bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of HSP90 in suppressing TLR4-mediated inflammation in ischemic postconditioning
Authors: Zhang Xin-Yue , Huang Zheng , Li Qing-Jie , Zhong Guo-Qiang , Meng Jian-Jun , Wang Dong-Xiao , Tu Rong-Hui , Hong-Wen
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND: Myocardial inflammation mediated by toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) plays an active role in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Studies show that heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is involved in ischemic postconditioning (IPostC) cardioprotection. This study investigates the roles of TLR4 and HSP90 in IPostC. METHODS: Rats were subjected to 30 min ischemia, then 2 h reperfusion. IPostC was applied by three cycles of 30 s reperfusion, then 30 s reocclusion at reperfusion onset. Sixty rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham, I/R, IPostC, and geldanamycin (GA, HSP90 inhibitor, 1 mg/kg) plus IPostC (IPostC + GA). RESULTS: IPostC significantly reduced I/R-induced infarct size (40.2±2.1% versus 28.4±2.4%; P < 0.05); the release of cardiac Troponin T, creatine kinase-MB, and lactate dehydrogenase (191.5±3.1 versus 140.6±3.3 pg/ml, 3394.6±132.7 versus 2880.7±125.5 pg/ml, 2686.2±98.6 versus 1848.8±90.1 pg/ml, respectively; P < 0.05); and cardiomyocyte apoptosis (40.3±2.2% versus 27.0±1.6%; P < 0.05). Further, local and circulating IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and ICAM-1 levels decreased; TLR4 expression and nuclear factor-KB (NF-κB) signaling decreased; and cardiac HSP90 expression increased. Blocking HSP90 function with GA inhibited IPostC protection and anti-inflammation, suggesting that IPostC has a HSP90-dependent anti-inflammatory effect. CONCLUSION: HSP90 may play a role in IPostC-mediated cardioprotection by inhibiting TLR4 activation, local and systemic inflammation, and NF-kB signaling.
Quantitative evaluation of dexamethasone treatment effects in renal ischemia–reperfusion injury using contrast enhanced ultrasonography in rats
Authors: Sun Xiaoying , Kuang Bin , Dai Yan , Xiong Chao , Li Mingxing , Luo Zhijian
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND: Renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury often occurs in various clinical events, and its incidence and mortality have been increasing. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of contrast enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the monitoring of dexamethasone in the improvement of renal I/R injury in rats. METHODS: Eighteen healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham-operated, I/R, and I/R surgery plus dexamethasone treatment (Dexa) groups. In the I/R group 45-minute renal ischemia with 24 h reperfusion period was monitored. Time-intensity curve (TIC)-derived parameters, which included peak value, time to peak (TP), area under the curve (AUC), and mean transit time (MTT) were compared to the blood creatinine, urea, Caspase-1, and NLRP3 levels. RESULTS: The I/R group showed an increased peak value, prolonged TP and MTT, and greater AUC (P < 0.05). The Dexa group showed shorter TP and MTT, and smaller AUC (P < 0.05). Results show that the associations between (i) TP, AUC, and MTT and (ii) creatinine, urea, Caspase-1, and NLRP3 levels were significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone can alleviate renal I/R injury in rats, which may be related to the inhibition of NLRP3 and caspase-1. CEUS can quantitatively measure this change, in which the changes in TP, AUC and MMT values have considerable reference values.
A new model for evaluating the influence of social networks, social learning, and supportive policies on the desire of women for fertility
Authors: Chen Pei-Lin , Saman Tahereh Nazari
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, social networks become so famous and attract a lot of users. In recent eras, the increase of online social networks and the digitization of communication types have meant that online social networks have become a significant part of social network examination. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we investigate the social networks to study the desire of women for fertility. The study has delivered new visions into the elements of reproductive behavior and has discussed the development of increasingly refined and realistic theories of fertility desire. METHODS: A questionnaire is intended for evaluating the elements of the model. Questionnaires were reviewed by experts with significant experiences in this domain. From 384 users of Telegram as an important social network in Iran, data are collected. For statistical examination, the SPSS 22 and SMART- PLS 3.2 software are also utilized. RESULTS: Results confirmed the validity of the model for assessing of the desire of women for fertility. The outcomes have indicated that the social network has a negative effect on the desire of women for fertility. Besides, the results have shown that the role of social networks on social learning is significant and positive. Furthermore, the role of social learning and supportive policies on the desire of women for fertility is positive and significant. CONCLUSIONS: According to findings, managers have enough precision in training women and daughters through social networks and social learning to enhance the desire for fertility. Finally, it is significant to note that since data are self-reported, they could be affected by rationalization and may not correlate with fertility behavior. In future studies, by gathering a comprehensive sample, other important elements can be considered that cause the desire of women for fertility.
Application of machine learning algorithm and static model of interest rate curve in futures analysis
Authors: Zhang Yuan
Published: July 2020

