bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tracking Social Media Discourse About the COVID-19 Pandemic: Development of a Public Coronavirus Twitter Data Set (Preprint)
Authors: Chen Emily , Lerman Kristina , Ferrara Emilio
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

At the time of this writing, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak has already put tremendous strain on many countries' citizens, resources, and economies around the world. Social distancing measures, travel bans, self-quarantines, and business closures are changing the very fabric of societies worldwide. With people forced out of public spaces, much of the conversation about these phenomena now occurs online on social media platforms like Twitter.

OBJECTIVE

In this paper, we describe a multilingual COVID-19 Twitter data set that we are making available to the research community via our COVID-19-TweetIDs GitHub repository.

METHODS

We started this ongoing data collection on January 28, 2020, leveraging Twitter’s streaming application programming interface (API) and Tweepy to follow certain keywords and accounts that were trending at the time data collection began. We used Twitter’s search API to query for past tweets, resulting in the earliest tweets in our collection dating back to January 21, 2020.

RESULTS

Since the inception of our collection, we have actively maintained and updated our GitHub repository on a weekly basis. We have published over 123 million tweets, with over 60% of the tweets in English. This paper also presents basic statistics that show that Twitter activity responds and reacts to COVID-19-related events.

CONCLUSIONS

It is our hope that our contribution will enable the study of online conversation dynamics in the context of a planetary-scale epidemic outbreak of unprecedented proportions and implications. This data set could also help track COVID-19-related misinformation and unverified rumors or enable the understanding of fear and panic—and undoubtedly more.
Engaging Youth in the Bipolar Youth Action Project: Community-Based Participatory Research (Preprint)
Authors: Lapadat Laura , Balram Anusha , Cheek Joanna , Canas Eugenia , Paquette Andrea ,   Bipolar Youth Action Group, Michalak Erin E
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

We describe the methodological dimensions of community-based participatory research through a description of study design, youth engagement, and methods/processes in the cocreation of knowledge within a Canadian study, the Bipolar Youth Action Project. This collaborative partnership—carried out by a team composed of academic, community, and youth partners—was designed to investigate self-management and wellness strategies for young adults living with bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVE

The aim is to describe the opportunities and challenges of this collaboration and to reflect upon the process of involving youth with bipolar disorder in health research that concerns them, and share lessons learned.

METHODS

The project was conducted in multiple phases over 2 years: (1) grant-writing, with youth contributing to the process; (2) recruitment, in which 12 youth were selected and trained to help shape and conduct two research forums; (3) the first research forum, where more youth were consulted about the strategies they apply to stay well (self-management strategies); (4) data analysis of Forum I findings; (5) research Forum II, which consulted youth with bipolar disorder about knowledge translation of Forum I findings; and (6) data analysis of Forum II findings. Youth peer researchers with bipolar disorder were involved in a significant capacity at every stage in the process.

RESULTS

Of the initial 12 youth peer researchers, 7 remained on the project from the recruitment phase until the project ended. They collaborated in the creation of two youth research forums that consulted youth with bipolar disorder on their self-management strategies.

CONCLUSIONS

This article shares what was learned from the process of partnering with youth with bipolar disorder in a community-based participatory research study.

CLINICALTRIAL
mHealth opportunities to address global health challenges for adolescents: scoping review (Preprint)
Authors: Patientia Ramonde , Douglas Tania S. , Fortuin Jill
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

Adverse health behavior during the adolescent phase contributes to the global burden of chronic disease and preventable disability from physical injury. It is essential to encourage positive health behavior among adolescents, such as on-time vaccination, safer sex practices, and early recognition of infectious conditions and mental illness before complications arise from unprotected sexual debut or undetected illness.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the research is to determine opportunities for mHealth innovation among adolescents.

METHODS

A scoping review was undertaken. Primary studies, deemed eligible, included adolescents (defined as 10-19 years of age) of any gender, location or ethnicity, with access to a mobile phone or wireless device used for a health-related outcome. Studies reported on health outcomes related to HIV, TB, vaccine-preventable disease, depression, suicide, road traffic accidents, and substances other than tobacco use. Purely qualitative study designs and voice-only calls were excluded.

RESULTS

The initial search retrieved 3498 studies. Out of 22 studies that met the eligibility criteria, the majority focussed on sexual and reproductive health. Only 12 studies clearly reported behavioral and biological outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

The scoping review identified key gaps in the research, which creates an opportunity to develop innovative mHealth solutions for adolescents. The gaps include an assessment of whether mHealth improves the management of the most common global adolescent conditions.
Sustainability Reporting and Financial Performance of Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria
Authors: O. Augustine Okolie, , A. Collins Igaga,
Published: May 2020

