bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SOFTWARE PARA GESTÃO DE ESTOQUE EM UMA INSTITUIÇÃO PÚBLICA DE ENSINO SUPERIOR
Authors: Oliveira Arthur Melo de , Gadelha Hugo Rodrigues de Oliveira , NUNES DENILSON RICARDO DE LUCENA , Melo André Cristiano Silva , Branco Antonio Do Nascimento
Published: March 2017

O presente estudo teve como objetivo desenvolver um Sistema de Controle de Estoques de itens de consumo, e teve como objeto de estudo o sistema de suprimento desses itens em uma Instituição Pública de Ensino Superior, localizada no estado do Pará. O sistema foi idealizado a partir de um trabalho de mapeamento dos processos envolvidos no suprimento, visando a identificação de problemas que orientassem as funcionalidades do sistema a ser desenvolvido. Para tanto, foi necessário realizar uma série de visitas técnicas e entrevistas não estruturadas com os gestores do estoque de duas unidades (uma da capital e uma do interior do estado) da instituição estudada. Como resultado foi possível mapear os processos de suprimento de itens de consumo na instituição, o que permitiu rastrear alguns problemas que balizaram o programa de requisitos do software a ser desenvolvido. Assim, utilizando dados contidos planilhas eletrônicas, o sistema desenvolvido permite controlar as atividades de entrada, saída, cadastro de novos itens e emitir relatórios de status. Ao mesmo tempo, ele permite controlar o tempo de validade dos itens, bem como indicar quais lotes de reposição devem ser pedidos. O software foi desenvolvido em linguagem VBA (visual basic), executado no programa Microsoft Excel, e implementado de forma que fosse de fácil operação, com apenas uma tela que condensasse o máximo de informações relevantes ao processo de gestão de estoque.
ANÁLISE BIBLIOMÉTRICA SOBRE INCUBADORAS DE EMPREENDIMENTOS
Authors: Do Carmo João Paulo , Janes Carneiro Teresa Cristina
Published: March 2017

Incubadoras de empreendimentos constituem-se um importante meio para o desenvolvimento empreendedor em todo o mundo, podendo ser de caráter público, privado, econômico ou social. Seu principal objetivo é desenvolver projetos inovadores por meio de um sólido programa de suporte tecnológico visando o crescimento das empresas que estão incubadas. Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar características bibliométricas dos artigos relacionados a incubadoras de empreendimentos em periódicos de alto impacto da área de empreendedorismo e inovação tecnológica, com um recorte longitudinal de 2000 a 2015. Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratória de abordagem quantitativa e qualitativa. O método utilizado baseia-se na sistematização do processo de busca e seleção de artigos proposta pelo ProKnow-C, fazendo uso de técnicas de análise bibliométrica considerando o que o pesquisador julga importante para o tema de pesquisa. A aplicação do método permitiu obter um portfólio bibliográfico com 14 artigos relevantes e de prestígio científico. Com esta pesquisa, pode-se fornecer ao pesquisador conhecimento sobre os periódicos mais relevantes para o tema, além de artigos e autores de destaque úteis para se iniciar uma pesquisa no tema incubadora de empreendimentos.
Expérimenter la santé des grands nombres : les hygiénistes militaires et l’armée française, 1850-1914
Authors: Rasmussen Anne
Published: March 2017

Au cours de la seconde moitié du XIX e  siècle, sous le nom d’hygiène militaire, un ensemble de savoirs ont gagné le statut de « science » et leurs praticiens – médecins et hygiénistes – conquis un statut professionnel qui leur confère la charge de la préservation de la santé des troupes. Cet article s’attache à mettre en valeur la diversité des enjeux auxquels les hygiénistes militaires sont confrontés en France, au cours de cette séquence temporelle : enjeux médico-militaires, après le désastre sanitaire de la guerre de Crimée ; politiques, sous l’effet de la progressive universalisation de la conscription qui pose la question des droits et des devoirs réciproques de l’État et de la nation armée ; cognitifs, avec l’introduction des statistiques et de la théorie des germes pour comprendre les spécificités de la surmortalité militaire et de la morbidité infectieuse en temps de paix. Il montre que la nouvelle discipline constitue un front pionnier du mouvement hygiéniste, où le collectif militaire est théorisé comme un laboratoire pour la médecine des populations et les dispositifs sanitaires de lutte contre les maladies infectieuses.
Un droit à la réhabilitation ? Le statut légal des invalides russes de la Grande Guerre, 1912-1927
Authors: Sumpf Alexandre
Published: March 2017

En Russie tsariste, l’invalidité de guerre bénéficiait d’une reconnaissance avant la Première Guerre mondiale, ce qui n’était le cas d’aucun handicap civil. La loi de 1912, les multiples régulations civiles et militaires, les initiatives privées et le volontarisme collectif ne permettent cependant pas de faire face à l’ampleur des traumas dus à la guerre industrielle qu’est le premier conflit mondial. Les autorités envisagent l’afflux d’hommes « incapacités » non comme un problème social, mais plutôt comme une mosaïque de cas individuels. La situation, critique, fait toutefois émerger la « question des invalides » en tant que cause sociale. Pour les experts qui s’opposent à une administration jugée inefficace, la loi sur l’invalidité devient un programme d’action, une arme politique, le moteur d’une nouvelle conception de la nation russe. Surtout, dès 1915, et plus encore en 1917, les invalides s’adaptent individuellement à la réglementation et s’organisent collectivement afin d’influer sur pensions, logements et emplois.
Thinking with Care
Authors: Pérez-Bustos Tania
Published: March 2017

