (2301.35 US$ ac-1) respectively. Moreover, the production of cabbage (Yala2.75) and bean (Maha 1.14) was economically more efficient compared to the other crops considered. The seasonal price index disclosed that, prices of vegetables tend upward during the festival seasons, especially during the months of March and April. The coefficient of variation of price fluctuations over the years and seasonal variation and variability of prices observed were mainly due to seasonality in production, oversupply of production and low level of shelf life of vegetables. As per the constraint analysis, the price fluctuations were the highest perceived obstacles followed by unreasonable price for the fresh produce.Limitations : Limited availability of historical data was a constraint during the study and that was avoided using data for a base year.Value : It is better to conduct a study on market window analysis and profitability evaluation for upcountry vegetables in order to find out profitable market existence for each vegetable because, these evidences are useful to the farmer, trader and planners.
Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Seed on Milt Quality of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Broodstocks
Authors: Dada A. A. , Fagbohun A. E.
Published: May 2018

Purpose : The effects of Phoenix dactylifera seed powder on milt quality of Clarias gariepinus was investigated. The purpose of the research were to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of P. dactylifera seed meal on the milt quality  of African catfish, C. gariepinus; and to examine the effects of the dietary supplementation of P. dactylifera seed meal on the histology of the testes.Research Method : Five diets with crude protein of 40% were formulated with different inclusion levels of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0g date palm/100g of diet. 75 male C. gariepinus broodstocks (327.26 ± 8.61g) were randomly distributed in triplicate into 15 concrete tanks at stocking density of 5 fish per tank for 70 days.Findings : Reproductive performance indices and milt quality parameters were determined at the end of the feeding trial. There was no significant differences (P<0.05) in the weight of testes, gonadosomatic index and weight gain in fish in all the experimental diets. The milt count (102.40 x 104spz/ml ± 0.87) and motility duration (60.70s ± 0.13 seconds) were highest in fish fed diet PDSP 4 (1.5g date palm/100g diet) and PDSP 5 (2.0g date palm/100g). The percentage motility was highest in fish fed PDSP 5 at (2.0g date palm/100g diet).Research limitations : The limitation of this research was the unavailability of funds to extend this research in order to carry out more investigation using other culturable fish species.Value of the Research : The study revealed that dietary supplementation of P. dactylifera seed powder at 2.0g/100g diet significantly increased milt quality of C. gariepinus broodstocks.
Proactive udder health management in South Africa and monitoring of antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus aureus in dairy herds from 2001 to 2010
Authors: Karzis Joanne , Petzer Inge-Marie , Donkin Edward F. , Naidoo Vinny
Published: May 2018

Antibiotic resistance of strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine milk is of concern internationally. The objective of this study was to investigate trends of resistance of S. aureus to antibiotics administered to dairy cows in 19 South African and one Zambian dairy herds (participating in the South African proactive udder health management programme) and to identify possible contributing factors. The resistance of S. aureus strains to eight commonly used antibiotics in South Africa from 2001 to 2010 was evaluated. Staphylococcus aureus isolates (n = 2532) were selected from cows with subclinical mastitis in 20 herds routinely sampled as part of the proactive udder health management programme. The isolates were selected from milk samples that had somatic cell counts more than 400 000 cells/mL and were tested for antibiotic resistance using a standard Kirby–Bauer test with published clinical breakpoints. The prevalence of antibiotic resistance was evaluated as a percentage of S. aureus isolates susceptible out of the total numbers for each antibiotic selected per year. Staphylococcus aureus showed a significant increase in percentage of susceptible isolates over time for all antibiotics tested except for ampicillin. The overall prevalence of mastitis did not change during the study period. However, the prevalence of mastitis caused by S. aureus (mostly subclinical cases) in the selected herds decreased numerically but not significantly. Reduction in the incidence of antibiotic resistance shown by S. aureus was presumed to be a result of the application of the proactive udder health management programme. The fact that the overall prevalence of mastitis was kept stable was possibly because of the influence of the management programme in conjunction with the return of infections caused by non-resistant strains.