There are still some errors and instabilities in futures analysis. In order to improve the accuracy of prediction, this study combines image processing technology and applies image processing technology to interest rate wireless to construct a static model based on image processing. The necessary conditions for no arbitrage are realized by adjusting the price of issuing virtual vouchers at a parity, that is, the discount rate is monotonous in discrete cases. In addition, this paper obtains static model statistical graphs through data, and combines image noise processing and image segmentation technology to improve the clarity of statistical graphs and records the results for analysis of this research model. The research shows that the model proposed in this study has certain feasibility in futures analysis and can provide theoretical reference for subsequent related research.
Numerical function optimization by conditionalized PSO algorithm
Authors: Tianhe Yin , Mahmoudi Mohammad Reza , Qasem Sultan Noman , Tuan Bui Anh , Pho Kim-Hung
Published: July 2020

A lot of research has been directed to the new optimizers that can find a suboptimal solution for any optimization problem named as heuristic black-box optimizers. They can find the suboptimal solutions of an optimization problem much faster than the mathematical programming methods (if they find them at all). Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is an example of this type. In this paper, a new modified PSO has been proposed. The proposed PSO incorporates conditional learning behavior among birds into the PSO algorithm. Indeed, the particles, little by little, learn how they should behave in some similar conditions. The proposed method is named Conditionalized Particle Swarm Optimization (CoPSO). The problem space is first divided into a set of subspaces in CoPSO. In CoPSO, any particle inside a subspace will be inclined towards its best experienced location if the particles in its subspace have low diversity; otherwise, it will be inclined towards the global best location. The particles also learn to speed-up in the non-valuable subspaces and to speed-down in the valuable subspaces. The performance of CoPSO has been compared with the state-of-the-art methods on a set of standard benchmark functions.
Hesitant fuzzy C-means algorithm and its application in image segmentation†
Authors: Zeng Wenyi , Ma Rong , Yin Qian , Zheng Xin , Xu Zeshui
Published: July 2020

Image segmentation plays an important role in many fields such as computer vision, pattern recognition, machine learning and so on. In recent years, many variants of standard fuzzy C-means (FCM) algorithm have been proposed to explore how to remove noise and reduce uncertainty. In fact, there are uncertainty on the boundary between different patches in images. Considering that hesitant fuzzy set is a useful tool to deal with uncertainty, in this paper, we merge hesitant fuzzy set with fuzzy C-means algorithm, introduce a new kind of method of fuzzification and defuzzification of image and the distance measure between hesitant fuzzy elements of pixels, present a method to establish hesitant membership degree of hesitant fuzzy element, and propose hesitant fuzzy C-means (HFCM) algorithm. Finally, we compare our proposed HFCM algorithm with some existing fuzzy C-means (FCM) algorithms, and apply HFCM algorithm in natural image, BSDS dataset image, different size images and multi-attribute decision making. These numerical examples illustrate the validity and applicability of our proposed algorithm including its comprehensive performance, reducing running time and almost without loss of accuracy.
Adaptive density based data mining technique for detection of abnormalities in traffic video surveillance
Authors: Joshan Athanesious J. , Vasuhi S. , Vaidehi V. , Shiny Christobel J. , Jerart Julus L.
Published: July 2020

Detection of abnormal events in a traffic scene is a highly challenging task due to vast field of view, continuous stream of video data, various object interactions and complex events in Video Surveillance. Hence, this research proposes novel schemes using machine learning approach to detect abnormal events such as illegal U-turn, presence of pedestrian in driving region, wrong side driving and frequent lane change. Recently, Density Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) is a popular method that has been used for clustering the trajectory datasets. The existing Density Based Clustering approach used for Abnormal detection in traffic scene uses random selection of cluster radius (Eps) and minimum points (minpts) needed to form a cluster. This random selection is time consuming and inefficient clustering results in accuracy reduction in abnormal detection. So, Adaptive Density based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (ADBSCAN) is proposed for the detection of abnormal events based on spatial temporal information relating to individual objects which determines the optimal values for the cluster radius (Eps) using the slope calculation of the K-d plot. Gaussion Mixture Model (GMM) is used for obtaining the moving foreground regions and region-based tracking is used for the identification of the objects in successive frames. The centroid of the region is calculated using image moments. If there is an occlusion between the vehicles then vehicle identification number (Id no) is used to differentiate them. The main advantage in this technique is clustering/labelling the normal pattern without the help of manual intervention. The effectiveness of ADBSCAN is experimentally evaluated using a real time benchmark video traffic dataset and it found that it gives better accuracy in detecting anomalies than the state-of-the-art techniques.
A cross-entropy based stacking method in ensemble learning
Authors: Ding Weimin , Wu Shengli
Published: July 2020

