bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Accessing Global Information
Authors: Gould Benina , Khisbiyah Yayah , Gould Jeffrey B.
Published: April 2020

Internet use, an important portal for globalization, has grown dramatically in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries. Little is known about students’ use of the Internet to obtain information about current Islamic and non-Islamic issues. Sixty-one students ‒ ages fifteen to nineteen from three pesantrens, three madrasahs, and one secular high school in Solo, Indonesia ‒ were surveyed and classified as expressing conservative (twenty-seven), modernist (twenty-four), and moderate (ten) views. They were asked to recommend three Internet sites and the reasons for their choice. We found that regardless of student outlook the Internet was not a major source of Islamic or non-Islamic news. Fifty-five sites were recommended, indicating there were no universally popular sites. Students tended to favor sites that were in keeping with their views. However, all three types of schools had studentswith modernist, conservative, and moderate views.These findings support Indonesia’s uniqueness as a pluralistic society in the Muslim world. Although we found limited use of the Internet and a lack of uniformly popular sites in 2009, the Internet has the potential to influence young people in the future. It will be important to follow the patterns of use by Indonesian youth in pesantrens and other schools to assess if this pluralism persists or extremists’ sites grow in popularity.
Articulating “Responsibility” as a Prerequisite for the Arab Spring
Authors: Elewa Ahmed
Published: April 2020

In delineating the causes behind nonmilitant uprising and revolution in the Middle East, I propose that the import, the Arabization and Islamization of the term responsibility, as a key catalyst. Although the concept of responsibility is fundamental to the message of Islam, it is alluded to by an assortment of terms that seem to have fallen out of the day-to-day vernacular of Arab communities. The adoption of the term mas’uliyyah has served to express this fundamental concept. Furthermore, given its origin in post-Enlightenment Western political philosophy, the term provides a rare conceptual bridge between regions termed Western and Middle Eastern, in addition to being a linguistic vehicle capable of coarticulating modern Western and traditional Islamic thoughts. In this article, I trace the Arabization and Islamization of the term responsibility to nineteenth-century nahDah literature and its current establishment in different Islamic currents and schools. Moreover, I explain the utility of the term to express authentically Islamic vocabulary that has been forsaken in political terminology of the past two centuries.I propose that the presence of this now familiar term was instrumental in articulating the necessity of political change in a manner that resonated with millions of Arabs educated according to a modern Western model of education. Finally, I predict that the term responsibility will allow for a “new kinda fiqh” appropriate for an activated citizenry.
Islamic Awakening or Pro-Democracy Movement
Authors: Esfandiary Esmaeil
Published: April 2020

As influential players in the Middle East’s regional politics, both American and Iranian officials are trying to define and interpret the wave of Arab revolutions in a way that resonates with their own political narratives. In other words, they want to frame the situation in a way that matches their respective ideologies, which, in turn, would best suit their political interests. I use framing theory to illustrate the frameworks through which top American and Iranian leaders try to portray those regional changes, especially in Egypt. For this purpose, framing theory and its applications will be discussed first. Then, the views of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Barack Obama regarding the regional revolts will be analyzed. Based on Robert Entman’s four-element formulation of framing, each side’s framing is demonstrated through its projection of (1) problem definition, (2) causal interpretation, (3) moral evaluation, and (4) solution/treatment recommendation.The analysis shows how the two sides frame a single phenomenon in extremely different ways: one portrays it as a sign of Islamic awakening against the decades-old rule of western-backed dictators, whereas the other frames it as a pro-democracy movement heralding the emergence of new democratic states. The paper concludes by arguing that the dominance of each government’s frames will pave the way for it to claim the uprisings within its own narrative and thus influence the situation on the ground in their desired way.
Contesting Almsgiving in Post-New Order Indonesia
Authors: Latief Hilman
Published: April 2020

This article explores the origin and development of the ideas and practice of zakat (Islamic tax) on salary and identifies how it affects the nature of zakat practice in contemporary Indonesia. The recent trend suggests that Indonesian Muslims are attempting to translate and reinterpret the Islamic concept of social justice by utilizing zakat on salary (zakat profesi) as a discursive center. Despite the fact that this has been the subject of heated debate among Muslim scholars since the 1980s, the Indonesian state has attempted to make its payment mandatory by enacting zakat regulations at both the provincial and district levels. This new phenomenon is stimulating new debates among the country’s Islamic scholars over the legality, from a jurisprudential aspect, of imposing zakat regulations on civil servants. Some believe that zakat practice has been precisely prescribed in the Qur’an and Sunnah and thus such an “innovation” is not necessary; others consider zakat to belong to that part of the Islamic ethical and economic system that is open to reinterpretation and innovation. Disagreement among Islamic scholars, competition between civil society organizations and state agencies, and tension between the government (political authorities) as a policymaker and people at the grassroots level are indications of how almsgiving is contested in democratic Indonesia.
The Unified World Order
Authors: Muteeu Bakare Adewale
Published: April 2020

