bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unlocking the potential plant growth-promoting properties of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seed endophytes bio-inoculants for improving the soil health and crop production
Authors: Mukherjee Arpan , Gaurav Anand , Patel Amit , Singh Saurabh , Chouhan Gowardhan , Pereira Arthur , VERMA JAY PRAKASH
Published: March 2021

Sustainable agronomic practices are tried all over the world to promote
safe and eco-friendly crop production. Therefore, in the present study,
the effect of seed endophytic bacteria and its consortia on soil
biochemical property, soil nutrient, and yield of chickpea (Cicer
arietinum L.) under field and pot conditions are investigated. Both the
experimental results proved a significant increase in total soil organic
carbon (OC), electric conductivity (EC), organic matter (OM), soil
nutrient like available N, P and K content and important soil enzymes
like dehydrogenase (DHA), beta glucosidase, alkaline phosphate, and
urease was observed under the Enterobacter hormaechei BHUJPCS-15 (T1),
Enterobacter cloacae BHUJPCS-21 (T2) and combined T3 (consortia of T1
and T2) treatments. Similarly, a significant increase in the grain yield
(27-45% and 57-73%) in microbial treatment was found in pot and field
experiments, respectively than control. In addition, whereas the higher
plant biomass (14-38% and 42-78%) was recorded in the treated plant
over the control plant. Similarly, the plant photosynthetic pigment (Chl
a, b, total Chl) were also increased in the microbial treated plant than
the control untreated chickpea plant. Our present study highlights the
significance of sustainable agronomic practices for improving the soil
quality and agricultural yield while reducing adverse impacts of
chemicals by the use of seed endophytic microbes and their consortia.
Gut microbiome characteristics in mothers and infants according to the presence of atopic dermatitis
Authors: Sung Myong Soon , Choi Yujin , Park Hyunjoon , Huh Chul Sung
Published: March 2021

Background: The role of the gut microbiome in the onset and development
of atopic dermatitis (AD) has been postulated. Therefore, we
investigated the gut microbial compositions in infants with and without
AD, and compared it to the gut bacterial flora of their mothers.
Methods: This was a prospective and cross-sectional study. Among 44
pairs of mothers and children, we selected infants who were born via
full-term normal vaginal delivery and that had no history of antibiotic
or probiotic use, and infection during the first three months of life.
The 15 pairs, consisting of nine healthy infants and six AD infants,
were included in this study. Fecal samples of mothers and infants were
analyzed within 30 days of delivery and at 12 months of age. Microbes in
the fecal samples of mothers and infants were subjected to analysis of
16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Results: Abundance of specific taxonomic
groups was notably different, but microbial diversity and phylogenetic
distances were not significantly different in either maternal or infant
groups according to the presence of infant AD. A total of 12 species
were selected as differential species in infants with AD compared to
healthy infants. Six species were significantly different in the mothers
of infants with AD compared to the mothers of healthy infants.
Akkermansia muciniphila was only detected in healthy infants and their
mothers. Conclusions: These data indicated that the presence of
Akkermansia muciniphila in mothers and children after vaginal delivery
is associated with the onset and development of AD.
Displacement of all three leaflets of tricuspid valve: a rare variant of Ebstein anomaly
Authors: Khalaji Zahra , Rezaeian Nahid , Ansari Zahra
Published: March 2021

Ebstein anomaly, a rare congenital heart disease, is defined as
displacement of hinge points of septal or posterior tricuspid leaflets
but not anterior leaflet. Here we report a 35 year old lady with an
extremely rare pattern of EA with all three tricuspid leaflets displaced
downward to the apex.
Integrated use of saline water and rootzone matric potential control for saline soil reclamation and shrub growth
Authors: Zhang Chen , Li Xiaobin , Kang Yaohu
Published: March 2021

A four-year field experiment was carried out to evaluate an integrated
use of saline water for the saline soil reclamation in Hebei Province of
North China. A landscape shrub (Caryopteris × clandonensis ‘Worcester
Gold’) was cultivated using drip irrigation scheduled by rootzone soil
matric potential control at five levels of water salinity (ECi): 0.8,
3.1, 4.7, 6.3, and 7.8 dS·m−1. Soil matric potential control was applied
using a threshold of −5, −10, −15, and −20 kPa in the first, second,
third, and fourth year, respectively. After four growing seasons, the
saline soil (initial ECe value of 27.8 dS·m−1) was reclaimed to slightly
saline soil for 0–1 m depth (4.1–7.2 dS·m−1) under drip irrigation
with saline water of ECi < 7.8 dS·m−1. The salt leaching
efficiency of root zone soil was highest in the first year and lowered
year-by-year. The plants strongly responded to the different soil water
and salinity regime. Significant decreases in survival rate, plant
growth, and shoot dry weight in response to increasing ECi were found.
To achieve a relative survival rate of >50%, the threshold
salinity of irrigation water for ‘Worcester Gold’ cultivation was 7.8,
7.0, 5.6, and 5.3 dS·m–1, for the first, second, third, and fourth
growing season, respectively. It is recommended to use an inter-seasonal
evolving matric potential threshold of −10 kPa for dry season of the
third year, −15 kPa for rainy season of the third year and dry season of
the fourth year, and −20 kPa for rainy season of the fourth year.
Safety and efficacy of high-dose vitamin B6 for treating antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia in male patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia
Authors: Zhuo Chuanjun , Xu Yong , Wang Haibo , Zhou Chunhua , Tian Hongjun , Liu Jie , Xu Shuli , Fang Tao , Chen Jiayue , Yao Cong , Yang Weilaing , Li Qianchen , Mao Huan , Yang Anqu , Li Bo , Chen Yuhui
Published: March 2021