This study examines how sustainability reporting is useful for assessing the financial performance of listed Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria. Specifically, the study focuses on the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability reporting using “Return on Assets”, “Return on Equity” and “Earnings per Share” as proxies for financial performance of Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria from 2012 to 2018. The sample of the study was restricted to seventeen deposit money banks out of twenty one Banks quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as at December, 2018. The required data were collected from audited annual financial statements and “sustainability reports” of the selected Deposit Money Banks for the period. A detailed analysis of the three bottom lines of profit (economic), people (social) and planet (environmental) impact was conducted. The descriptive and least squares regression analysis were adopted for the study considering the banks’ sustainability reporting practices against the selected performance proxies. The study concludes that sustainability reporting practices of Banks in Nigeria have substantial impacts on the financial performances of Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria. The study recommends that enabling legislations should be put in place to mandate enhanced sustainability practices among all deposit money banks in Nigeria as well as facilitate meaningful evaluation and measurement of earnings, social and environmental impacts in all areas of bank operations in Nigeria.
The Calorie Burning Calculation System in Jogging Using a Thresholding-Based Accelerometer Sensor
Authors: Okmayura Finanta , Jefiza Adlian , Ramadhani Witri
Published: May 2020

Jogging has benefits for burning calories as well as for losing the weight of the body. However, the reality that often happens is that sportsmen overwork their body in exercising so that it has passed its normal threshold. This causes over or lower calorie burning in these athletes. To overcome these problems, we need a device that can later monitor calorie burning. This device is created on an Android-based platform using an accelerometer sensor. Using this sensor, the system can count the number of a person’s steps previously obtained through the threshold value as the threshold value to determine the steps. Calculation of calorie burning uses a formula that involves the number of footsteps, time, and weight of the user. This application testing involved 15 participants by comparing the calorie burning results through the application and manual calculation, so that the overall error percentage of 0.60% was obtained, so it can be concluded that 99.40% of the calorie burning calculation system in jogging using a thresholding-based accelerometer sensor is appropriate for athletes to provide information of their calories burning in jogging.
Diseño de prototipo para transformación de energía undimotriz en energía eléctrica
Authors: Vera-Duarte Luis Emilio , Bermudez-Santaella Jose Ricardo , Osorio-Sepulveda Jose Alberto
Published: May 2020

Basado en el estudio realizado en el litoral brasilero por el PhD. Jonas Takeo Carvalho, se diseñó un prototipo, con principio de funcionamiento de boya, se obtienen las características de las bobinas y del magneto para las diferentes estaciones del año, las cuales transforman la energía undimotriz en energía eléctrica, este puede funcionar en cualquier posición y desplazamiento de ondas, en zonas lejos de costa (Offshore). De la simulación del generador para cada estación, se obtuvieron datos de desempeño, que permitieron establecer los parámetros definitivos para una máxima eficiencia en la transformación de energía.
Los roles, tipo de decisiones y habilidades gerenciales de los gerentes de Ocaña
Authors: Contreras-Suarez Sugeidy , Sarabia-Vergel Karen Tatiana , Sarabia-Vergel Yeraldin
Published: May 2020

El presente artículo es producto de una investigación, cuyo objetivo consistió en el estudio de los roles, tipo de decisiones y habilidades gerenciales que tienen los gerentes de las empresas de la ciudad de Ocaña, en el que permitió conocer el perfil, conocimientos, habilidades, experiencia y actitudes, al igual que el estilo gerencial en las organizaciones, como puede hacerla rentable y enfrentar los retos de un mundo globalizado, en una administración compleja, con incertidumbres y desafíos propios del Siglo XXI. Con esta investigación se establecieron características que poseen los gerentes, permitiendo conocer los diferentes aspectos que tienen estos para dirigir sus empresas y de igual forma saber cómo influye el perfil y el estilo gerencial en el direccionamiento de los recursos, ya que la nueva economía necesita organizaciones eficientes y competitivas, enfrentando los desafíos del actual entorno. Se debe decir que, para lograr la identificación de estos aspectos, se aplicó en la metodología el tipo de investigación descriptiva, con una población objeto de 5380 empresas, en donde se llevó a cabo el diseño y aplicación de la encuesta a los representantes legales de las empresas de la cuidad de Ocaña, logrando establecer los diferentes objetivos planteados y así mismo desarrollarlos.
Las motivaciones y los inconvenientes en el camino hacia un liderazgo femenino en el sistema educativo mexicano
Authors: Hernández Garcia Tirso Javier , Duana Ávila Danae , Martínez Muñoz Enrique
Published: May 2020

Lograr un puesto en la alta dirección de una institución educativa del ámbito mexicano no es fácil para las mujeres. En México no es común o simplemente no se está acostumbrado a observar que personal femenino ocupe un cargo directivo. El escaso número de lideresas que actualmente se encuentran en funciones no han tenido el camino fácil, ya que se han enfrentado a diversas circunstancias antes y durante su gestión. El estudio tiene como objetivo conocer la opinión de 50 jefas que ocupan un área, departamento o jefatura, en el ámbito docente privado del municipio de Pachuca, Hidalgo, con base a las principales motivaciones e inconvenientes que enfrentaron en su lugar de trabajo. Se utilizó el instrumento Moncayo y Zuluanga (2014) y los principales hallazgos señalan que las oportunidades no son las mismas y que existen diferencias de salarios entre personal mujer y hombre que ocupa el mismo puesto.
Certificado eu organic bio logo para la comercialización internacional de la cebolla junca pulverizada en el corregimiento de Berlín Santander
Authors: Carvajal Guerrero Angelica Maria , Mogrovejo Andrade Johanna Milena , Osorio Piña Kesia Daniela
Published: May 2020