Stacking is one of the major types of ensemble learning techniques in which a set of base classifiers contributes their outputs to the meta-level classifier, and the meta-level classifier combines them so as to produce more accurate classifications. In this paper, we propose a new stacking algorithm that defines the cross-entropy as the loss function for the classification problem. The training process is conducted by using a neural network with the stochastic gradient descent technique. One major characteristic of our method is its treatment of each meta instance as a whole with one optimization model, which is different from some other stacking methods such as stacking with multi-response linear regression and stacking with multi-response model trees. In these methods each meta instance is divided into a set of sub-instances. Multiple models apply to those sub-instances and each for a class label. There is no connection between different models. It is very likely that our treatment is a better choice for finding suitable weights. Experiments with 22 data sets from the UCI machine learning repository show that the proposed stacking approach performs well. It outperforms all three base classifiers, several state-of-the-art stacking algorithms, and some other representative ensemble learning methods on average.
APT attack detection based on flow network analysis techniques using deep learning
Authors: Do Xuan Cho , Dao Mai Hoang , Nguyen Hoa Dinh
Published: July 2020

Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) attacks are a form of malicious, intentionally and clearly targeted attack. This attack technique is growing in both the number of recorded attacks and the extent of its dangers to organizations, businesses and governments. Therefore, the task of detecting and warning APT attacks in the real system is very necessary today. One of the most effective approaches to APT attack detection is to apply machine learning or deep learning to analyze network traffic. There have been a number of studies and recommendations to analyze network traffic into network flows and then combine with some classification or clustering methods to look for signs of APT attacks. In particular, recent studies often apply machine learning algorithms to spot the present of APT attacks based on network flow. In this paper, a new method based on deep learning to detect APT attacks using network flow is proposed. Accordingly, in our research, network traffic is analyzed into IP-based network flows, then the IP information is reconstructed from flow, and finally deep learning models are used to extract features for detecting APT attack IPs from other IPs. Additionally, a combined deep learning model using Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) and Graph Convolutional Networks (GCN) is introduced. The new detection model is evaluated and compared with some traditional machine learning models, i.e. Multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and single GCN models, in the experiments. Experimental results show that BiLSTM-GCN model has the best performance in all evaluation scores. This not only shows that deep learning application on flow network analysis to detect APT attacks is a good decision but also suggests a new direction for network intrusion detection techniques based on deep learning.
The vestibular implant: Opinion statement on implantation criteria for research1
Authors: van de Berg Raymond , Ramos Angel , van Rompaey Vincent , Bisdorff Alexandre , Perez-Fornos Angelica , Rubinstein Jay T. , Phillips James O. , Strupp Michael , Della Santina Charles C. , Guinand Nils
Published: July 2020

This opinion statement proposes a set of candidacy criteria for vestibular implantation of adult patients with bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP) in a research setting. The criteria include disabling chronic symptoms like postural imbalance, unsteadiness of gait and/or head movement-induced oscillopsia, combined with objective signs of reduced or absent vestibular function in both ears. These signs include abnormal test results recorded during head impulses (video head impulse test or scleral coil technique), bithermal caloric testing and rotatory chair testing (sinusoidal stimulation of 0.1 Hz). Vestibular implant (VI) implantation criteria are not the same as diagnostic criteria for bilateral vestibulopathy. The major difference between VI-implantation criteria and the approved diagnostic criteria for BVP are that all included vestibular tests of semicircular canal function (head impulse test, caloric test, and rotatory chair test) need to show significant impairments of vestibular function in the implantation criteria. For this, a two-step paradigm was developed. First, at least one of the vestibular tests needs to fulfill stringent criteria, close to those for BVP. If this is applicable, then the other vestibular tests have to fulfill a second set of criteria which are less stringent than the original criteria for BVP. If the VI-implantation is intended to excite the utricle and/or saccule (otolith stimulation), responses to cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials must be absent in addition to the above mentioned abnormalities of semicircular canal function. Finally, requirements for safe and potentially effective stimulation should be met, including implanting patients with BVP of peripheral origin only, and assessing possible medical and psychiatric contraindications.
Areas of energy advantage for flowsheets of separation modes for mixtures containing components with similar volatilities
Authors: Peshekhontseva M. E. , Maevskiy M. A. , Gaganov I. S. , Frolkova A. V.
Published: July 2020

Objectives. The conditions for the effective application of the sharp distillation technique (without a component distributed between the distillate and bottom flows) for the separation of quaternary zeotropic mixtures containing components with similar volatilities were determined. The area of energy advantage for the flowsheet based on the preliminary fractionation of the mixture, compared with the flowsheet, the first distillation column of which works based on the indirect separation mode, was identified for an ethyl acetate–benzene–toluene–butyl acetate system. Energy savings of up to 20% were achieved. The direct and indirect distillation modes can become competitive when the point of the original composition is located near single K-surfaces or in a region with a different ratio of distribution coefficients. Sharp distillation is not suitable for the separation of a mixture containing a pair of components exhibiting relative unity volatility with medium boiling points.

Methods. The mathematical modeling in the Aspen Plus V.10.0 software package was chosen as the research method. The simulation was based on the Wilson local composition equation. The relative errors in the description of the phase equilibrium did not exceed 3%.