In pursuit of a capitalist world configuration, the causal phenomenon of globalization spread its cultural values in the built international system, as evidenced by the dichotomy between the rich North and the poor South. This era of cultural globalization is predominantly characterized by social inequality, economic inequality and instability, political instability, social injustice, and environmental change. Consequently, the world is empirically infected by divergent global inequalities among nations and people, as evidenced by the numerous problems plaguing humanity. This article seeks to understand Islam from the viewpoint of technological determinism in attempt to offset these diverging global inequalities for its “sociopolitical economy”1existence, as well as the stabilization of the interconnected world. Based upon the unifying view of microIslamics, the meaning of Islam and its globalizing perspectives are deciphered on a built micro-religious platform. Finally, the world is rebuilt via the Open World Peace (OWP) paradigm, from which the fluidity of open globalization is derived as a future causal phenomenon for seamlessly bridging (or contracting) the gaps between the rich-rich, rich-poor, poor-rich and poor-poor nations and people based on common civilization fronts.
Teaching about Islam in Africa
Authors: Uthup Thomas
Published: April 2020

What are the major pillars of education today? The International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century focused on this question in its report to the premier United Nations agency in education: the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In its report, “Learning: The Treasure Within,” the commission stated that life-long education is based upon four pillars: learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together, and learning to be.1 But is learning about religion a steel bar in these pillars? Certainly, the High-Level Group (HLG) appointed by Kofi Annan, the African UN Secretary General (1997-2006), to undertake the major UN intercultural initiative – the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) – seemed to think so. The HLG report stressed the role of learning about religion as a key element of preparing future citizens for a world characterized by cultural diversity.What are the major pillars of education today? The International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century focused on this question in its report to the premier United Nations agency in education: the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In its report, “Learning: The Treasure Within,” the commission stated that life-long education is based upon four pillars: learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together, and learning to be.1 But is learning about religion a steel bar in these pillars? Certainly, the High-Level Group (HLG) appointed by Kofi Annan, the African UN Secretary General (1997-2006), to undertake the major UN intercultural initiative – the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) – seemed to think so. The HLG report stressed the role of learning about religion as a key element of preparing future citizens for a world characterized by cultural diversity.2 In his Cultural Forces in World Politics(1990), Ali Mazrui explored the seven functions of culture in society. Briefly put, these are culture as a worldview, a source of identity, stratification, communication, value systems, motivation, and as a means of production and modes of consumption. I apply this framework to my analysis of the seven functions of Islam in Africa and link them with the UNESCO and UNAOC reports to underline the need for modern well-educated Africans to learn about Islam in Africa. In his Cultural Forces in World Politics(1990), Ali Mazrui explored the seven functions of culture in society. Briefly put, these are culture as a worldview, a source of identity, stratification, communication, value systems, motivation, and as a means of production and modes of consumption. I apply this framework to my analysis of the seven functions of Islam in Africa and link them with the UNESCO and UNAOC reports to underline the need for modern well-educated Africans to learn about Islam in Africa.
Shaykh Bakrii Saphalo
Authors: Ali Mohammed Hassen
Published: April 2020

Shaykh Bakrii Saphalo was a perceptive Oromo Muslim scholar who used traditional Oromo wisdom to make Islam intelligible to his people and part of their cultural heritage. A gifted poet who wrote in Arabic, Oromo, and Somali, he was persecuted by two successive Ethiopian regimes during the 1960s and 1970s. As an activist scholar, he sought to spread knowledge among the Oromo, who constitute about 40 percent of Ethiopia’s population. Due to the government’s tight control and distance, as well as the lack of modern communication and technology, his effort was limited mainly to the Oromo in Hararghe, eastern Ethiopia. For over six decades Shaykh Bakrii sought to uplift his people and secure respect for their language, culture, human dignity, and national identity. 1 Motivated by his desire to develop the Oromo language, which at that time was banned, he struggled to develop written literature in it. But despite all of these accomplishments, he has been largely forgotten.
The Transdisciplinary Approach
Authors: Paya Ali
Published: April 2020

This paper argues that the transdisciplinary approach, contrary to the views of some of its advocates, is not a methodology but a metamethod. In the first part I shall briefly discuss the similarities and differences between science/knowledge and technology to explain important epistemic implications of placing this approach in the latter category. Next, I shall critically examine the views of Basarab Nicolescu, one of the most prolific proponents of a particular reading of this approach. Part three discusses the function of the transdisciplinary approach as a meta-method. In the fourth and final part I shall try to introduce some examples from the intellectual econiche of Islamic culture in a bid to shed further light on this approach’s potential as a meta-method. The conclusion, which I draw from my own critical examination, is that the transdisciplinary approach can be used in an effective way, provided that its users adopt an appropriate philosophical framework. Such a framework, I contend, could be provided by critical rationalism.
Moderation in Greek and Islamic Traditions, and a Virtue Ethics of the Qur’an
Authors: Adeel M. Ashraf
Published: April 2020