Background and Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the safety and
efficacy of high-dose vitamin B6 (vB6) for antipsychotic-induced
hyperprolactinemia (AIHP) treatment in male patients with
treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Experimental Approach: In this
randomized double-blinded controlled study, patients were randomized
(1:1) into a control group given aripiprazole (ARI; 10 mg/day) or an
intervention group given vB6 (300 mg/12 h for 16 weeks). Prolactin
level, psychotic symptoms [Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale
(PANSS)], cognitive function [MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery
(MCCB)], liver function, kidney function, growth hormone level,
micronutrient levels, blood lipids, and adverse secondary effects
(ASEs)[Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) and Barnes-Akathisia
scale] were monitored. Key Results: After a 16-week treatment period,
the vB6 group showed a 68.1% reduction in serum prolactin levels (from
95.52 ± 6.30 μg/L to 30.43 ± 18.65 μg/L) while the ARI group showed only
a 37.4% reduction (from 89.07 ± 3.59 μg/L to 55.78 ± 7.39 μg/L). During
weeks 1–4, both treatments reduced prolactin similarly. Subsequently,
the ARI effect plateaued, while the vB6 effect remained robust. AIHP
reduction efficacy of vB6 was associated with baseline prolactin and
triglyceride levels, total vB6 dosage, and education level. Conclusion
and Implications: Compared with the ARI group, TRS patients given vB6
showed better attenuation of AIHP, lower ASE scores, and improvements in
clinical symptoms and cognitive impairments. These results support
further consideration of vB6 as a putative treatment for AIHP.
Determination of Etiology for Exercise-Induced Dyspnea
Authors: Abu-Hasan Mutasim , Bhatia Rajeev , Weinberger Miles
Published: March 2021

Two recent publications in Pediatric Pulmonology had methodological
limitations in evaluating exercise-induced dyspnea (EID). Testing that
does not include concurrence of dyspnea with an abnormality may provide
misleading information to the detriment of the patient. Reproducing the
patient’s dyspnea during cardiopulmonary monitoring provides the
etiology of at least 7 causes of EID, many of which may not otherwise be
identified.
Influence of Brand Credibility, Satisfaction and Quality on Brand Equity in Non-Conventional Health Industry
Authors: Oppong Peter Kwasi
Published: March 2021

Consumer perceptions of quality, satisfaction, and brand credibility are critical ingredients for developing healthy brands with high value in a competitive market. However, few authors have looked into the brand credibility`s intervening role in the effect of quality and satisfaction on brand equity in the non-conventional health industry. Hence, this paper sought to evaluate the mediating role of brand credibility in the effect of quality and satisfaction on brand equity in the non-conventional health industry. A covariance-based structural equation model was the analytical tool employed to evaluate the hypotheses stated in this paper. Data were gathered from 265 customers using a systematic sampling technique. The research confirmed that brand credibility contributes partially to the impact of quality on brand equity and completely to satisfaction on equity in the non-conventional health industry. Accordingly, this paper contributes to expanding the current brand management literature by demonstrating the brand credibility`s intervening role in the path between satisfaction, quality, and equity, particularly in the non-conventional health industry. This paper also adds to the brand manager`s knowledge of how to build and harness credibility, quality, and satisfaction to increase brand equity in the non-conventional health industry.
Single Molecule-based FliFISH Validates Radial and Heterogeneous Gene Expression Patterns in Pancreatic Islet β Cells
Authors: Li Fangjia , Hu Dehong , Dieter Cailin , Ansong Charles , Sussel Lori , Orr Galya
Published: March 2021

Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) technologies have greatly
enhanced our understanding of islet cell transcriptomes and have revealed the
existence of β cell heterogeneity. However, comparison of scRNA-Seq datasets
from different groups have highlighted inconsistencies in gene expression patterns,
primarily due to variable detection of lower abundance transcripts.
Furthermore, such analyses are unable to uncover the spatial organization of heterogeneous
gene expression. Here we used fluctuation localization imaging-based
fluorescence in situ hybridization (fliFISH) to quantify transcripts in single cells
in mouse pancreatic islet sections. We compared the expression patterns of Insulin
2 (Ins2) with Mafa and Ucn3 – two genes expressed
in β cells as they mature, as well as Rgs4 – a factor with variably
reported expression in the islet. This approach accurately quantified
transcripts across a wide range of expression levels - from single copies to
over hundred copies per cell in one islet. Importantly, fliFISH allowed evaluation
of transcript heterogeneity in the spatial context of an intact islet. These
studies confirm the existence of a high degree of heterogeneous gene expression
levels within the islet and highlight relative and radial expression patterns
that likely reflect distinct β cell maturation states along the radial axis of
the islet.
Notícia: Ocorrem mortes no desporto. Fica tudo igual?
Authors:   Revista de Medicina Desportiva Informa, Ribeiro Basil
Published: March 2021