Results. The structure of the vapor–liquid equilibrium diagram and diagram of surfaces of the unit component distribution coefficients were studied for the ethyl acetate–benzene–toluenebutyl acetate and acetone–toluene–butyl acetate–o-xylene systems. Flowsheets based on the sharp, indirect (both systems), or direct (second system) distillation modes were proposed. The distillation process was simulated, and the parameters of the column work were determined (the quality of the substances meets the State Standard requirements of the Russian Federation for minimal energy consumption).

Conclusions. Recommendations regarding the use of sharp distillation for the separation of quaternary mixtures containing components with similar volatilities were devised.
Growth performance of giant gourami (Osphronemus gouramy) fed with combination of fish meal and azolla flour (Azolla microphylla
Authors: Afriyanti Eka Ayu , Hasan Otie Dylan Subhakti , Djunaidah Iin Siti
Published: July 2020

Giant gourami has a high economic value, but slow growth. To overcome this problem, it is necessary to improve the quality of feed and the cultivation system. Feed used in this experiment was formulated feed with different ratio of combination of fish meal and azolla fermented flour. The cultivation system used in this study was a recirculation system. This study aimed to determine the effect of different ratio of matterials combination in feed on the growth performance of gouramy. This study used an experimental method with the completely randomized design with 5 treatments and 3 replicate. The treatments were the ratio of combination between fish meal and azolla fermented flour, viz: A (100:0%), B (75:25%), C (50:50%), D (25:75%) and E (0:100%). The body size of fish ranged of 7 – 9 cm with an average weight of 8.8 g ind.-1. The results showed that the provision of artificial feed with different combinations gave a significant effect (P<0.05) on growth performance of gourami. The best results were obtained in treatment B with the value of specific growth rate of 0.52±0.01, absolute body weight of 2.06±0.05, feed consumption rate of 93.63±0.43, protein efficiency ratio of 6.39±0.16 and the feed convertion ratio was 1.00±0.25. The best protein retention was achieved in treatment B with the value 13%.
Extracting and determining components in the carotenoids colorant from pumpkin (Cucurpita pepo)
Authors: Phan Anh , Le Nhan Thi Hong
Published: July 2020

In this paper, the extraction of carotenoids colorants from three types of pumpkin (Vam Rang (C. maxima), ho lo (C. moschata) and Japan pumpkin (Delica)) were investigated to scale up. With suitable conditions, the pumpkin powder should be extracted with alcohol 96o with a solvent / material ratio of 12/1 mL/g at 50°C for 60 minutes. The content of carotenoids (7,5- 8 mg/mL) and the extraction efficiency of the color extract (88,37 mg/g) of ho lo pumpkin was the highest. The carotenoid concentration and extraction efficiency were determined by UV/Visible spectroscopy (432, 444 and 468 nm), and high performance liquid chromatography (the mobile phase condition isopropanol/MeOH:2/98, 450 nm. The results of the two methods were also suitable for each other. The results showed that the complex carotenoids were composition of 3 types compounds. In addition, more research is needed to enhance the durability of carotenoids.
Rancang Bangun Alat Perontok Kacang Tanah (Arachis hypogaea L.) Semi Mekanis Tipe Vertikal
Authors: Ihsan Ajri Mai , Ariyandi Zul , Wisaputra Sandi , Zulnadi Zulnadi , Amrizal Amrizal , Herdian Fithra , Nurtam Mohammad Riza , Batubara Fanny Yuliana , Defrian Angga
Published: July 2020

Kacang tanah merupakan tanaman polong-polongan yang termasuk dalam golongan komoditi pangan terbesar di Indonesia. Umumnya petani masih menggunakan cara tradisional dalam perontokan kacang tanah sehingga mempunyai kapasitas kecil dan membutuhkan banyak tenaga kerja. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah melakukan rancang bangun alat perontok kacang tanah semi mekanis tipe vertikal yang mempunyai kapasitas besar. Metode penelitian dimulai dari identifikasi masalah dan penyempurnaan ide rancangangan alat perontok kacang tanah. Kemudian dilakukan pembuatan alat, uji fungsional dan uji kinerja. Terakhir dilakukan analisa ekonomi. Hasil uji kinerja alat perontok kacang tanah semi mekanis tipe vertikal diperoleh kapasitas alat 22 kg/jam, rendemen 41% persentase kacang tidak terontok 4.44%, presentase buah rusak 4.66% dan laju pengumpanan 58 kg/jam. Hasil analisa ekonomi teknik diperoleh break event point (BEP) pengoperasian alat input 284 kg/tahun dan break event point (BEP) pengoperasian alat output 408,60 kg/tahun.
Produksi dan Kandungan Pb Selada (Lactuca sativa) pada Media Tailing Pasca Penambangan Timah
Authors: Khodijah Nyayu Siti , Santi Ratna , Kusmiadi Riwan , Asriani Euis
Published: July 2020