This article looks at some of the salient analyses of the concept of wasaṭīyah (moderation) in the ancient Greek and the Islamic traditions and uses them to develop a contemporary view of the matter. Greek ethics played a huge role in shaping the ethical views of Muslim philosophers and theologians, and thus the article starts with an overview of the revival of contemporary western virtue ethics, in many ways an extension of Platonic-Aristotelian ethics, and then looks briefly at the place of moderation or temperance in Platonic-Aristotelian ethics. This sets the stage for an exposition of the position taken by Ibn Miskawayh and al-Ghazali, which is then used as a backdrop for suggesting a revival of the Qur’an’s virtue ethics. After outlining a basis for its virtue ethics, the Qur’anic view of the virtue of wasaṭīyah is discussed briefly and its position on this virtue’s nature in terms of the individual and the community is presented.
The AKP’s Foreign Policy
Authors: Arin Kubilay
Published: April 2020

When Turkey’s Justice and Development Part (AKP) came to power in 2002, it brought a new strategy to foreign policy. Some scholars ascribed this reorientation to the rise of neo-Ottomanism, others to Islamization, and yet others to a Middle Easternization of foreign policy. All labels have one element in common: They give weight to Islam and Turkey’s imperial past as soft power assetsin the conduct of foreign policy by rejecting secular Kemalism in the country’s diplomacy. The AKP capitalized on Turgut Özal’s neo-Ottomanist foreign policy and Necmettin Erbakan’s multi-dimensional foreign policy by using Turkey’s pivotal geopolitical location to transform it into a global actor. The ongoing Islamic revival has caused the country’s attempted full westernization to slow down. But the West itself is hardly a monolithic bloc, given its own many internal cultural, linguistic,religious, political, and economic differences. I therefore describe Turkey as a “hybrid,” a modern and developing “semi-western” state, and argue that over time it will become ever more “socially conservative.”
Religions, Lifeways, Same Difference
Authors: Delgado Jibreel
Published: April 2020

A number of far-right politicians and conservatives in the United States continue to argue that the First Amendment’s freedom of beliefdoes not apply to Islam because it is not a religion in the western sense of the term, but a way of life that includes politics. By providingdefinitions from both western sociologists of religion and conservative political lobbyists and think tanks, I show that mostexperts on religion in the United States define religion as a way of life that governs behavior in the public sphere. I also argue that thesedefinitions match similar definitions, offered by Muslim scholars in the Middle East and South Asia for the last fifty years, of the Arabicword dīn, typically translated as “religion.” By tracing the origins of the idea that dīn signifies something other than religion because of its relation to regulating public behavior, I show that earlier mid-twentieth century Muslim critiques of equating dīn and religion had little to do with any intrinsic nature if Islam itself and far more to do with western scholarship of that period’s understanding of secularity, conceptualization of the state, and prediction of the inevitable demise of religious belief and practice.
Making Africa Legible
Authors: Bolton Caitlyn
Published: April 2020

European colonialism and missionization in Africa initiated a massive orthographic shift across the continent, as local languages that had been written for centuries in Arabic letters were forcibly re-written in Roman orthography through language standardization reforms and the introduction of colonial public schools. Using early missionary grammars promoting the “conversion of Africa from the East,” British colonial standardization policies and educational reforms, as well as petitions and newspaper editorials by the local Swahilispeaking community, I trace the story of the Romanization of Swahili in Zanzibar, the site chosen as the standard Swahili dialect. While the Romanization of African languages such as Swahili was part of a project of making Africa legible to Europeans during the colonial era, the resulting generation gap as children and parents read different letters made Africa more illegible to Africans themselves.
Female Preachers and the Public Discourse on Islam in Malaysia
Authors: Ismail Norbani B.
Published: April 2020

This paper explores Malaysia’s activist female preachers (pendakwah) by highlighting the religious authority and leadership in preaching that they have attained due to their firm grounding in Islam’s fundamental sources and Arabic. I analyze their recorded online lectures, radio talks, and interviews to identify their common preaching styles and highlighted themes. The study finds that their highest objective is to help create a sound moral and ethical society via the fulfillment of moral and religious obligations. To that end, they deal primarily with spiritual development and family management issues, as well as draw spiritual and religious conclusions from important historical events. The paper concludes that they keep their activism within the confines of expected social norms and the bureaucracy of religious authority. By adhering to social and religious orthodoxy, they continue to gain authority and trust from both the established religious authorities and the public.
The Post-Enlightenment Moral Crisis and the Emergence of Secular Tyranny in the Middle East
Authors: Chak Farhan Mujahid
Published: April 2020