... Morreram atletas que apenas faziam o que gostavam, praticar desporto de competição. As causas e todos os aspetos operacionais em torno deles serão apurados e certamente que algumas conclusões e responsabilizações surgirão. Não voltaremos a ver estes atletas a sorrir e a encantar com as suas jogadas e com o seu convívio. Esperemos que as suas mortes não tinham sido em vão, foi “uma infeliz notícia, mas que deve servir de alavanca para a sensibilização da sociedade e para a mudança do paradigma”.
Evolução linguística e cognitiva de crianças com transtorno de linguagem após intervenção com o uso do método PECS
Authors: Silva Kelly Da , Novaes Carolina Bernardi de , Guedes-Granzotti Raphaela Barroso , Fukuda Marisa Tomoe Hebihara , Zuanetti Patrícia Aparecida
Published: March 2021

Introdução: Crianças com graves comprometimentos na comunicação podem se beneficiar da Comunicação Suplementar e Aumentativa para possibilitar a interação social e consequentemente o desenvolvimento cognitivo e linguístico. Objetivo: Comparar o desempenho linguístico e cognitivo de crianças com transtornos de linguagem pré e pós terapia utilizando como modelo de intervenção a comunicação por troca de figuras PECS. Método: Estudo retrospectivo, transversal híbrido por análise de prontuário de seis crianças com diagnóstico de grave transtorno de linguagem e idades entre quatro e nove anos. Todos os participantes foram atendidos semanalmente, por um período de quatro meses para implementação do protocolo PECS. Para avaliação foram utilizados o Protocolo de Observação Comportamental e o subitem avaliação da linguagem receptiva do Teste de Avaliação do Desenvolvimento da Linguagem. Resultados: Em relação às habilidades dialógicas quatro crianças apresentaram melhor desempenho após o uso do PECS, sendo que uma já se encontrava no nível máximo avaliado neste item, antes da intervenção. Houve melhora nas funções comunicativas e nos meios de comunicação em quatro crianças. Observou-se desenvolvimento do simbolismo e na imitação gestual em duas crianças e na imitação sonora em quatro crianças. Conclusão: Observa-se que uso da Comunicação Suplementar e Aumentativa por troca de figuras PECS, mesmo por um curto período, auxiliou no desenvolvimento de habilidades comunicativas, na capacidade de imitação gestual/sonora e na compreensão verbal. Intercorrências podem influenciar diretamente a evolução comunicativa dos pacientes, por exemplo, aderência familiar ao tratamento ou prejuízo cognitivo severo.
Relação entre o desenvolvimento infantil e as fissuras labiopalatinas
Authors: Schönardie Marina Silveira , Ribas Leticia Pacheco , Wagner Gabriela Peretti , Cardoso Maria Cristina de Almeida Freitas
Published: March 2021

Introdução: As fissuras labiopalatinas são malformações congênitas recorrentes e ocasionam prejuízos de fala, deglutição, audição e socialização. O desenvolvimento infantil compreende a evolução das habilidades motoras, cognitivas, sociais e emocionais, sendo influenciado por muitos fatores. Objetivo: investigar o desenvolvimento infantil de crianças com fissuras labiopalatinas (FLP). Método: Estudo observacional transversal realizado por análise de dados de entrevista e do resultado do teste de Denver II em um grupo de crianças com FLP, sem síndromes associadas. Foram incluídos 27 indivíduos entre sete e 68 meses, de ambos os sexos, que realizam acompanhamento fonoaudiológico em ambulatório do Sistema Único de Saúde de um hospital pediátrico. Resultados: A mediana de idade dos 27 participantes foi 25 meses, sendo 15 indivíduos do sexo feminino (55,6%); 13 com fissura pós-forame incisivo incompleta (48,1%); a maioria, o primogênito da família (51,85%); não tendo iniciado atividades escolares (59,26%). A média de idade materna foi quatro anos mais baixa que a paterna e a renda familiar é de cerca de dois salários mínimos. A FLP transforame unilateral ocorreu mais em meninos (55,6%), enquanto a fissura palatina pós-forame incompleta ocorreu mais em meninas (61,5%). No teste aplicado, a área da linguagem foi a mais acometida, tendo 37% dos indivíduos apresentando item de cautela ou atenção, com falha em uma prova. Conclusão: Observou-se desenvolvimento esperado na maioria da população estudada, possivelmente ocasionado pelo atendimento precoce recebido. Os resultados com risco para atraso ocorreram mais frequentemente no sexo feminino, nas fissuras pós-forame, no primogênito e relacionaram-se com a área de linguagem.
Significância clínica do uso do mapa mental na intervenção de escolares com transtornos de aprendizagem
Authors: Bueno Lívia Nascimento , César Alexandra Beatriz Portes de Cerqueira , Santos Bianca Dos , Capellini Simone Aparecida
Published: March 2021