Tailing bekas tambang timah umumnya mengandung pasir dan kuarsa yang cukup tinggi sehingga kapasitas sangga (buffer capacity) terhadap unsur-unsur hara sangat rendah. Dengan demikian diperlukan bahan pembenah (ameliorant) untuk memperbaiki kondisi tersebut dengan melakukan pengujian pemberian lima jenis pupuk. Penelitian tentang budidaya tanaman pangan dan non pangan di lahan tailing timah di Bangka seperti tanaman kehutanan, tanaman hortikultura, tanaman perkebunan dan pakan telah dilakukan. Hasil penelitian umumnya menunjukkan penambahan bahan organik dengan berbagai jenis dan mampu memperbaiki ketahanan tanaman yang ditumbuhkan pada cekaman dilahan tailing timah, tetapi  belum menjelaskan keberadaan logam berat dalam jaringan tanaman tersebut. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui pertumbuhan dan produksi serta kandungan Pb selada yang ditumbuhkan di media tailing pasca tambang timah dengan penambahan berbagai jenis pupuk. Penelitian didesain menggunakan rancangan acak kelompok (RAK) dengan empat tingkat perlakuan jenis pupuk yang diulang sebanyak enam kali. Jenis perlakuan pupuk adalah : jenis 1 (NPK (15:15:15)),  jenis 2 (kompos), jenis 3 (Kapur+NPK) dan  Jenis 4 (kompos+NPK). Pertumbuhan selada menggunakan media tailing terbaik diperoleh pada perlakuan jenis 4 ( pupuk kompos yang disertai dengan  pupuk NPK). Kandungan Pb pucuk selada meningkat mengikuti peningkatan pertumbuhan tanaman akibat pemupukan. Selada dengan perlakuan kompos yang disertai dengan  pupuk NPK mempunyai kandungan Pb tertinggi, tetapi kandungan Pb akar tidak mengikuti kecenderungan pertumbuhan akibat pemupukan.
The role of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in education systems – A perspective of educational reforms in Kosovo
Authors: Rrustemi Jehona , Atanasoska Tatjana
Published: July 2020

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a very important organization in providing insight into the impact of educational reforms in a country since it offers good co-operation opportunities between member states whose governments can compare experiences of their educational policies to seek out and identify best practices. According to the organization, the success of educational reforms is demonstrated by the international PISA test conducted with 15-year old students. However, despite the success and failure of students in the PISA test, the benefits of educational reforms can still be seen in various aspects. This paper describes the role of the OECD in educational reforms in general and the benefits of educational reforms in Kosovo based on the research “Concepts of Citizenship in Students of Primary Schools in Kosovo”, despite the poor performance of Kosovar students in the PISA international test.
Study on the Causes and Countermeasures of Medical Complaints during the Outbreak of Novel Coronavirus Disease
Authors: Guo Wenhong , Zhang Lu , Cui Zhangqing , Kong Lingjie , He Songyue
Published: July 2020

To investigate the medical complaints status and coping styles during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus diseases. Methods: 86 cases medical complaints of uninfected novel coronavirus disease, which collected from one hospital at Beijing city during the January-March 2020, have been retrospectively analyzed. The number, types and causes, department distribution have been evaluated at different stages. Results: During the epidemic, medical complaints are still one of the severe problems faced by hospitals, the number of medical complaints, was significantly higher than those during the non-epidemic, Emergency, Neurology and Neurosurgery were as the top three departments. Failure to admission to hospital as scheduled or as expected was an important and special reason in the medical complaints. Most of medical complaints were gain understanding and cooperation by effective communication, only 4 cases of complaints were application for Legal mediation procedure legal. Conclusion: Medical complaints during the outbreak is a serious problem facing by hospitals, which should be given the necessary attention and positive response to reduce the risk of related medical litigation cases at post-epidemic stage.
Study on the Learning Attitude Style and Teaching Plan of Nursing Major Students in Higher Vocational Education of Medicine and Health
Authors: Yang Xiaoer
Published: July 2020

The development of students is one of the main factors affecting the teaching quality. Therefore, through the investigation of learning psychology, we can find the characteristics of students, help to determine the teaching plan, and carry out the research on the new teaching mode of health professional nursing, so as to teach students according to their aptitude, improve the teaching quality, and meet the requirements of students’ growth and clinical employment. This study has laid a foundation for the teaching reform of nursing major in Higher Vocational Colleges according to students’ characteristics and career growth planning.
Challenges of teaching Kiswahili polysems and homonyms through translation in foreign language classes
Authors: Malangwa Pendo Salu
Published: July 2020