This paper reflects on practices of careful unraveling and mending as being intimately constitutive of particular embodied thinking processes. My starting point is an ethnography of the dialogues between calado embroidery and engineering design. Hence, through describing the partial unraveling of fabrics intended to become calado and their subsequent mending through weaving, I question the double agency of these practices: over the ethnography that approaches them, and about the effects of ethnography, affected by calado practices, on engineers’ imaginaries and expectations about design and about the craft’s context. Throughout the paper I emphasize how such processes of unraveling and mending are constituted by care in relation to bodies and materialities. Thus I pay special attention to how these processes intertwine stories about embodied and domestic learning and ambiguous invisibility crosscut by gender in particular ways.
Connaissance et passion : penser la causalité et la « bonne cause » à partir des Lumières
Authors: Delannoi Gil
Published: March 2017

À l’époque des Lumières se déploie, chez des auteurs comme Leibniz, Voltaire, Hume ou encore Rousseau, une réflexion sur la nature de la connaissance. Dans cette contribution il s’agira de problématiser les ressorts et les limites de la connaissance du point de vue de la question de la causalité. Suivant Hume, comprendre la causalité entre deux événements, c’est établir des associations d’idées, mais encore faut-il pouvoir soumettre ces différentes associations à réfutation. Ainsi apparaît-il nécessaire de distinguer entre cause et effet, d’une part, et succession d’événements, d’autre part. De même, une explication réfutable scientifiquement est à distinguer d’une explication que l’on peut ni prouver, ni invalider. L’analyse s’attache à montrer que la confusion entre différents types d’explication conduit à obscurcir le rôle des passions moralisantes dans les explications causales qui se veulent scientifiques. Dans le même temps, l’auteur soutient que la démarche scientifique, en particulier en sciences sociales, ne saurait s’émanciper d’un type d’engagement à la fois moral et non dépourvu d’émotion et de passion.
Differences in the kinetics and kinematics of supported and un-supported landings of the rugby union lineout
Authors: Sinclair J. , Smith A. , Taylor P.J. , Hobbs S.J.
Published: March 2017

The aim of the current investigation was to comparatively examine the kinetics and kinematics of supported and un-supported landings during the rugby union lineout. Eleven male lineout jumpers were tested under two conditions, ‘supported’ in which the lifters maintained supportive contact with the jumper until the jumpers’ feet touched the floor and ‘un-supported’ in which the lifters released the jumper once they had caught the ball. Kinematics were examined using an eight camera motion capture system and kinetics using a force platform. Differences between conditions were examined using paired t-tests. The findings showed the instantaneous loading rate (supported = 212.9±102.5 body weight (BW)/s and un-supported = 449.0±142.4 BW/s) and vertical velocity (supported = 2.7±0.4 m/s and un-supported = 4.0±0.4 m/s) at foot contact were significantly larger in the un-supported condition. The findings from the current investigation indicate that if the lineout jumper is un-supported by the lifters in returning to the ground then their risk from injury is likely to be greater. Therefore, given the number of lineouts that are conducted per game it is recommended that this law be clarified to also specify supported lowering of the jumper at all levels of play.
Influences of Flap Shape and Hinge Angle on Opaque Bubble Layer Formation in Femtosecond Laser-Assisted LASIK Surgery
Authors: Lin Hung-Yuan , Fang Yi-Ting , Chuang Ya-Jung , Yu Han-Chieh , Pu Christy , Chou Yiing-Jenq , Chien Chih-Yi , Lin Pi-Jung , Schallhorn Steven C. , Sun Chi-Chin
Published: March 2017

PURPOSE:

To evaluate the effects of different flap shapes and hinge angles on opaque bubble layer (OBL) formation using a femtosecond laser for flap creation in LASIK surgery.

METHODS:

This retrospective study evaluated 138 eyes of 73 patients who underwent femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK with a 150-kHz IntraLase femtosecond laser (Abbott Medical Optics, Inc., Santa Ana, CA) for myopic astigmatism and compared differences between different flap shapes and hinge angles on OBL formation. The surgical procedures were videotaped, and the patterns and sizes of the OBLs seen during surgery were analyzed. Preoperative and postoperative data including patient demographics, refractive status, keratometry, central corneal thickness, and intraoperative data (flap size and pocket parameters) were recorded. The eyes were divided into four groups based on the corneal flap shape (elliptical versus round) and hinge angle (50° versus 60°).

RESULTS:

The preoperative demographic data, mean spherical errors, cylindrical power, and central corneal thickness were not significantly different among the groups. Of the 138 eyes, 107 (77%) developed an OBL covering a mean area of 13.8% ± 12.6% in each case. This area was significantly smaller in the elliptical flap with 60° hinge angle group (
P
< .05).

CONCLUSIONS:

An oval-shaped flap with a larger hinge angle tended to result in less OBL formation in femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK.