This article explores humanity’s ethical transformation during Europe’s post-Enlightenment era and assesses its impact upon the originsand development of secularism. Thereafter, it investigates how secularism was introduced into the Middle East, isolating that importation as directed through western colonialism or spellbound indigenous elites. Eventually, introducing secularism into the region’s socio-cultural milieu achieved nothing resembling what Europe or North America had experienced, particularly as regards the purported aims of social reconciliation, industrialization, and modernization. Without the European context, secularism emerged in a radically offensive manner, one that uprooted the local axiology and thereby leading to unprecedented levels of secular tyranny as well as entailing the justification of socio-economic and political oppression.
Beyond Secular Liberalism
Authors: Marusek Sarah
Published: April 2020

While many scholars have focused on questions of non- or post-secularity vis-à-vis the “modern nation state,” fewer have asked what kind of decolonial redemption is possible under global neoliberal capitalism today. This is precisely the question I seek to address in this article by analyzing the contemporary ideas and practices of the charities affiliated with what is collectively known as the Islamic resistance movement in Lebanon. Based on almost two and a half years of ethnographic fieldwork in Lebanon on the charities affiliated with the three main Shi'i activist movements loosely comprising the Islamic resistance movement—Hizbullah, al-Mabarrat Association, and Imam al-Sadr Foundation—I describe how all three are selectively resisting some aspects of secular liberalism while accepting others. However, by employing a decentered approach to my analysis, I also highlight how their negotiation with secular liberalism is on their own terms, thus ultimately presenting a challenge to Western hegemony. These charities employ multiple conceptions of rationality, including religious rationality and a range of liberal and even neoliberal economic principles; but by centering their project on faith, Islam, and resistance, these charities reproduce what I call “resistance subjectivities,” allowing the Islamic resistance movement to present unique challenges to Western secular modernity.
Who Am I? The Social Identities of Muslim-American Adolescents
Authors: Tahseen Madiha , Cheah Charissa S.L.
Published: April 2020

Muslim-American adolescents face unique developmental challenges, due to the national and global negative spotlight on Islam, as they navigate identity formation in the mainstream American setting. However, the intersection of various social identities (SI) in the navigation of these challenges has been ignored in much social-scientific literature. We examined the SI of Muslim-American adolescents using the multidimensional cluster analysis technique. Correlates of adolescents’ SI were also explored, specifically adolescents’ self-reported psychological well-being. One hundred and fifty Muslim adolescents were recruited from schools, mosques, and community organizations throughout Maryland. Follow-up analyses indicated that the High-Muslim/High-American adolescents reported the highest well-being and Moderate-Muslim/Undifferentiated-American cluster reported poorer well-being than the other clusters. Findings highlighted the importance of simultaneously assessing Muslim and American SIs, and the differential psychological benefits based on adolescents’ SI profiles. The article concludes by discussing implications for future research on Muslim adolescents’ successful adjustment.
Suburban Islam (by Justine Howe)
Authors: Wheeler Kayla Renée
Published: April 2020

Justine Howe provides a rich ethnographic account of the Mohammed Alexander Russell Webb Foundation in the western Chicago suburbs from 2010 to 2014. Howe argues that the Webb Foundation functions as a third space, an in-between space that critiques local masjids and “engenders possibilities for new ways of being” (9). The organization was founded by and specifically targets university educated, culturally American, “unmosqued” Muslims who feel like outsiders to mainstream American culture and Chicago masjids that have increasingly become influenced by Salafis. Their religion (and often race) marks Webb members as not fully American and local masjids privilege cultural Islam over “true” Islam, forcing them to exist on the margins.
The Wars of Jurisprudence
Authors: Wani Gowhar Quadir
Published: April 2020

The present book is based on the author’s doctoral research (duly modified) on contract law in Malaysia. It is primarily concerned with the dialectical tension between contractual justice and freedom of contract and the resultant “plethora of battles” (hence the plural ‘wars’ in the title) fought on the “doctrinal/theoretical fronts over a jurisprudential landscape.” The book engages the notion of contractual justice in the context of Malaysian contract law, its role in the adjudication of contract cases, and its realization vis-à-vis the freedom of contract and the legislative grounds Malaysian courts have in such situations.
Voltage Control of DC Generators Using Load Characteristic
Authors: Abbood Abdulsalam M. , Thiyab Munther Naif , Abdullah Rafid S. , Keream Settar S.
Published: April 2020