Introdução: Para um bom desempenho de leitura, o escolar precisa ser capaz de desenvolver habilidades específicas para compreensão da informação lida, criando estratégias como: construção de significado, assimilação do conteúdo, estabelecimento de relações, organização e avaliação das informações, bem como pensar na utilização dessas de forma correta. Objetivo: verificar o índice de mudança e significância clínica do Mapa Mental na intervenção de escolares com transtornos de aprendizagem em situação de pré e pós-testagem. Métodos: Este estudo se caracteriza por ser quase-experimental. Participaram deste estudo 7 escolares com diagnóstico interdisciplinar de transtornos de aprendizagem, de ambos os sexos, na faixa etária de 10 anos e 6 meses a 15 anos e 4 meses de idade. Os escolares foram submetidos à pré-testagem, intervenção e pós-testagem. A pré-testagem e a pós-testagem foram realizadas com o Protocolo de Avaliação de Compreensão de Leitura (PROCOMLE), e a intervenção foi realizada com o uso do mapa mental durante 4 meses, sendo trabalhados 15 textos. Os dados de pré e pós-testagem foram analisados por meio do Método JT. Resultados: na comparação da pré com a pós-testagem, foi possível verificar que os escolares S1, S2, S3 e S6 apresentaram mudança confiável nas questões literais de textos narrativos do Protocolo de Avaliação de Compreensão de Leitura. Os escolares S1, S3, S6 e S7 apresentaram mudança confiável nas questões inferenciais de textos narrativos do Protocolo de Avaliação de Compreensão de Leitura. Conclusão: a intervenção com o uso do Mapa Mental mostrou-se eficaz para escolares com Transtornos de Aprendizagem.
Koti sydämessä
Authors: Hautala-Hirvioja Tuija
Published: March 2021

Artikkelissani tarkastelen pääasiassa runoistaan ja musiikistaan tunnetun saamelaistaiteilijan Nils-Aslak Valkeapään (1943–2001) myöhempää 1980- ja 1990-luvun kuvataidetta.  Tutkimukseni on monitieteinen, ja rakennan analyysikehikkoni taidehistorian tutkimusperinteen sekä saamen- ja alkuperäiskansatutkimuksen pohjalta. Esitän, että erityisesti intertekstuaalisuus tarjoaa oivan taustan pohtia materiaalisuutta ja immateriaalisuutta sekä niiden merkitystä Valkeapään taiteessa. Tarkastelen hänen teoksiaan länsimaisen ja perinteisen saamelaistiedon, vanhan perinteen ja uuden saamelaispoliittisen ajattelun valossa sekä osana modernistuvaa saamelaiskulttuuria. Valkeapää oppi länsimaisen piirustus- ja maalaustavan valmistuttuaan kansakoulun opettajaksi Kemijärven seminaarista. Hän ei halunnut hyödyntää pelkästään saamaansa taideopetusta, vaan hän alkoi kehittää saamelaiskulttuuriin pohjautuvaa kuvakieltä. Valkeapää tunsi henkistä yhteyttä ensimmäisiin saamelaistaiteilijoihin ja erityisesti Johan Turinin (1854–1943) tuotantoon. Valkeapää oli vahvasti kiinni monikulttuurisessa porosaamelaisuudessa. Hänen laajan taiteellisen toimintansa tarkoituksena oli tukea ja vahvistaa saamelaisten kulttuuria sekä tuoda esille vähemmistökielen ja -kulttuurin oikeutta olla olemassa, kehittyä ja muuntua. 1970-luvun myötä kansainvälinen alkuperäiskansa-ajattelu laajensi hänen maailmankuvaansa, mikä näkyi myös hänen taiteessaan. Valokuvaus ja installaatiot tulivat tärkeäksi osaksi Valkeapään ilmaisua 1980- ja 1990-luvulla. Hänen monipuolinen taiteensa on esikuva monelle nuorelle saamelaistaiteilijalle ja jälleen ajankohtaista. Nils-Aslak Valkeapää / Áillohaš -retrospektiivinen näyttely on esillä Henie Onstad Kunstsenterissa Oslossa (23.10.2020–2.5.2021).

Asiasanat: alkuperäiskansatutkimus, arktinen luonto, saamen tutkimus, saamelaiskulttuuri
The Content of Tolerance Education in Short Story Learning in High Schools
Authors: Sufanti Main , Nuryatin Agus , Rohman Fathur , J. Waluyo Herman
Published: March 2021

Short stories have the advantage of teaching materials. Because of its short form, it is flexible to be used as teaching materials that do not take long to read. This study aims to describe the teachers’ perception of the urgency of integrating tolerance education in the short story appreciation, the content of tolerance values in the short story appreciation learning instruments in high school, and the content of tolerance values in the short story appreciation teaching materials in textbooks. In order to achieve that, a descriptive qualitative method was employed in this study. The results are as follows. (1) All Indonesian teachers in senior high schools in Surakarta have the perception that the value of tolerance education is important to be integrated into learning, including in the short story appreciation learning. (2) The character of tolerance is always listed in the Syllabus document and the Core Competency component of the lesson plan. Apart from that component, the character of tolerance is implicitly included in the character of "caring" and "open to others' opinions" in 86% of the syllabus and lesson plans. (3) There are 9% of short story appreciation teaching materials that have tolerance education content. The potential for this tolerance content is found in a lot of teaching material topics in the form of learning activities and short stories.