[
J Refract Surg
. 2017;33(3):178–182.]
Science et esthétique dans la Lyrosophie de Jean Epstein
Authors: Thys Nicolas
Published: March 2017

La production théorique de Jean Epstein, publiée ou inédite, est immense et globalement méconnue. Son rapport aux sciences notamment n’a été que peu traité et mérite une attention particulière car, en plus d’être prégnant dans l’ensemble de ses textes et lectures, il est étroitement lié à sa conception du cinéma. La lyrosophie est une notion qui permet à Epstein d’interroger son époque par le biais des relations entre arts, sciences, techniques et différents courants philosophiques. C’est surtout un livre fondateur de sa pensée théorique. Mais la lyrosophie est davantage une hypothèse qu’un concept. Pouvant être perçue comme une forme de « cosmogonie », un ensemble de mythes et de pensées reliées visant à la création d’un monde (dont la Kabbale) elle porte l’idée de la création d’un monde nouveau, déjà là et encore à construire.
Les aventures de M. Grand-Art au pays des capitalistes. Le roman de l’artiste-victime-de-l’industrie
Authors: Mortari Virgilio
Published: March 2017

Il y a quelques années, la publication de plusieurs ouvrages sur le cinéma d’avant-garde semblait pouvoir rouvrir le débat sur ce sujet, longtemps dominée par la perspective formaliste, laquelle établissait une nette opposition entre production artistique et production industrielle. Le cas de Jean Epstein offre un terrain particulièrement fécond pour saisir les relations entre prétentions artistiques et exigences mercantiles de cette génération de cinéastes qu’on a appelée la « première avant-garde ». En effet, après avoir travaillé pour les plus importantes firmes de l’époque, Epstein fonde sa propre maison de production ; mais cette entreprise connaîtra un échec dont Epstein ne saura pas se remettre. La riche correspondance d’Epstein, sur laquelle nous nous appuierons et qui est presque entièrement inédite, permet toutefois de saisir ce moment crucial de sa production sous une lumière nouvelle, en dehors du mythe de l’artiste-victime-de-l’industrie.
Jean Epstein dans le fonds Blaise Cendrars de la Bibliothèque Nationale suisse
Authors: Portmann Sylvain
Published: March 2017

Le fonds d’archives Blaise Cendrars conservé aux Archives littéraires suisses de Berne témoigne d’une relation souvent évoquée mais peu documentée des rapports que le poète d’origine suisse a entretenus avec le futur cinéaste Jean Epstein. Cet état des lieux propose de faire le point sur les documents du fonds Cendrars en lien avec Jean Epstein. Peu nombreux, ces documents nous renseignent pourtant sur la courte période durant laquelle les deux hommes se fréquentèrent au tournant des années 1920.
Movilidad de científicos franceses a México
Authors: Aupetit Sylvie Didou , Mendiola María Cecilia Oviedo
Published: March 2017

Analisamos os perfis da migração de cientistas estrangeiros contratados de forma fixa pelas instituições de educação superior mexicana, suas condições de profissionalização e suas redes, como ferramentas para situar-se em um âmbito de investigação científica, ao mesmo tempo altamente internacionalizado e profundamente arraigado em contextos locais e institucionais. As hipóteses centrais são : a) A migração influencia de forma duradoura na trajetória dos pesquisadores ; b) A escala sistêmica, no México, é uma estratégia de consolidação das capacidades instaladas da indagação e pós-graduação ; c) É uma aposta dos grupos científicos para melhorar alguns indicadores de qualidade e suportar os problemas acarreados pelo baixo nível de rotação e o envelhecimento do corpo científico.
Migración cualificada y políticas públicas en América del Sur : el programa PROMETEO como estudio de caso
Authors: Pedone Claudia , Alfaro Yolanda
Published: March 2017

Diante das atuais transformações políticas, econômicas e sociais das migrações na Europa e na América Latina, o Equador se tornou um destino para profissionais altamente qualificados. No entanto, tanto no debate acadêmico quanto no político o discurso sobre esta migração qualificada aparece a reboque dos enfoques construídos para estudar as migrações de profissionais Sul-Norte com o uso de categorias analíticas, tais como, “fuga de cérebros” e “circulação de talentos” que se abstraem do contexto político-econômico no qual surge esse fluxo migratório. A partir do estudo do Programa “Prometeo” no Equador, analisamos diferentes perfis migratórios no âmbito dessa política pública e mostramos que a heterogeneidade que apresenta a denominada migração qualificada, através das variáveis de gênero, idade, origem regional e nacionalidade, nos permite refletir e debater sobre a relevância de abordar a análise da migração qualificada tendo em conta essas variáveis, a fim de construir outras categorias de análise.
As escolas privadas e os seus clientes : estratégias organizacionais de promoção da oferta e de regulação das admissões
Authors: Lima Jorge Ávila de , Melo André Costa
Published: March 2017

Conhece-se ainda pouco sobre o modo como as organizações escolares privadas promovem a sua oferta junto dos potenciais clientes e como regulam a procura de que são objeto por parte das famílias. O presente artigo apresenta os resultados de um estudo de caso exploratório que investigou estas questões em duas escolas privadas com oferta formativa ao nível do 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico. Os dados foram recolhidos através de entrevistas exploratórias realizadas aos diretores das escolas e a docentes de ambas. Os resultados mostram que as organizações estudadas procuram diferenciar-se das concorrentes através da criação e promoção de uma imagem de marca junto dos seus públicos e que regulam a procura de que são objeto através da utilização de estratégias seletivas de definição de perfis preferenciais de alunos a admitir.
Digital Occlusal Force Distribution Patterns (DOFDPs)
Authors: Supple, DMD Robert C.
Published: March 2017