The DC generators find much utilization in the devices that are used in application systems. This article describes the new voltage control of DC generators based on load characteristic. The DC generator load characteristic is important to identify the DC generator ability to provide the suitable load current. This paper proposed the performance of load characteristic of self-excited DC generator with the condition of voltage build up. The proposal allows for improvement of the more important factor in generation process which results in the voltage drop due to the losses and armature reaction. The field resistance, critical speed, and residual flux are very important factors in voltage build up process.
Studying Some Mechanical Properties of River Shell Particle Polymer Matrix Composite
Authors: Mahan Hamid M. , Farhan Malia M. , Shaalan Thaer G.
Published: April 2020

This paper concerns developing the mechanical properties of unsaturated polyester. This work involves preparing a composite material and reinforcing it using river shell particles with volume fractures of (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%). The composite materials undergone mechanical tests with regard to hardness, tensile, and impact strength. The experimental results obtained show that the addition of river shell particles reduce the original tensile strength and impact strength up to 5% wt, while the hardness is increased with increasing addition of river shell particles percent.
Quality of Service of VoIP over WiMAX
Authors: Hatem Mustafa Qays , Abdullah Ahmed Aizaldeen
Published: April 2020

In this paper, the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) was analyzed, and the performance of the quality of service (QoS) parameters obtained through the OPNET simulation software was evaluated. The case study started with the analysis of the network structure .It examined the optimal planning parameters and considered to optimize the performance of the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access network to increase the VoIP service performance. The simulation covered three scenarios with different configurations; each scenario was elevated in term of QoS. The simulations studied various cases including variation in cell radius, different number of users, and different number of cells. Results showed that increasing the cell radius does not increase the quality of the network, and increasing the number of users inside one cell also degrades the quality of the network. By contrast, distributing users into different cells increasesthe network performance but enhances the delay time and increases the throughput.
The Analysis Of Motor Imagery And SSVEPs For the BCI Application
Authors: Sutjiadi Raymond , Pattiasina Timothy John , Handojo Andreas , Lim Resmana
Published: April 2020

Many studies have shown that the electrical and magnetic fields generated during brain activities can produce certain signals. Some of these signals can be captured using electroencephalography, a detection tool involving mobile brainwave sensors whose use has matured and become affordable. The brain-computer interface (BCI) provides an alternative form of communication between the human and a system (computer or actuator) without any physical contact between them. There are many ways to evoke brain signals for translation into computer tasks, but the most popular are motor imagery and steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs). In this research, an offline analysis of motor imagery and SSVEPs based on BCI experiments that use electroencephalography (EEG) is reported. The results show that SSVEPs are more accurate and convenient than motor imagery, with errors of 15 percent and 35 percent, respectively.
Erythrosine and Rhodamine Dyes as a Solar Cell Concentrator
Authors: Mohsen Suhad Hassan , Oneizah Luma Hafedh Abed , Alaarage Warood Kream
Published: April 2020

In this work, a solar and flash center was created by combining two organic dyes, erythrosine and rhodamine, with completely different concentrations. Throughout the spectra of fluorescence (F) and absorbance (A), the quantitative efficiency of the dye mixture was determined. It was manufactured from a panel of epoxy containing a mixture of the two dyes using open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Isc), fill factor (FF), and solar cell efficiency (η). It was found that a 1 mm thickness of the panel works best in increasing the efficiency of the photovoltaic cell.
On Proper Fixed Spaces
Authors: Al-Abdulla Raad Aziz Hussain
Published: April 2020

This work presents a study on a new type of spaces called proper fixed spaces along with their basic properties and the relationships between them. The main objective of this paper is to provide theorems and examples about the concept of proper fixed spaces. The results prove that this work opened the door for other researchers to study the application of these concepts of proper fixed spaces.
Marine Spatial Planning: The Way Forward for Sustainable Development of Central Terengganu, Malaysia
Authors: Aziz Nazli , Muhammad Zikri , Ghazali Farahdilah , Talaat Wan Izatul Asma Wan , Saputra Jumadil
Published: April 2020

The paper emphasises the potentials of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) to be adopted and implemented in Central Terengganu, referring to three districts, namely Kuala Nerus, Kuala Terengganu and Marang. The territorial waters of Terengganu Central are demarcated by the protected boundaries of the marine parks, namely Redang, Lang Tengah and Kapas Islands. These three marine park islands are major ecotourism destinations in Central Terengganu, but the development that has been carried out on the islands and areas surroundings their gateways in the mainland, to some extent, is not integrated and sustainable. The purpose of this study is to seek the answers to what extent the current and future development trends in Central Terengganu have addressed the multiple competing and conflicting uses related to socioeconomic development, marine/ocean governance and conservation. The qualitative techniques were used for analysis and a case study was used to understand the nature of government policies and management as well as the existing and future plans. To summarize, this study concluded that MSP is the best option for the Terengganu State Government to improve the management of coastal and marine resources for environmental sustainability and socio-economic planning in Central Terengganu.
Crustal Deformations and Geomorphological Units of Arabian Plate Foreland Region, North and Northeast of Iraq
Authors: Hasan Ahmed Abbas , Hussien Mohammed Lateef , Fadhil Linaz Anis , Hasan Mariam Isam , Mosquera Cristina Dallos
Published: April 2020