 

Keywords: Character Education, Short story appreciation, Teaching material,  Textbooks
Descriptive Modelling of Intergenerational Persistence in Education and the Influence of Family Lineage Descent Systems in The Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Yungu Loleka Bernard
Published: March 2021

This study investigates how family lineage descent groups influence the intergenerational transmission of education for the cohorts of 1940-1989 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The study applies both transition matrix and intergenerational persistence (IGP) methods, using the father's years of schooling as a proxy for parental education. The findings suggest a pronounced steady persistence in education for the estimated mean regression coefficient over a period of 49 years. Moreover, results by gender indicate that intergenerational persistence in education has significantly decreased for males in recent cohorts but slightly increased for females. Furthermore, findings suggest that intergenerational persistence has been decreasing in matrilineal descent groups in recent cohorts while increasing for the patrilineal descent groups. The study gives a good sense of the relationship between family lineage descent and intergenerational transmission of education in DRC. In addition, it indicates that there is both substantial upward and downward intergenerational education mobility in the country.

 

Keywords: Cohort analysis, Family lineage descent groups, Intergeneration transmission of education, Inter-generational persistence (IGP) methods, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Transition matrix.
Enhancing Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) Through Computer Assisted Repeated Reading (CARR)
Authors: Ja’afar Hasimah , Othman Wan Mazlini , Kesevan Hema Vanita , M.S Budi
Published: March 2021

This study was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of using the Computer Assisted Repeated Reading (CARR) technique to enhance Form One rural students’ oral reading fluency (ORF). The single subject experimental design (SSED) which emphasised on the individual participant was used to collect data. Five students participated in this 12 week study in which the CARR intervention was carried out two times a week. CARR, the adaptation of the CBM/ORF procedure was used to improve the participants’ accuracy and automaticity in word decoding. Each participant’s accuracy and automaticity in word decoding before and after intervention were charted on line graphs. Accuracy was determined by the percentage of words read correctly. The participant’s initial reading accuracy which stood at   96.7%, 94.2%, 96.6%, 97.3% and 97.1% showed that they could only read at instructional level. After the CARR intervention their reading accuracy improved and stood at 98.8%, 99.2%,97.2%,98.8% and 98.0%.This showed that they can  now read the assessment texts or other texts of comparable difficulty independently. Automaticity was determined by the reading rate or words read correctly per minute (WCPM). The participant’s initial WCPM was between 104 to 143 WCPM, 85 WCPM to 127 WCPM, 99 to 128, 57 to 209 WCPM and 103 and 163 WCPM. After the CARR intervention their reading automaticity improved between 108 to 158 WCPM, 99 to 146 WCPM, 99 to 135, 52 to 120 WCPM and 114 and 167 WCPM. Based on the participants’ individual results, it can be concluded that the CARR technique was effective in improving struggling readers’ reading fluency.  The results further implied that the CARR technique will ease burnt out English teachers’ workloads. CARR is user friendly and it can help teachers to help their students become better readers while helping struggling readers to become fluent.

 

Keywords: Reading fluency, Accuracy, Automaticity, Repeated reading, Computer Assisted Repeated Reading (CARR)
Effects of Student Collaboration on ESL Learners’ Vocabulary Development
Authors: Ariffin Adlina
Published: March 2021

Abstract: This paper describes a research which attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of student collaboration as a technique in improving vocabulary development among a group of ESL learners. The main motivation behind this study was due to the concern that vocabulary has become a neglected area in the teaching of English language. The main aims of the study were to evaluate whether student collaboration helped to improve students’ vocabulary and the extent of the improvement. Two types of data were collected during the research – qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative data were collected from the teacher’s observation, students’ journals and interview; while, the quantitative data were collected from the pre-test and post-test. The results from the t-test indicated that students did make an improvement in their vocabulary knowledge after they had studied together collaboratively. Besides that, student collaboration was found to be an effective technique in teaching vocabulary because the interaction that students made during their discussion helped them to improve other language skills such as reading, listening and speaking, gave them opportunities to participate in their own learning, built their self-confidence in interacting with the group members and cultivated a sharing attitude among them.

 

Keywords: Collaborative learning, ESL learners, Student collaboration, Vocabulary development
Integration of Ontology and UML Class-Based Modelling for Knowledge Representation
Authors: Kadar Rozita , Syed-Mohamad Sharifah Mashita , Sumari Putra , Abdul Rashid Nur 'Aini
Published: March 2021

Program comprehension is an important process carried out involving much effort in software
maintenance process. A key challenge to developers in program comprehension process is to
comprehend a source code. Nowadays, software systems have grown in size ca
using increase
in developers' tasks to explore and understand millions of lines of source code. Meanwhile,
source code is a crucial resource for developers to become familiar with a software system
since some system documentations are often unavailable or
outdated. However, there are
problems exist in understanding source codes, which are tricky with different programming
styles, and insufficient comments. Although many researchers have discussed different
strategies and techniques to overcome program compr
ehension problem, only a shallow
knowledge is obtained about the challenges in trying to understand a software system through
reading source code. Therefore, this study attempts to overcome the problems in source code
comprehension by suggesting a suitable
comprehension technique. The proposed technique is
based on using ontology approach for knowledge representation. This approach is able to
easily explain the concept and relationship of program domain. Thus, the proposed work will
create a better way for
improving program comprehension.
A Linear Programming Approach to Optimize Natural Rubber Production
Authors: Baharudin Sarimah , Noordin Noraini
Published: March 2021