This chapter describes the many clinical applications of Digital Occlusal Force Distribution Patterns (DOFDPs) recorded with the T-Scan Computerized Occlusal Analysis system. Movements made by the Center of Force trajectory as force travels around the dental arches during the occlusion and disocclusion creates these patterns. The repetitive occlusal contact data points locate the force distribution received when teeth occlude against each other. These force distribution patterns correlate to intraoral compromised dental anatomy found in radiographs, photographs, and during the clinical examination of teeth and their supporting tissues. Moreover, they directly influence the envelope of motion, the envelope of function, and head and neck posture. This chapter illustrates with clinical examples the correlation between Stomatognathic System structural damage and repeating patterns of abnormal occlusal force distribution. The T-Scan technology isolates these damaging regions of excess microtraumatic occlusal force, absent of clinician subjectivity, thereby helping clinicians make an accurate, organized, and documented occlusal diagnosis.
Computerized Occlusal Analysis in Occlusal Splint Therapy
Authors: Solow, DDS Roger
Published: March 2017

Occlusal splints are used to protect teeth, relieve orofacial pain, and preview the patient response to a simulated occlusal correction. This chapter outlines proper occlusal splint fabrication that employs T-Scan analysis to verify a therapeutic occlusion. The T-Scan provides objective relative occlusal force and timing data that guides the refinement of a splint's occlusal scheme. Therefore, this chapter explains adjusting an occlusal splint's contact pattern with ink ribbon followed by the T-Scan. It also addresses the controversy regarding the existence of, or lack thereof, a relationship between occlusal interferences and masticatory muscle dysfunction. The author postulates that the research studies that argue against the existence of a relationship are absent of occlusal measurement and lack a scientific basis to deny a relationship exists. Lastly, recommendations are made to include the T-Scan in Temporomandibular Disorder treatment studies with both occlusal splints and natural teeth, so that researchers might resolve this controversy for dental clinicians.
Perspectives in Managing State Global Competitiveness
Authors: Cordeiro Cheryl Marie
Published: March 2017

Singapore ranks second after Switzerland in the Global Competitiveness Index 2015/6, placing it ahead of some advanced economies of the Nordic region. Singapore's development model has been studied mostly from an economic perspective in specific socio-political contexts. Part of the Singapore governance strategy in managing its differential (heterochronic) developmental complexity at domestic and international levels is through its national discourses. These national discourses are multileveled and targeted at different spheres of influence. This chapter brings a complementary language in international business perspective with theoretical foundations in biological evolution theory applied to state governance. It uses a four-quadrant Götheborg IV model of visualization, illustrating how Singapore's national discourses act in dialogic complementarity, bolstering state competitiveness. It shows how state development complexity is managed in Singapore's current vision of a Smart Nation, with its ambition of becoming a global first in future living in the global circular economy.
The Impact of Intellectual Property Reforms on ASEAN Member Countries
Authors: D'Rosario Michael
Published: March 2017

A number of studies have been conducted with regard to the economic impact of intellectual property reform on economic growth. Majority of these studies, particularly works of an empirical nature, have focused on highly industrialized economies, with the findings supporting the conclusion that intellectual property rights (IPRs) have been economically beneficial to industrialized economies. Little research has been conducted on the economic benefit of IPR within developing countries. The current study considers the impact of IPR within ASEAN member countries to determine whether reform activities have been beneficial to IPR activity. The findings are mixed, suggesting that for some categories of IPR, reform activities have been beneficial while in other instances, regulatory reforms have not had a discernable impact. Additionally, the findings also indicate that intellectual property reform, where effective has been most effective in generating additional intellectual property activity, as measured by intellectual property applications, amongst non-residents, rather than amongst domestic registrants. This finding supports the conclusion that reform activities have engendered confidence amongst foreign firms and foreign nationals.
Building Trust Relationship in Cross-Cultural Collaboration
Authors: Liu Zheng , Ma Lei
Published: March 2017

Internationalization and inter-firm collaboration is a business trend today. Meanwhile, cultural values and managerial practices vary from country to country which makes cross-border management more challenging than the traditional in-house business model. A trusting relationship is essential to business success, yet details of how to build-up and maintain trust are unclear. This paper investigates trust development in cross-border collaboration. The literature review has covered key trust theories and its linkage with culture. To further understand the critical issues in of trust, two in-depth case studies are conducted from the Chinese animation game industry. It is found that in order to achieve long-term business collaboration, companies need to be continuously responsive and adapt their trust models. Based on the case analysis, a general model and a practical model are developed for further testing. Other research topics to further link trust with sustainability are also proposed at the end of the chapter.
MonogDB
Authors: Tidke Sonali
Published: March 2017

MongoDB is a NoSQL type of database management system which does not adhere to the commonly used relational database management model. MongoDB is used for horizontal scaling across a large number of servers which may have tens, hundreds or even thousands of servers. This horizontal scaling is performed using sharding. Sharding is a database partitioning technique which partitions large database into smaller parts which are easy to manage and faster to access. There are hundreds of NoSQL databases available in the market. But each NoSQL product is different in terms of features, implementations and behavior. NoSQL and RDBMS solve different set of problems and have different requirements. MongoDB has a powerful query language which extends SQL to JSON enabling developers to take benefit of power of SQL and flexibility of JSON. Along with support for select/from/where type of queries, MongoDB supports aggregation, sorting, joins as well as nested array and collections. To improve query performance, indexes and many more features are also available.
Educational Data Mining Review
Authors: Agrawal Rashmi , Gupta Neha
Published: March 2017