In teaching a foreign language, certain language features (i.e. polysems and homonyms) are not introduced as issues or topics for discussion and therefore, they emerge as weeds in the discussion (Klepousniotou, 2002). When this occurs, instructors struggle to handle them differently. This article investigated the challenges of teaching Kiswahili polysems and homonyms through translation in foreign language classes. The data for this study was collected throughobservation and documentary review methods. Findings show that Kiswahili has a complex system of polysems than homonyms. It has been further observed that translation method alone may not be adequate in handling problematic issues such as polysems and homonyms. Since polysems and homonyms are characterized by multiple meanings, a combination of translation method and componential analysis (analysis of semantic features) works better. Lastly, instructors should teach them in context instead of treating them as isolated words and they should be introduced at the intermediate through advanced levels of foreign language proficiency.
Passive constructions in Setswana
Authors: Morapedi Setumile
Published: July 2020

The paper analyses passive constructions in Setswana from morpho-syntactic view point, showing that the suffixation of a passive morpheme to the verb reduces the argument structure of the verb. Previous studies carried out in Setswana verbal suffixes have confined their investigations to these morphemes as elements of morphology but have failed to observe that these affixes overlap into syntax. Chebanne (1996) observes that in Setswana, verbal extensions can combine with a single verbal base but fail to observe the overlap into syntax. Further, the studies do not give any insight in the features that Setswana shares with other Bantu languages. The passive construction in Setswana, like in other Bantu languages, is a bit complex in the sense that the verbal extension –iw brings into effect the dropping of the subject, and the object becomes the grammatical subject, thus rendering the transitive verb, such as, apaya ‘cook’ intransitive. Conversely, other derivational suffixes, such as applicative and causative, increase the verb’s arguments by two. For instance, the suffixation of the verbal suffix –el suggests an entity carrying out the action and somebody benefiting. The paper also compares passive with other verbal extensions such as neuter, applicative, causatives and reciprocals. It shows that while the passive occurs with most verbs and other verbal extensions, such as, applicative or causative suffixes, the neuter is rigid in occurring with other verbal extensions. The paper also appeals to Lexical Mapping Theory, whose role is to constrain mapping relations between thematic roles, such as an agent or patient and the corresponding grammatical functions, such as the subject, patient and oblique that have been subcategorized for by predicates
The treatment of equivalent relations in English-Kwanyama Dictionary
Authors: Shikesho Edward , Mbenzi Petrus A
Published: July 2020

This paper investigates the treatment of equivalent relations in English-Kwanyama Dictionary (EKD) by G. W. R. Tobias and B. H. C Turvey compiled in 1954. For any bilingual dictionary to satisfy the needs of the target users, it should treat the equivalent relations effectively (Gouws, 2002; Gouws & Prinsloo, 2005 & Svensén, 2009). Although EKD was compiled 65 years ago, it seems no comprehensive study has been conducted to evaluate its effectiveness. Hence thispaper is an attempt to evaluate its treatment and the effectiveness of equivalent relations. The paper is couched on the text theory of Herbert Ernst Wiegand which deals with dictionary textual structures, function theory developed by Sven Tarp, and Henning Bergenholtz that focuses on dictionary functions as well as the user needs. In addition, lexicographic theory of communication developed by Beyer (2014) is employed to analyse EKD purposes. The findings reveal that full equivalence is treated well in EKD, but partial equivalence and zero equivalence have not been presented effectively in EKD. This paper recommends that EKD be revised extensively to present all types of equivalent relations adequately.
Shakespeare and Botswana Politics in 2014
Authors: Koketso Daniel
Published: July 2020

Shakespeare’s influence cannot be confined by subject, theme, spatial and/or temporal setting. His works transcend disciplines and geographical identity. He is a linguist, a psychiatrist, ecologist and a political, social and economic commentator. Three thousand new words and phrases all first appeared in print in Shakespeare’s plays. Through Shylock’s resolve on three thousand ducats repayment, readers of The Merchant of Venice learn about the dangers of a cash nexus on human relations. The major tragedies and tragicomedies impart knowledge about politics at both national and family levels. Julius Caesar; Macbeth; King Lear; Othello, and Romeo and Juliet each touches on the important aspect of power dynamics in the private and public spheres. This paper considers some of the major political events in the build-up to the 2014 Botswana general elections and compares them to Shakespeare’s political intrigue in Julius Caesar. The paper concludes that there is credibility in Oscar Wilde’s argument in his 1889 essay ‘The Decay of Lying,’ that "Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life" (Wilde, 1889, p. 11).
Uushiindaism as a collective poverty alleviation mechanism and social support
Authors: Mbenzi Petrus Angula , Ashikuti Selma Ndeapo
Published: July 2020

There are attempts to break the cycle of poverty among indigent people in communities globally and in Namibia in particular. In Africa, attempts are made to devise various strategies and develop tools to alleviate poverty. There is, thus a need to implement poverty alleviation tools based on the indigenous knowledge system. By employing and promoting the existing tools among the indigenous people, poverty is likely to be alleviated. This paper presents uushiindaism as one of the existing indigenous tools that can be used to lessen poverty among the poor and marginalized people. Using the collectivism theory which advocates for communal, societal, or national interests in various types of political, economic, and educational systems, the study investigates the concept of uushiindaism as practiced by Aawambo. Data was collected through semistructured interviews. The narrative approach is used in the paper to unravel the role, significance and relevance of uushiindaism and to highlight threats to uushiindaism. It is revealed, in this paper, that poverty may be alleviated through sharing of resources, coupled with work related programs and not through the creation of dependency syndrome.
Dhima za Kipragmatiki za Kialami Pragmatiki ‘ah’ katika Mazungumzo ya Kiswahili
Authors: Kibiki Magrieth , Malangwa Pendo Salu
Published: July 2020