This article describes the
design of a linear programming model to optimize production of
natural rubber in Malaysia. Uptrend in natural rubber production which occurred after 2015
did not last long. Area for rubber cultivation was not only affected by efforts to convert rubber
est
ates into real estate developments but also by factors such as increase in farmers' interest
to cultivate oil palm, unstable rubber price, lengthy duration of low rubber price, insufficient
number of rubber tappers, long waiting time before tapping rubber
trees, changing land
conditions for crops, and buyout offers for rubber wood from furniture
-
manufacturing
factories. Results from two different software, namely Excel Solver and QM for Windows were
compared. No significant difference in value was observed
to take place
,
thus the development
of linear programming model was considered to be successful.
Developing Cyber-bullying Knowledge and Awareness Instrument (CBKAi) to Measure Knowledge and Perceived Awareness Towards Cyber-bullying among Adolescents
Authors: Abdul Wahab Nadia , Wan Yahaya Wan Ahmad Jaafar
Published: March 2021

In this study, the researcher developed
an
instrument to measure the level of
adolescents’knowledge and perceived
awareness on cyber
-
bul
l
ying. This instrument is known
as the Cyber
-
bullying Knowledge and Awareness Instrument (CBKA
i
).
Content validity was
performed to determine whether the instrument comprises a representative sample
of the
behaviour domain to be measured. CBKAi was validated by a senior lecturer from a public
university who is also an expert in cyber
-
bullying and also two secondary school
counsellors.Apart from that,
CBKAi was also tested for its reliability with 30 r
espondents. The
Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency reliability coefficient for the instrument is 0.919 for
items that are related to knowledge and 0.810 for items that are related for perceived
awareness. The statistics show that CBKAi is a reliable ins
trument to be utilized to measure
knowledge and perceived awareness towards cyber
-
bullying among adolescents.
A Theoretical Framework for Designing a Multimedia App in Increasing Knowledge and Perceived Awareness towards Cyber-bullying among Adolescents
Authors: Abdul Wahab Nadia , Wan Yahaya Wan Ahmad Jaafar
Published: March 2021

This paper discusses the theoretical framework in designing and developing a multimedia app
intended to
increase knowledge and perceived awareness towards cyber
-
bullying among
adolescents. Given that cyber
-
bullying has become more serious lately, steps should be taken
to ensure that this threat is curtailed (Willard, 2007). Other than the conventional method
s and
the involvement of parents, schools and the society in curtailing this problem, other initiatives
that could be taken include developing a Multimedia App on tablets that would be able to assist
adolescents in increasing their knowledge and awareness
on cyber
-
bullying. Development of
an interactive Multimedia App that comes with attractive graphics, audio and animation have
great potential in attracting the interest of adolescents in gaining a deeper understanding of
this issue. Therefore, the theoreti
cal framework maps and integrates all relevant theories,
principles and guidelines to form a concrete pathway for the design and development of the
multimedia app.
Natural Images Contour Segmentation
Authors: Ahmad Khairul Adilah , Syed Abdullah Sharifah Lailee , Othman Mahmod
Published: March 2021

This paper, a combination of edge detection and contour based segmentation approach for
object contour delineation is proposed. The proposed approach employs a new methodology
for segmenting the fruit contour from the indoor and outdoo
r natural images more effectively.
The overall process is carried out in five steps. The first step is to pre
-
process the image in
order to convert the colour image to grayscale image. Second step is the adoption of Laplacian
of Gaussian edge detection and
a new corner template detection algorithm for adjustment of
the pixels along the edge map in the interpolation process. Third step is the reconstruction
process by implementing two morphology operators with embedded of inversion condition and
dynamic thr
eshold to preserve and reconstruct object contour. Fifth step is ground mask
process in which the outputs of the inference obtained for each pixel is combined to a final
segmented output, which provides a segmented foreground against the black background.
This
proposed algorithm is tested over 150 indoor and 40 outdoor fruit images in order to analyse
its efficiency. From the experimental results, it has been observed that the proposed
segmentation approach provides better segmentation accuracy of 100 % in
segmenting indoor
and outdoor natural images. This algorithm also present a fully automatic model based system
for segmenting fruit images of the natural environment.
The Effectiveness of Multimedia Courseware in Learning Data Modelling Concepts
Authors: Hashim Nor Azzyati , Jamaludin Nurul Syazwani
Published: March 2021

Data modelling is a tough topic for students to learn in database courses or database related courses. The use of multimedia courseware with student-centred learning capability can help to enhance students learning and improve achievement on the subject matter. Accordingly, the objective of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of using multimedia courseware as a supplemental tool to enhance students learning in data modelling concepts among Bachelor of Information Technology students at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perlis Branch. To achieve this objective, multimedia courseware was developed with three main sections: pre-test, tutorial and post-test. The courseware then tested on 20 students that have previously learned about data modelling. From the findings, it is discovered that the students’ post-test marks increased after learning using the tutorial courseware when compared with their pre-test marks. The finding results also showed a significant statistical difference between pre-test and post-test marks after using the tutorial. These findings indicate that the students have made significant improvement after learning with the multimedia courseware. As a conclusion, the multimedia courseware indeed can be effective to be used as a supplemental learning tool to enhance students learning and achievement in data modelling concepts thus, overcome the limitations of teacher- centred learning in a classroom environment.
Firefly Algorithm: Minimizing Cost on Single-Level Lot-Sizing Problem
Authors: Jamaluddin Siti Hafawati , Zulkipli Nurul Azleeka , Mahmud Norwaziah , Muhamat Pazil Nur Syuhada
Published: March 2021