In today's era, educational data mining is a discipline of high importance for teaching enhancement. EDM techniques can reveal useful information to educators to help them design or modify the structure of courses. EDM techniques majorly include machine learning and data mining techniques. In this chapter of the book, we will deliberate upon various data mining techniques that will help in identifying at-risk students, identifying priority learning needs for different groups of students, increasing graduation rates, effectively assessing institutional performance, maximizing campus resources, optimizing subject curriculum renewal. Various applications of data mining are also discussed by quoting example of various case studies. Analysis of social networks in educational field to understand student network formation in classrooms and the types of impact these networks have on student is also discussed.
The Technological Knowledge as Strategy for Academic Research
Authors: Kumar Manoj
Published: March 2017

The chapter was intended to provide an original and creative review of the literature on the dynamics of technological knowledge. It is argued that among the new developments on the theme, the investigation on endogenous complexity in technological knowledge is certainly the most promising advance. First it provides an accurate representation of how knowledge is created and diffused at the analytical level, and second it also benefits of an empirical value since it can be expressed by a wide range of indicators and measures. In particular, it is claimed that such framework has a great potential in that it provides both the theoretical and empirical grounds to carry out an interdependent analysis of technology as an act and as an artefact. In this direction, the structure of technological knowledge is represented as a network the architecture of which is in turn influenced by the architecture of the network of innovation, and vice versa.
Five Principles for the Practice of Knowledge Exchange in Environmental Management
Authors: Maroofi Fakhraddin
Published: March 2017

The principles are designed into the analysis; and different stakeholder should be consistently delineated within the research. Long-run relationships should be designed on trust and two-way dialogue between researchers and stakeholders so as to confirm effective co-generation of latest data. The delivery of tangible advantages within the analysis method helps to confirm continuing motivation and engagement of doubtless analysis users. Knowledge exchange could be a versatile method that has to be monitored, reflected on and endlessly refined, and wherever potential, steps should be taken to confirm a heritage of in progress Knowledge exchange on the far side initial analysis funding. The principles are used Knowledge exchange and Stakeholder engagement pointers for two international analysis programs. They're able to assist researchers, decision-makers and different stakeholders operating in contrasting environmental management settings to figure along to co-produce new data, and additional effectively shares and apply existing data to manage environmental modification.
Human-Data Interaction in Healthcare
Authors: Cabitza Federico , Locoro Angela
Published: March 2017

In this chapter, we focus on an emerging strand of IT-oriented research, namely Human-Data Interaction (HDI) and on how this can be applied to healthcare. HDI regards both how humans create and use data by means of interactive systems, which can both assist and constrain them and the operational level of data work, which is both work on data and by data. Healthcare is a challenging arena where to test the potential of HDI towards a new, user-centered perspective on how to support and assess “data work”. This is especially true in current times where data are becoming increasingly big and many tools are available for the lay people, including doctors and nurses, to interact with health-related data. This chapter is a contribution in the direction of considering health-related data through the lens of HDI, and of framing data visualization tools in this strand of research. The intended aim is to let the subtler peculiarities among different kind of data and of their use emerge and be addressed adequately. Our point is that doing so can promote the design of more usable tools that can support data work from a user-centered and data quality perspective and the evidence-based validation of these tools.
The Complexities of Digital Storytelling
Authors: Gobel Peter , Kano Makimi
Published: March 2017

This chapter describes a pair of studies investigating factors involved in task-based learning using digital storytelling. In Study 1, the stories were analyzed using the factors of topic, time, medium, and reported technological proficiency. Student attitudes towards the tasks were gauged using a questionnaire that measured perceived task cost and value, engagement with the task, and expectancy for success on future tasks. In Study 2, three mid-task planning conditions were introduced and a questionnaire was administered to see student attitudes towards various modes of mid-task planning. The results of Study 1 suggest that digital storytelling can be incorporated into EFL classes to reduce foreign language anxiety, to provide greater opportunities to use English, and to foster ICT skills. The results of Study 2 suggest that students favor a teacher-led planning condition, and that this planning condition had a positive effect on student attitudes towards the project (value and cost).
A Decision Support System for Classification of Normal and Medical Renal Disease Using Ultrasound Images
Authors: Sharma Komal , Virmani Jitendra
Published: March 2017

Early detection of medical renal disease is important as the same may lead to chronic kidney disease which is an irreversible stage. The present work proposes an efficient decision support system for detection of medical renal disease using small feature space consisting of only second order GLCM statistical features computed from raw renal ultrasound images. The GLCM mean feature vector and GLCM range feature vector are computed for inter-pixel distance d varying from 1 to 10. These texture feature vectors are combined in various ways yielding GLCM ratio feature vector, GLCM additive feature vector and GLCM concatenated feature vector. The present work explores the potential of five texture feature vectors computed using GLCM statistics exhaustively for differential diagnosis between normal and MRD images using SVM classifier. The result of the study indicates that GLCM range feature vector computed with d = 1 yields the highest overall classification accuracy of 85.7% with individual classification accuracy values of 93.3% and 77.9% for normal and MRD classes respectively.
The Dielectric Properties of CaCu3Ti4O12 at Various Calcination Temperatures
Authors: Abdul Karim Saniah , Sulaiman Muhammad Azwadi , Masri Mohamad Najmi , Ahmad Zainal Arifin , Ain Mohd Fadzil
Published: March 2017