This study examines the pragmatic functions of the pragmatic markers ah in spoken Kiswahili. The data has been obtained from informal conversations made by Swahili speakers in informal social settings. These include ‘vijiwe vya kahawa’ (setting of informal conversations created around people drinking coffee) and ‘vijiwe vya mamantilie’ (setting of informal conversations around women preparing and selling food on the streets). Using Conversation Analysis (Sacks, 1962) and Contextualization Theory (Gumpers, 1982), the results show that the pragmatic marker ah conveys different meanings depending on context of use and hence has various pragmatic functions. Among the pragmatic functions identified in this article are; to be used as gap filler (the interlocutor is thinking about what to say), is used to start the conversation, is used to disagree with what the other interlocutor has said, to show that the speaker has changed from the state of not knowing to the state of knowing (Now I get you) and to show exclamation. Interestingly, also, the study shows that intonation and other paralinguistic features (like gestures) play a role in determining the pragmatic functions of this marker. Generally, this article concludes that pragmatic markers in spoken Kiswahili are rich in meanings. Therefore, they are wealthy to be investigated.
LABA
Authors: Nakanyete Ndapewa Fenny
Published: July 2020

She spoke in a language I could not understand,but through her emotions, I felt every word she said.She had gone through the unimaginable,and holds awful memories that can never be wiped away.She was only thirteen,a little girl that could never again play.
CATCHMENT AREA EROSION STUDY IN ESTIMATION OF RESERVOIR CAPACITY AT THE END OF LIFE EXPECTANCY (CASE STUDY : GONDANG RESERVOIR, KARANGANYAR)
Authors: Putra Dhanang Samatha
Published: July 2020

Gondang Reservoir is one of The National Strategic Projects. Located in Karanganyar Regency, Central Java Province, Gondang Reservoir has 2.08 Mm3 flood storage, 5.03 Mm3 effective storage, 2.03 Mm3 dead storage and 30 years lifetime. In the dam management, one of the problems that often occurs is sedimentation. To overcome this problem, we need to know the sedimentation rate and distribution pattern of Gondang Reservoir for optimalizing the reservoir management. To predict the distribution pattern of the reservoir we use Empirical Area Reduction Methods. The findings of the study show that the sediment volume of the reservoir throughout its effective life is 2,79 Mm3, the new zero elevation is +496 m, there is no remaining dead storage and the remaining effective storage is 2.2 Mm3. This indicates that theoretically the reservoir will work well up to its life expectancy. Dam sedimentation management with structural or non structural must be planned especially at effective storage. Dam sedimentation management at effective storage is very important in order to maintain Gondang Reservoir benefits.
An Information Service by Using a Scientific Approach for Preventing Student Cyberbullying
Authors: Syarifuddin Syarifuddin , Yusuf A. Muri , Neviyarni Neviyarni , Netrawati Netrawati
Published: July 2020

Cyber-bullying is a massive phenomenon happened to students. Student cyber-bullying must be prevented because it can give a negative physical and psychological impact on the offender, audience and victim. One way that can be done to prevent student cyber-bullying is to provide an information service by using a scientific approach. The purpose of this research was to examine the effectiveness of an information service by using a scientific approach to prevent student cyber-bullying. The research method used was a quantitative research with the true experiment design pretest-posttest group design. The research sample consisted of 30 students for the experimental group and 30 students for the control group taken by using a proportional stratified random sampling technique. The data were analyzed by using the descriptive statistical analysis and non-parameteric statistics using the Kolmogorov Smirnov 2 Independent Sample analysis technique. The results of this research prove that the information service by using a scientific approach is effective in preventing student cyber-bullying.
Using Machine Learning Algorithms on Prediction of Stock Price
Authors: Chen Li-Pang
Published: July 2020

In this paper, we investigate analysis and prediction of the time-dependent data. We focus our attention on four different stocks are selected from Yahoo Finance historical database. To build up models and predict the future stock price, we consider three different machine learning techniques including Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Support Vector Regression (SVR). By treating close price, open price, daily low, daily high, adjusted close price, and volume of trades as predictors in machine learning methods, it can be shown that the prediction accuracy is improved.
Accounting Function as Management Performance Tool in Organizations
Authors: Nnah Ugoani John Nkeobuna
Published: July 2020