The crustal shortening in the foreland of Arabian Plate (the Taurus and Zagros Mountains system) in N and NE of Iraq is accommodated in two principal ways: folding and thrusting. The fold and thrust patterns have evolved as an expression of shortening which was approximately NE-SW directed and subparallel to the bedding. In this area, observations of deformations along different cross sections were made using balancing cross sections for the estimation of the total shortening on five cross sections. The authors showed that shortening deformations were irregular and non-identical, which date back to the same age and the same location. This suggests that defects in this region are not homogeneous due to irregular bottom of the sedimentary basin, fault system and the form of the collision zone between the Arabian Plate and Iranian Plate or between the Arabian Plate and the Anatolian Plate. According to these magnitudes, the foreland region of Arabian Plate is affected by inhomogeneous deformations that are related rather to where these structures were developed, than to when they were formed. This study demonstrates the significant influence of geologic factor (especially structure) in forming and developing geomorphological features with a structural origin. These features are associated with tectonic history of the study area, such as units of structural origin. Another features related to the denudational factors, like glacis and badland, in addition to the features of fluvial origin which are alluvial fans, terraces and flood plains.
Control of Matrix Converter for AC Drives by Proposed Indirect Space Vector Modulation ISVM Strategy
Authors: Muhsen Alyaa , Al-Khayyat Ali Salam , Hameed Mustafa Jameel
Published: April 2020

Matrix Converter is considered as a forced commutated AC-to-AC converter, where an array of bidirectional controlled switches produces variable voltage and frequency. This paper presents amodulation approach to MC operation: a fictitious DC link control technique, which is also known as the Indirect Modulation method and is characterized by lack of reactive storage components in the DC link. This method allows the bidirectional power to flow between the source and load, and thus raise the voltage ratio above 86.6%, control the desired magnitude and frequency, and achieve nearly unity power factor at the input side of the converter.
Detecting Anomalies in Computer Networks Recurrent Neural Networks
Authors: Oleiwi Suha Sahib , Omran Ghufran A. , Abdulshaheed Haider Rasheed
Published: April 2020

Due to the widespread use of computer networks as well as the numerous attacks that such networks face, a fast and accurate means of detecting attacks represents an ever growing need. In this paper, a system that uses a recurrent neural network (RNN) is explored as a potential method for detecting intrusions. The investigated system is applied to an unlabeled cyber-security data set in order to determine its effectiveness. The goal is to train the system on every individual user included in the data set so as to learn their behavior and then to allow for the identification of any deviations in their behavior. It should be stressed here that deviations in behavior (or anomalies) cannot be labeled as “intrusions” without the involvement of domain experts. Nevertheless, they can be used to identify potential attacks, and they can also be presented to cyber-security experts for further evaluation. Several architectures for the system are explored with the aim of identifying the optimal one. A system is developed to be both fast and good at identifying anomalous behavior, while at the same time it must be able to adapt to any changes the attackers might implement to avoid detection, thus the results shown in this work using an unlabeled data set to train the network does not allow for the accuracy of the system for identifying the attackers. This means that identifying the optimal architecture is a difficult task. Yet, the system used in this paper is able to identify likely anomalies, which leads to the conclusion that RNNs do represent an effective means of flagging anomalous behavior.
Background Subtraction (BS) Using Instant Pixel Histogram
Authors: Shati Narjis Mezaal , Alazawi Sundos Abdulameer , Abdulbaqi Huda Abdulaali
Published: April 2020

Video computer vision applications require moving objects detection as a first phase of their operation. Therefore, background subtraction (BS), an investigate branch in computer vision with intensive published research, is applied to obtain the “background” and the “foreground.” Our study proposes a new BS model that utilizes instant pixel histogram, which is implemented to extract foreground objects from two datasets, the first Visor (different human actions) and the second Anomaly Detection Dataset UCSD (Peds2). The model when using the Visor dataset gives 100% detection rate with 8% false alarm rate, whereas, when using UCSD (Peds2), it achieves a detection rate and false alarm rate of 77% and 34% respectively.
Improved Approach for Identification of Real and Fake Smile using Chaos Theory and Principal Component Analysis
Authors: Ansaf Hayder , Najm Hayder , Atiyah Jasim Mohammed , Hassen Oday A.
Published: April 2020