High dielectric constant of CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) has drawn a great deal of intention these past years as potential material for capacitor and even micro-electronic applications. In this research, an attempt has been made to investigate the relationship between the calcination temperature and the dielectric properties of CCTO. The calcination of CCTO at lower temperature (below 1000○C) provides incomplete reaction process, where the secondary phase is detected on the sample. Calcination at 1040○C provides a single phase as just same with the control sample (sample which had gone through both phase calcine and sinter). It is also found that calcination at 1040○C provides the dielectric properties that almost the same with the calcine-sinter sample.
Diversification Studies on Samarium Strontium Cobaltite Regarding Thermal & Structural Properties as Based Composite Cathode of SOFC
Authors: Mohammad Siti Fairus , Ahmad Sufizar , Rahman Hamimah Abdul , Muchtar Andanastuti
Published: March 2017

In this study, samarium strontium cobaltite, Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3−δ (SSC) and samarium doped ceria, Sm0.2 Ce0.8O1.9 (SDC) carbonate or (SDCC) was used as the new composite cathode powder materials. This composite cathode powder was prepared via high energy ball milling (HEBM) technique for LTSOFC application. Various weight percentages of SDCC ranging from 50 wt.% to 70 wt.% was chosen to be added with SSC powder. The prepared samples of SSC–CE55, SSC-CE64 and SSC-CE73 composite cathode powders were characterized by using TGA, XRD , FTIR in order to investigate their physical structural, morphological and chemical compatibility. Result shows that this new composite cathode powders obtained good thermal stability, chemical compatibility and exhibit no trace of dissimilar phase from both SSC and SDCC. The existence of carbonates layer in the SSC-SDCC composite cathodes powder has been verified by analysis of the FTIR spectra.
Effect of Boron Carbide Content on Properties of Thermoplastic Natural Rubber Composite as Thermal Neutron Shielding
Authors: Zali Nurazila Mat , Yazid Hafizal , Megat Ahmad Megat Harun Al Rashid , Abdul Rahman Irman , Abdullah Yusof
Published: March 2017

In this work, thermoplastic natural rubber (TPNR) composites were produced through melt blending method. Boron carbide (B4C) as filler was added into the polymer blend (TPNR) with different weight percent from 0% to 30% and the effect of different B4C contents on mechanical and thermal neutron attenuation properties of TPNR composites has been studied. The phase formation in composites was analyzed using XRD technique. From the results, it showed that the incorporation of B4C fillers into TPNR matrix has enhanced the macroscopic cross section of the composites, however it lessens the tensile strength. Macroscopic cross section of the composites were increased from 3.34 cm-1 to 14.8 cm-1, while the tensile strength of the composites decreased from 3.79 MPa to 1.06 MPa with increasing B4C from 0 wt% to 30 wt%. B4C diffraction peaks were also increased in intensity with increasing B4C content.
Influences of NBR/Al2O3/YSZ as Fillers for PMMA Composite on the Thermal Properties
Authors: Alhareb Ahmed Omran , Md Akil Hazizan , Ahmad Zainal Arifin
Published: March 2017

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR as impact modifier) together with Al2O3/YSZ (toughening) as different filler ratios in PMMA material on the DSC thermal properties. PMMA matrix without fillers was mixed between PMMA powder and 0.5 wt.% of BPO and fixed at 7.5 wt.% of NBR particles with different ratios of filler (1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 wt.%) of Al2O3/YSZ mixture filler by (1:1 ratio). The TGA data were shown that the PMMA composite have better thermal stability compared to unreinforced PMMA matrix. While, DSC curves shows slightly similar in Tg value. DSC results also indicated the presence of unreacted monomer content for both reinforced and unreinforced PMMA composites. As conclusion of this study, the reinforced PMMA composites are improved in thermal stability compared to unreinforced PMMA matrix.
The Effect of Graphene and Natural Rubber Content on Mechanical and Electrical Conductivity Properties of Epoxy/Natural Rubber/Graphene Conductive Materials
Authors: Kam Ka Wei , Teh Pei Leng , Husseinsyah Salmah , Yeoh Cheow Keat
Published: March 2017

The effect of graphene and natural rubber content on the mechanical and electrical performance of two- matrix system epoxy/ natural rubber with graphene nano-platelets (GNP) as a conductive nano-filler were investigated. Natural rubber (SMRL) was used as a toughening agent to improve the toughness properties of thermosetting epoxy resins. Graphene nano-platelets which acted as a conductive nano-filler were incorporated into two- matrix system to produced the outstanding electrical performance. There is an insulator to condutor transition at a significantly lower graphene loading to formed percolated pathway for the electron transfer. The percolation threshold were achieved at 0.8 vol% of graphene nano-filler. The result showed an improvement of the fracture toughness of the epoxy resins with the presence of graphene and natural rubber. The XRD result concluded that the conductive materials have intercalated structure.
Crystal Structure of TiO2 Nanotube Arrays Anodized at Different Voltage for Cell-Metal Interaction
Authors: Hazan Roshasnorlyza , Sreekantan Srimala , Mat Ishak
Published: March 2017