Accounting function aims at providing accurate and sufficient accounting information to facilitate proper financial reporting and management performance. Accounting information is usually in the form of periodic or annual financial statements which are products of costing, financial and management accounting prepared for the benefit of a number of external interest groups. Accounting has its roots in the stewardship approach and as a management performance tool to guide the agent and the principal over the exact status of the going concern. Accounting function also involves financial statement analysis, interpreting the accounts by computing and evaluating ratios which relate pairs of financial information or items with one another. This analysis of ratios can be cross-sectional comparing the results of one company with another or trend. In doing so close attention is usually paid to profitability ratio to help keep pace with effective management performance. The exploratory research design was adopted for the study and result showed positive correlation between accounting function and management performance. The study was not exhaustive, therefore, further study should examine the relationship between audit failure and business failure as a matter of finding a solution to the problem. It was recommended that management should always carefully study audit reports to enhance decision making and management performance.
Organizational Behaviour and its Effect on Corporate Effectiveness
Authors: Nnah Ugoani John Nkeobuna
Published: July 2020

Organizational behaviour involves the design of work as well as the psychological, emotional and interpersonal behavioural dynamics that influence organizational performance. Management as a discipline concerned with the study of overseeing activities and supervising people to perform specific tasks is crucial in organizational behaviour and corporate effectiveness. Management emphasizes the design, implementation and arrangement of various administrative and organizational systems for corporate effectiveness. While the individuals, and groups bring their skills, knowledge, values, motives, and attitudes into the organization, and thereby influencing it, the organization, on the other hand, modifies or restructures the individuals and groups through its structure, culture, policies, politics, power, and procedures, and the roles expected to be played by the people in the organization. This study conducted through the exploratory research design involved 125 participants, and result showed strong positive relationship between the variables of interest. The study was never exhaustive due to limitations in terms of time and current relevant literature, therefore, further study could examine the relationship between personality characteristics and performance in the public sector, where productivity is not outstanding, when compared with the private sector. Based on the result of this investigation it was recommended that organizations should provide emotional intelligence programmes for their membership as an important pattern of increasing co-operative behaviours and corporate effectiveness.
APPLYING EMPIRICAL THRESHOLDING ALGORITHM FOR A KEYSTROKE DYNAMICS BASED AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM
Authors: Venugopal Priya Chaliyath , Viji Kamalan Saroja Angel
Published: July 2020

Through the application of a password-based authentication technique, users are granted permission to access a secure system when the username and password matches with that logged in database of the system. Furthermore, anyone who provides the correct username and password of a valid user will be able to log in to the secure network. In current circumstances, impostors can hack the system to obtain a userâ€™s password, while it has also been easy to find out a personâ€™s private password. Thus, the existing structure is exceptionally flawed. One way to strengthen the password-based authentication technique, is by keystroke dynamics. In the proposed keystroke dynamics based authentication system, despite the password match, the similarity between the typing pattern of the typed password and password samples in the training database are verified. The timing features of the userâ€™s keystroke dynamics are collected to calculate the threshold values. In this paper, a novel algorithm is proposed to authenticate the legal users based on the empirical threshold values. The first step involves the extraction of timing features from the typed password samples. The password training database for each user is constructed using the extracted features. Moreover, the empirical threshold limits are calculated from the timing features in the database. The second step involves user authentication by applying these threshold values. The experimental analyses are carried out in MATLAB simulation, and the results indicate a significant reduction in false rejection rate and false acceptance rate. The proposed methodology yields very low equal error rate of 0.5% and the authentication accuracy of 99.5%, which are considered suitable and efficient for real-time implementation. The proposed method can be a useful resource for identifying illegal invasion and is valuable in securing the system as a correlative or substitute form of client validation.
FEATURE CLUSTERING FOR PSO-BASED FEATURE CONSTRUCTION ON HIGH-DIMENSIONAL DATA
Authors: Swesi Idheba Mohamad Ali Omer , Abu Bakar Azuraliza
Published: July 2020

Feature construction (FC) refers to a process that uses the original features to construct new features with better discrimination ability. Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) is an effective search technique that has been successfully utilised in FC. However, the application of PSO for feature construction using high dimensional data has been a challenge due to its large search space and high computational cost. Moreover, unnecessary features that were irrelevant, redundant and contained noise were constructed when PSO was applied to the whole feature. The feature clustering methods were used to aggregate similar features into clusters, whereby the dimensionality of the data was lowered by choosing representative features from every cluster to form the final feature subset. The clustering of each features are proven to be accurate in feature selection (FS), however, only one study investigated its application in FC for classification. The study identified some limitations, such as the implementation of only two binary classes and the decreasing accuracy of the data. This paper proposes a cluster based PSO feature construction approach called ClusPSOFC. The Redundancy-Based Feature Clustering (RFC) algorithm was applied to choose the most informative  features from the original data, while PSO was used to construct new features from those selected by RFC. Experimental results were obtained by using six UCI data sets and six high-dimensional data to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method when compared to the original full features, other PSO based FC methods, and standard genetic programming based feature construction (GPFC). Hence, the ClusPSOFC method is effective for feature construction in the classification of high dimensional data.