Nowadays, the industrial company plays a very important role to our country. However, the manufacturer industry has big issues in the production planning which called planning horizon where, the lot-sizing problem is one of the most important issues in the production planning area. In lot-sizing problem, the manufacturers are facing the problems in determining the setup cost when there is no consistency and efficiency in organizing the production plan. From the problem emerge, the minimum of production cost is determined by using firefly algorithm. From the minimum production cost obtained, the optimal setup cost on single-level lot-sizing problem is defined. In this study, the result is obtained by using MATLAB R2017a software to minimize the production cost on single-level lot-sizing problem where the minimum production cost is are for one month is $154 while, the minimum production cost for 12 months is $1760.89. From those minimum total cost obtained by using firefly algorithm, the optimal setup cost for one month is $86.83 while optimal setup cost for 12 months are $86.51, $86.81, $88.30, $95.39, $112.01, $102.92, $93.30, $85.90, $106.50, $85.77, $99.46 and $115.30 respectively. As a conclusion, firefly algorithm is applicable to use in minimizing production cost on single-level lot-sizing problem since the result obtained gives the better solution compared to the exact solution
Integrating Primary School Notification System with SMS Technology
Authors: Mohd Ekhsan Hawa , Hamid Jiwa Noris , Mazlan Nurul Syakilah
Published: March 2021

This study presents the use of web SMS technology as an alternative method for primary school notification system. By integrating the system with SMS gateway, it will enable the primary school notification system to send information to parents’ mobile phone directly. The traditional methods of notifying parents about the school matters by sending letter and written memo are time consuming and the updated information may not reach the parents. This integration allows information to be disseminated from computer to mobile phone at any time without requiring face to face meeting or the use of other media such as paper-based notice or verbal notice from the students. Furthermore, parents can always be alert and aware of the latest announcement or information no matter where they are. A usability testing was conducted to 20 users to survey the feedback on SMS technology to notify parents. The results from the testing stated that 100% of users give positive feedback about the ease of use and satisfied that the system can replace old systems. Based on the results, it shows that the integration of primary school notification system with SMS technology is highly recommended.
Artificial Neural Network Study to Predict the Amount of Carried Weight by Rail Transportation System
Authors: Muhammat Pazil Nur Syuhada , Muhamad Siti Nor Nadrah , Nor Azahar Hanis Syazana
Published: March 2021

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. KTMB provides cargo services which are safe, efficient and trustworthy. KTMB also has services that are connected to the port and inland port in Peninsular Malaysia. However, they remove suffered three major derailments in 2017. On November 23, a cargo train had an accident when 12 cargo trains traveling southward slipped between National Bank Station and Kuala Lumpur Station due to heavy weight and oversized loads carried by the cargo train. This study is conducted to predict the amount of carried weight of cargo by KTMB using Artificial Neural Network model. Datasets used in this study was taken from Department of Statistics Malaysia Official Portal from year 2001 to 2016. There are three algorithms chosen in this study which are Conjugate Gradient Descent (CGD), Quasi-Newton (QN) and Lavenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithm. The best algorithm is selected to predict the amount of carried weight by comparing the value of error measures of the three algorithms which are Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). Therefore, CGD is the best algorithm that produces smallest error of RMSE and MAPE. By using CGD algorithm, the results show the forecast value of carried weight for five years ahead which is from year 2017 until 2021 is decrease.
Physical Layer Jamming Attack using Waypoint Mobility Model in WLAN
Authors: Dak Ahmad Yusri , Samsudin Nurul Fazliana , Abdul Khalid Noor Elaiza
Published: March 2021

Sharing nature of wireless medium provides various challenging features among various group of users. This is one of various services offered by Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). In addition, due to popularity of WLANs, user experience suffer from various security threats especially jamming based Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack. The attacks are focused on radio channels where the transmission channel interfere with jamming attacks by sending high frequency signal to disturb the communication between the users in network. Most of attack exists at physical layer are detected randomly movable and less static attack are found.  Therefore, the objective of this research is to study the pattern of randomly movable node and performance of physical layer jamming attack using Waypoint Mobility Model.  To address these evaluation, a simulation model consists of constant and random jammer will be developed using OPNET. The performance involved physical layer attack that will be evaluated using three performance metrics such as Bit Error Rate (BER), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), and throughput by using Random Waypoint Point. Outcome concluded that these three-performance metrics can be shows as a significant impact to a detection mechanism that will enable offer insights and the level for future research based on DoS.
Student Vehicle Identification Using Near Field Communication Technology
Authors: Che Jan Nora Yanti , Muhammad Mohd Nasharuddin
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this project is to develop a mobile application using NFC technology in order to assist security officers of Unit Keselamatan in UiTM Perlis branch. The main objective of the developed mobile application is to detect fake and stolen student vehicle stickers. Prior the development of the mobile application, security officers have no specific technique in detecting fake and stolen student vehicle stickers. Actions were only taken once complaints are received from the victims. NFC as defined by Vasquez-Briseno, Hirata et al. (2012) is a limited range high frequency wireless communication technology that allows the transfer of data among devices at distances lower than 10cm. NFC technology is a specialized subset within the family of RFID technology. The mobile application which is designed based on Automatic Identification Data Capture (AIDC) was later evaluated by ten security officers on its usability through questionnaire. Questions from the questionnaire are designed to evaluate several aspects including compatibility, content, navigation, interface design and general feedback. The results show that the officers are happy the developed mobile application as the application offers more than identifying stolen and fake vehicle stickers.
Maximization of Palm Fruit Planted Area Using a Goal Programming Approach
Authors: Md Zain Nur Jannah , Wan Shahidan Wan Nurshazelin
Published: March 2021