In recent study, vertically aligned TiO2 nanotubes have become the primary candidates that can provide direct control of many type cell behaviors and its functionality. TiO2 nanotubes were successfully developed within 10 V to 40 V of applied potential. The intensity of peaks (101) increases with increasing voltage up to 40 V, indicating an improvement in degree of crystalinity. The average crystallite size of the samples anodized at 10 V is about 19.65 nm and increase to 30.88 nm at 40 V. PA6 cell interaction were high on 40 V sample (110 nm-diameter) TiO2 nanotubes . It was found that anatase phase with appropriate diameter are believed to affect the growth of cells.
Development of New Composition of Bioactive Glass Powder from SiO2-CaO-Na2O-P2O5 System through Melt-Derived Route
Authors: Ibrahim Nurul Farhana , Mohamad Hasmaliza , Mohd Noor Siti Noor Fazliah
Published: March 2017

In this studies, melt-derived route was employed to fabricate new composition of bioactive glass (BG) from SiO2-CaO-Na2O-P2O5 system. Amorphous glass structure is confirmed through X-ray diffraction (XRD). Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR) confirmed the formation of silica network with the existence of functional groups Si-O-Si (bend), Si-O-Si (tetrahedral) and Si-O-Si (stretch) for all glass composition. The bioactivity of all BG is verified by incubation in Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) for 1h and 24h. Based on XRD pattern, it is confirmed that all glass composition remained in amorphous structure even after 24h of immersion with weak characteristic of carbonate group (C-O) and P-O band detected in FTIR analysis on carbonated hyrdoxyapatite (CHA) formation. Therefore, the objective to develop new composition of BG is achiveable despite the lack of CHA formation.
Influence of Extraction Process (Pre-Treatment Time) on the Characteristic of Black Tilapia Fish Skins Gelatin
Authors: Ismail Norhasikin , Abdullah Hasan Zuhudi
Published: March 2017

Gelatin from black tilapia skins are one of the propose alternative sources for various applications especially in food and pharmaceutical industries. The extraction process of gelatin from black tilapia skin was carried out by using 0.03 M of hydrochloric acid (HCl) with different pre-treatment times (4 h, 16 h and 24 h) and followed by a final extraction with water at 45°C and 65°C . Thus, this study explores the effects of pre-treatment time to the yield and moisture content of gelatin. The highest yield have been recorded about 22.48% and 21.5% while moisture content were 5.63% and 44.25% for both extracted temperatures (45°C and 65°C) respectively that treated for 4 h. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) has been used to analyse the interactions and characteristics between functional groups of the gelatin.
The Effects of Substrate Orientation on Galvanic Growth of ZnO Structures
Authors: Kok Kuan Ying , Ng Inn Khuan , Saidin Nur Ubaidah , Choo Thye-Foo , Wee Boon Siong , Abdullah Yusof
Published: March 2017

Electrochemical route has been a favorite technique for the fabrication of ZnO as it is relatively cheap and capable of producing abundance amount of materials. In this paper, we investigate the morphologies of hydrothermally synthesized ZnO structures assisted by galvanic process on conducting Au-coated silicon substrate. To induce the galvanic process, the substrate was in contact with aluminum so that the difference in the reduction potentials between the two materials provided the driving force for the formation of the ZnO structures. The galvanic process was found to promote compact and anisotropy growth of ZnO nanorods along the (001) plane. It was also found that substrate orientations in the electrolyte solution had an important bearing on the morphologies of ZnO. Well aligned periodic hexagonal arrays of ZnO nanorods of homogeneous diameters were obtained on gold-coated Si substrate with face-down orientation in the electrolyte solution.
Modification of Optophysical Properties of Poly[(9,9-Di-N-Octylfluorenyl-2,7-Diyl)-Alt-(Benzo[2,1,3]Thiadiazol-4,8-Diyl)] Thin Film via Additions of TiO2 Nanoparticles
Authors: Ahmad Fuzi Siti Aishah , Jumali Mohammad Hafizuddin , Al-Asbahi Bandar Ali , Kok Kuan Ying , Saidin Nur Ubaidah
Published: March 2017

The solution of poly [(9,9-di-n-octylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-alt-(benzo [2,1,3] thiadiazol-4,8-diyl)] (F8BT) F8BT/TiO2 nanocomposites were prepared using solution blending methods. The TiO2 contents were fixed between 0 wt% - 35 wt%. Then, the solutions were spin coated at 1000 rpm for 30 s onto glass substrates to form thin film samples. The optical properties of the nanocomposites were determined using UV-Vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The absorption properties of the thin film increased due to existence of intermediate energy band which lead to higher space charge regions for electron insertion. Besides that, the λmax for absorption and emission spectrum were systematically shifted due to incorporation of TiO2 NPs indicating an interaction between nanoparticles and polymer matrix. Furthermore, the intensity of the emission spectrum were enhanced in the presence of TiO2 NPs. This is due to the existence of TiO2 NPs which trapped more electrons at the interface F8BT/TiO2, resulted production of higher number of exciton formation in the nanocomposirte samples.
Dissolution Method of Aluminum Foams Containing Mg Using Carbamide Space Holder
Authors: Ahmad Hamdi Amirah , Mohd Sharif Nurulakmal , Abu Seman Anasyida
Published: March 2017

This study investigated the properties of aluminium foam containing Mg with various amount of space holder. Aluminum foam was fabricated using dissolution method with various amount of carbamide (20, 40 and 60 wt. %). Aluminum foam with 60 wt. % carbamide has the lowest density (0.68 g/cm3) and exhibited the highest porosity (74.97%). However, the results indicates that aluminum foam with 40 wt. % of carbamide have good compressive and energy absorption with acceptable density and porosity value.
Electrochemical and XPS Studies of Benzalkonium Chloride for Carbon Steel Protection in Hydrochloric Acid
Authors: Idris Mohd  Nazri , Daud Abdul Razak , Othman Norinsan Kamil
Published: March 2017