The smile detection approach is quite prominent with the face detection and thereby the enormous implementations are prevalent so that the higher degree of accuracy can be achieved. The face smile detection is widely associated to have the forensic of faces of human beings so that the future predictions can be done. In chaos theory, the main strategy is to have the cavernous analytics on the single change and then to predict the actual faces in the analysis. In addition, the integration of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is integrated to have the predictions with more accuracy. This work proposes to use the analytics on the parallel integration of PCA and chaos theory to enable the face smile and fake identifications to be made possible. The projected work is analyzed using assorted parameters and it has been found that the deep learning integration approach for chaos and PCA is quite important and performance aware in the multiple parameters with the different datasets in evaluations.
Geography and Infrastructure Dimension on Poverty in Riau Province: Data Panel Approach at the Village Level
Authors: Rahayu Heffi Christya , Sarungu Julianus Johnny , Hakim Lukman , Soesilo Albertus Maqnus , Samudro Bhimo Rizky , Lestari Etty Puji
Published: April 2020

This study aims to analyze the geographical and infrastructure aspects of poverty in districts and cities in Riau Province, Indonesia. This study used statistical data from 2003, 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2014 correspondingly published by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), Indonesia. There are 1,687 villages collected into cross-sections and time series or pooled data. This study proposed a geographical perspective to identify the poverty level. Based on the model specification tests through the three analyses with the pooled least square (PLS), the study found that the regression of the determinant coefficient (R2) is 0.0492, indicating that the geographical and infrastructure variables can explain 49.2 % of the output percentage variation in poverty levels. The telephone network is a factor that has a significant positive effect on the poverty variable. One variable used, the river as a transportation network, has a significant positive effect, which indicates that the usage of rivers for the purpose of transportation can increase the poverty level in the Riau province of Indonesia.
An Effective Implementation of Face Recognition Using Deep Convolutional Network
Authors: Najm Hayder , Ansaf Hayder , Hassen Oday A.
Published: April 2020

Human Face Recognition for forensic investigations and e-governance is widely adopted so that the specific face points can be trained and further investigations can be done. In this approach, the key points of human face with the dynamic features are extracted and trained in the deep neural network model so that the intrinsic aspects of the human face can be realized and further can be used for the criminal investigation or social analytics based applications. In this research manuscript, the usage of deep learning based convolutional network is integrated for the human face analytics and recognition for diversified applications. It is done to have the cavernous evaluation patterns in multiple domains for the knowledge discovery and predictive features of the human face identification domain.
The Influence of Gold Nanoparticles on Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Liquid Crystal
Authors: Abdullaha Lamees A. , Rashad Alaa Adnan , Jber Nasreen Raheem , Mahmood Aseel Ibrahim , Ibrahim Rawa Khalil
Published: April 2020

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been prepared for doping liquid crystal (LC) with different concentrations to study linear and nonlinear optical properties utilizing UV spectrum and Z scan technique, respectively. Z scan methods are performed by He-Ne laser at 632.8 Nanometer wavelength. It is observed that the samples can absorb in the UVA range (280-400 nm). Pure LC has high absorbance and the peak of absorbance decreases when the concentration of AuNPS increases due to the AuNPs. The nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of LC were improved by increasing the concentration of AuNPs. The presence of AuNPs changed the behavior of pure LC from two-photon absorption (TPA) to saturable absorption.
A Proposed Arabic Text and Text Image Classification Technique Using a URL Address
Authors: Hussein Salam Ayad , Kareem Mohsin Raad
Published: April 2020

Sentiment analysis is examined within natural language processing. It is instrumental in finding the sentiment (feeling) or opinion (idea) hidden within a text. This research focuses on finding sentiments in a “text image” and then classifying them whether they are desirable or not. These phrases and words refer to the perspectives of people about anything they think about it, such as services, products, governments, and social media events. In this study, the optical character recognition (OCR) algorithm was used, which is considered as a classification procedure of visual patterns that appear in the form of a digital image. Moreover, the Naïve Bayes machine learning algorithm was employed to classify these texts. These two algorithms form a hybrid system that supports our needs, especially in this day of technological advances and frequent use of websites and sharing of text images through the internet. Finally, the new vision in this work involves dealing with Arabic language texts that are transformed into images, which are extracted from a URL address and then classified into desirable and undesirable content.
A Corporative System of Edge Mapping and Hybrid Path A*-Douglas-Pucker Algorithm Planning Method
Authors: Yousif Wahab K. , Ali Ahmed A.
Published: April 2020

This paper proposes a corporative system of the edge mapping and hybrid path planning. The mapping process is predicated on modified canny edge detection algorithm. The presented mapping algorithm is found to be adaptable to various scenarios; it is tested on several cases to extract the impediments as well as the constrained region of the map. The generated map is a 2D edge map that contains the information about starting point, goal and obstacles. After that, the outcome of the edge map is processed in path planning algorithm in order to identify the optimum path. The proposed path planning is a hybrid A*-Douglas pucker algorithm. The presented path planning algorithm is reduced the set points and computational time.
Analysis of Sustainable Tourism Development in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park
Authors: Sunardi  , Roedjinandari Nanny , Estikowati
Published: April 2020