Malaysia is currently facing low production of palm fruit. The poor palm fruit output will inevitably affect
the economy in Malaysia. Hence, the government related agency needs to find effective ways to increase
the production of palm fruit. Factors that affect the production of palm fruit include palm tree planted
area and quantity of the crop. This paper proposes the Goal Programming approach to maximize the
production of palm fruit. The approach maximized the planted area for three rural areas and increases
the number of palm fruit crop for three rural areas. This approach is used to find optimal solution to the
low palm fruit output. The findings show that all the study objectives have been fully achieved. The
proposed planted area available from the QM Windows 4.0 software can increase up to 75% from the
existing planted area availability for three rural areas in Jengka, Pahang.
A Fuzzy Logic Approach to Measure Underweight Among Kindergarten’s Kids
Authors: Moktar Balkiah , Aziz Nur Amalina , Mohd Razali Muhamad Hasbullah
Published: March 2021

Nowadays, being underweight during childhood is equally risky as being overweight. Underweight children lead to decrement in their academic performance, a social problem as well as challenging attitudes. Underweight people are likely to be less fit and active, which would also increase their cardiovascular risk and health problem. Their mind also becomes inflexible while their concentration and ability to decide are markedly weak. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the chances of having underweight among the children by using Fuzzy Logic Approach. Besides that, the comparison of effectiveness result of underweight between Body Mass Index (BMI) method and Fuzzy Logic Approach using the Mamdani method will be made. The data on weight and height of the children were collected from 3 kindergartens in Perlis. The result shows that 60 to 70 percent of children having an underweight in the range between 79.1% to 91.2% compare to the BMI method that is only 10 percent of children have underweight. It shows that Mamdani method was very effective compared to BMI Method because of the flexibility from the output control that is a smooth control function despite a wide range of input.
Web Performance Testing of Lecturer Evaluation System (e-CEvas) applied with AJAX Technology
Authors: Seman Azmi Abu , Mahmud Nor Azlina , Ibrahim Norfiza
Published: March 2021

Lecturer Evaluation System (e-CEvas) is used to measure lecturers’ strength and weaknesses every end of semester by the students. However, the current lecturer evaluation system had many problems such as slow performance, limited interactivity, loss of states and the data transmission had redundant code that was unnecessary in each page. To overcome those stated problem, AJAX technology is used to make the lecturer evaluation system much faster, easier to use, more reliable and increase the performance. This study applied AJAX technology in the development together with Visual Studio Ultimate 2012 as the editor, ASP.NET C# language for coding and SQL Server as the database. V-model framework approach was used in developing this research study which involves requirement analysis, system design, architectural design, module design, unit testing, integration testing, system testing and acceptance testing. Microsoft Visual Studio Web Performance and Load Testing software is used to measure the performance of AJAX technology and the result shows that differences of response time proved that AJAX is powerful web development technique for programming. User Acceptance Test was carried out to measure the satisfaction of users when using e-CEvas which the result shown that most respondents are agree to all instructions in the system and the organization of information on the screens is clear.
Hellinger Distance Decision Tree (HDDT) Classification of Gender with Imbalance Statistical Face Features
Authors: Mohd Razali Muhamad Hasbullah , Muhammad Muhammad Farhan , Moktar Balkiah
Published: March 2021

Face recognition is one of the technologies used for assets protection. Face recognition also presents a challenging problem in the field of image and computer vision and has been used for the application such as face tracking and personal identification. It also frequently used in a security system such as a security camera in airport, banks, and offices. Practically, there are problems in improving face recognition performance, particularly for gender identification. It is very difficult to differentiate the person based on face appearance from different poses, lighting, expressions, aging and illumination.  Sometimes it is also difficult to identify the shape of human faces because different people have a different structure of faces. This study used image retrieved from Student Information Management Systems (SIMS)from 10 male and 43 female students who're taking MAT530. The image was then generated 12 geometric landmarks using TI nspire software. The main goal of this research is to classify the gender through the images of faces and to resolve for imbalance data using Hellinger Distance Decision Tree (HDDT) classifier. This classifier was proposed as an alternative to decision tree technique which used Hellinger Distance as the splitting criteria. The result from the validation split shows that percentage split at 40% produced the highest value of accuracy rate at 77.2727% and has the most significant value of sensitivity and specificity.