The efficiency of benzalkonium chloride (BKC) to inhibit the corrosion of carbon steel API 5L in 1 M HCl has been studied by potentiodynamic polarization method and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Potentiodynamic polarization indicated that BKC is able to retard the corrosion reaction of carbon steel and its corrosion rate decreased with the increasing of BKC concentration up to optimum concentration 7.5 mM. Adsorption and thermodynamic studies indicated that BKC molecules were capable of adsorbing onto carbon steel surface by following Langmuir adsorption isotherm model and their Gibbs free energy obtained at 25, 40, 55 and 70°C were -29.15, -31.67, -37.46 and -35.76 kJ/mol, respectively. Thermodynamically point of view shown that adsorption mechanism of BKC onto carbon steel occurred via both physisorption and chemisorption process. While, adsorption mechanism establish by XPS analysis indicated that BKC was dominantly inhibit the carbon steel via physisorption process. As a conclusion, both potentiodynamic polarization method and XPS suggested that BKC is able to adsorb onto carbon steel and protect the surface from actively react with HCl.
Production of Cu-Sn-Zn Ternary Alloy Coating via Electroplating
Authors: Rosley Rozainita , Jikan Suzi Salwah , Badarulzaman Nur Azam
Published: March 2017

This research deals with the interest in production of Cu-Sn-Zn ternary alloy coating via electroplating on carbon substrate by using less hazardous electrolyte. A detailed study was made on the effect of different concentration of reducing and complexing agents. The surface morphology and phase structure of the deposited layers were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The results confirmed that the layers of Cu-Sn-Zn was obtained with this less hazardous electrolyte.
Development of Mo/γ-Al2O3-CeO2 Catalyst with High Thermal Stability by Modified Impregnation Method
Authors: Ramli Anita , Farooq Muhammad
Published: March 2017

In the present studies, different characterization techniques have been utilized to evaluate the stability of catalysts prepared by modified impregnation method. The results indicated that strong metal-support (Mo-support) interaction existed in the γ-Al2O3-CeO2 supported catalyst with higher CeO2 loading as compared to the Mo/γ-Al2O3 catalyst. This suggested that the addition of CeO2 into the γ-Al2O3 enhanced the metal-support interaction, thus decreases the reducibility, depending on the CeO2 loading. Similarly, the catalyst with higher CeO2 loading exhibited lower Ce 3d and higher Mo 3d binding energies respectively, supporting the TPR results.
Production of Mullite Ceramic Bodies from Kaolin Processing Waste and Aluminum Hydroxide
Authors: Choo Thye-Foo , Murshidi Julie Andrianny , Saidin Nur Ubaidah , Paulus Wilfred @ Sylvester , Abdullah Yusof
Published: March 2017

Small pellets with differing mullite contents were prepared by a conventional ball-milling and dry-powder pressing technique, followed by firing at temperature of 1300°C and 1600°C for four hours. Kaolin processing waste and high purity aluminum hydroxide were used as starting materials. The sintered samples were examined using X-ray diffraction to determine the weight percent of each identified phase. The results showed that the percentage of mullite in kaolin processing waste can be increased by introducing additional aluminum hydroxide. It was found that sintered samples yielded best results when derived from both types of kaolin processing waste with 40wt% of aluminum hydroxide and a firing temperature of 1600°C.
High Performance Electrospun PVdF-HFP/MMT Nanofibrous Composite Membrane Electrolyte for Li-Ion Capacitors
Authors: Solarajan Arun Kumar , Murugadoss Vignesh , Angaiah Subramania
Published: March 2017

The electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)/montmorillonite nanofibrous composite membranes (esCPMs) were prepared by electrospinning technique using a mixture of different amounts of montmorillonite (0, 3, 5, 7 and 10 wt%) into 16 wt% of PVDF-HFP polymer solution in 7:3 wt% of acetone and dimethylacetamide as the solvent. The effect of montmorillonite (MMT) on electrospun PVdF-HFP membrane has been studied by XRD, DSC, TGA and tensile strength analysis. It is found that electrospun PVDF-HFP/MMT nanofibrous composite membrane obtained using 5wt% MMT has a higher porosity, electrolyte uptake, ionic conductivity, electrochemical stability window and showed higher specific capacitance and good compatibility with electrode materials.
Generation of Peptides That Promote Positive Selection in the Thymus
Authors: Takada Kensuke , Kondo Kenta , Takahama Yousuke
Published: March 2017

To establish an immunocompetent TCR repertoire that is useful yet harmless to the body, a de novo thymocyte repertoire generated through the rearrangement of genes that encode TCR is shaped in the thymus through positive and negative selection. The affinity between TCRs and self-peptides associated with MHC molecules determines the fate of developing thymocytes. Low-affinity TCR engagement with self-peptide–MHC complexes mediates positive selection, a process that primarily occurs in the thymic cortex. Massive efforts exerted by many laboratories have led to the characterization of peptides that can induce positive selection. Moreover, it is now evident that protein degradation machineries unique to cortical thymic epithelial cells play a crucial role in the production of MHC-associated self-peptides for inducing positive selection. This review summarizes current knowledge on positive selection–inducing self-peptides and Ag processing machineries in cortical thymic epithelial cells. Recent studies on the role of positive selection in the functional tuning of T cells are also discussed.