This research aims to analyze the sustainable tourism development implementation in Bromo-Tengger -Semeru (BTS) national park based on Elkington’s Triple Bottom Line and Muller’s sustainability pentagon. This is an exploratory research where methodology was flexible and aims to investigate the nature of the problem in order to get its better understanding. Qualitative data was analyzed using descriptive qualitative analysis. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistic analysis. Qualitative and quantitative approach is adoptive in this research. Data is collected through observation, in-depth interviews, documentation and questionnaire. This research concludes that tourism brings a lot of positive impact for the people around the BTS area especially in the social, local culture aspect and the well-being of the people. In the social and local culture aspect, the local wisdom working together (gotong royong) and helping each other as part of the community is increasing. On the other hand, negative impact can be seen in the environment. This research is original as it offers bird eye view of sustainable tourism development analysis based on Elkington’s Triple Bottom Line and Muller's Sustainability Pentagon.
Internet of Things and Wireless Sensor Networks for Environmental Noise Sensing: Issues and Challenges
Authors: Obaid Hadeel S. , Al-Shareefi Nael A. , Abbas Sura Adil
Published: April 2020

Noise pollution is a frequent issue in urbanized environments. Standard environmental noise in populated areas can range from 30-80 dB. Recently, wireless sensor networks have received significant attention because of their ubiquitous nature and their vast utilization. wireless sensor networks are extremely dynamic and flexible, and they are being used in virtually every type of environment, including urban, countryside, or suburban areas. This paper investigates environmental noise sensing and provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-art technology used in the Internet of Things and wireless sensor networks for noise sensing. The primary objective of this study is to provide more detailed information about environmental noise sensing. More specifically, the challenges and issues related to noise sensing are identified and examined, while recommendations for future research and development are also presented.
A Suggested Method For Analyzing Ciphertexts Using Shimada's Scheme With Different Parameters
Authors: AL-Swidi Ameer A. J. , Al-Saadi Lamis Hamood , Al-Saadi Enas Hamood
Published: April 2020

In this paper, we deal with specific cases in which we can analyze the code of Shimada based on the status of sending the same plaintext from more than one user with different public keys.Wewere able to analyze this codewith the help of the Chinese remainder theorem.
Structure, Optical and Morphological Investigations of Nanostructures in Doped SNO2 Thin Films
Authors: Ali Reem Sami , Noor Hussein Ali , Chiad Sami Salman , Abdulmunem Oday Mazin , Habubi Nadir Fadhil
Published: April 2020

Nanostructured Tin oxide and Indium (In) doped SnO2 were prepared by low cost and easy to manufacture method, which is a spray pyrolysis technique (SPT). Film transmittance was noticed to decrease from 67% to 56% (at 800 nm) on doping. XRD patterns revealed that tin oxide and 1% or 3% In:SnO2 thin films are polycrystalline and preferred orientation is 113. AFM micrographs prove that the spherical shape grains are uniformly distributed with average grain size of about 88 nm and root-mean-square (rms) roughness was about 3.5 nm. It can be concluded that the deposited samples are good candidates for use in solar cells applications.
Web Services Architecture Model to Support Distributed Systems
Authors: Hamid Sawsan Ali , Abdalrahman Rana Alauldeen , Lafta Inam Abdullah , Al Barazanchi Israa
Published: April 2020

Recently, web services have presented a new and evolving model for constructing the distributed system. The meteoric growth of the Web over the last few years proves the efficacy of using simple protocols over the Internet as the basis for a large number of web services and applications. Web service is a modern technology of web, which can be defined as software applications with a programmatic interface based on Internet protocol. Web services became common in the applications of the web by the help of Universal, Description, Discovery and Integration; Web Service Description Language and Simple Object Access Protocol. The architecture of web services refers to a collection of conceptual components in which common sets of standard can be defined among interoperating components. Nevertheless, the existing Web service's architecture is not impervious to some challenges, such as security problems, and the quality of services. Against this backdrop, the present study will provide an overview of these issues. Therefore, it aims to propose web services architecture model to support distributed system in terms of application and issues.
The Applicability of International Standards for Long-Term Leases through the Iraqi Government Accounting System
Authors: Khallawy Sattar Gaber , Mohsen Hagar Khadim
Published: April 2020

The research highlights the long-term leases according to the international accounting standards in public sector within the economic units that apply the government accounting system. The long-term lease is a lease that has a framework of terms and conditions ratified between two persons; or it is a group of agreements which the two parties of the contract (lessor and lessee) are committed by. The lease is usually valid for over one year. The international accounting standards name several treatments in the lessor registry in order to get suitable measurement and disclosure of the users’ needed information and the statement of financial position of the economic unit. Measurements are one of the most important operations that facilitate accessing to reliable data; disclosure is the most significant operator in validity and accuracy of information about the building that is provided to the users.