Una situación crítica con el precio de comercialización de un producto tradicional y de alto consumo como lo es la cebolla junca estaba generando una serie de problemas económicos para un grupo de productores campesinos, pero su ingenio y trabajo en equipo dio como resultado una asociación en el corregimiento de Berlín el cual es famoso por la producción de este vegetal, generando un proceso de transformación bastante interesante en la cebolla junca creando un producto llamativo para el mercado colombiano pues pulverizaron la cebolla y al hacerlo obtuvieron un mercado distinto y más competitivo en el ámbito nacional, pero gracias a sus características de cultivo, cosecha y procesamiento tiene la posibilidad de ingresar a los mercado internacionales es por esto que aquí se muestran los resultado obtenidos del proceso investigativo realizado para conocer el procedimiento que debe realizar los productores campesinos para obtener la certificación internacional de la cebolla junca pulverizada.
Benchmarking boards of directors for better corporate governance
Authors: Grove Hugh , Clouse Mac , Xu Tracy
Published: May 2020

The key question and major lessons learned in this research are that individual companies and their boards of directors could use the board director benchmarking information compiled in the Conference Board Report to assess their own boards of directors’ corporate governance practices. For an initial benchmarking approach, this paper compared a poor long-term market performance company (Grove & Clouse, 2019) with a strong long-term market performance company (Grove & Lockhart, 2019). The following benchmarked differences in the boards of directors of these two companies were key success factors for constellation: specific industry knowledge, younger directors, coaching/nurturing, involved roles, long-term compensation of directors, no board entrenchment, board assessment, and board committee rotation. The major sections of this paper are literature review, corporate board practices, benchmarking board of directors: poor long-term market performance example, benchmarking board of directors: strong long-term market performance example, conclusions, and future research. A major limitation of this paper, which could be investigated in future research, is to analyze benchmarked board categories to see if they help explain differences in comparative long-term market performances by many companies since companies and their markets are diverse.
Glycated ferritin increases the in vitro expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in peripheral blood CD14+ cells obtained from patients with prediabetes
Authors: Galván-Moroyoqui José , Martínez-Soto Juan , López-Soto Luis , Soto-Guzmán Jesús , Camacho-Villa Alma , Alvarez-Hernandez Gerardo , Mata-Pineda Ana , Candia-Plata Maria Del Carmen
Published: May 2020

Serum ferritin is a widely-used marker of inflammation in prediabetes, diabetes and atherosclerosis. In these cases, progressive endothelial damage may involve the participation of toll-like receptors (TLR). The aim of this study was to determine the expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-derived CD14+ cells from subjects with prediabetes and with a high level of serum ferritin both at baseline and after in vitro cell stimulation with glycated ferritin. Blood samples were drawn from 22 subjects (13 with prediabetes and 9 with normoglycemia). Serum ferritin levels were measured by ELISA, while the expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in PBMC-derived CD14+ cells was determined by flow cytometry. IL-6 and IL-8 cytokines in PBMC-derived CD14+ supernatants were measured by ELISA. Subjects with prediabetes had a higher baseline expression of TLR4 in PBMC-derived CD14+ cells than was observed in cells from normoglycemic subjects (p<0.05). Glycated ferritin increased the expression of both TLR2 and TLR4 as well as IL-6 and IL-8 in PBMC-derived CD14+ cells from subjects with prediabetes when compared to normoglycemic subjects (p<0.05). We concluded that in prediabetes, the increased basal expression of TLR4 could be part of the low-grade inflammation, which could be increased by glycated ferritin.
The theology of Jovan Rajic’s Catechism in social and historical context
Authors: Djakovac Aleksandar
Published: May 2020

Although Archimandrite Jovan Rajic?s Catechism is not an original
contribution to Serbian theology, the historical context of its origin makes
it extremely significant. The theological analysis of the Catechism must
therefore take into account the specific circumstances of its origin.
Rajic?s Catechism is significantly influenced by Latin theological heritage,
which can be seen both in the layout of the material and in its content.
However, at a given historical moment, by writing and publishing his
Catechism, Rajic managed to prevent another one in a series of attempts to
unite the Orthodox Serb population in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. The
effects of Latin theological heritage on Rajic?s work are significant, and
these influences will continue in later times, so it is important that they
are clarified and recognized. These impacts are manifested in many ways. The
first one is reflected in the layout of the material, the second in its
processing, and the third in the absence of specifically Orthodox
viewpoints. Nevertheless, the final judgment on the Catechism must be made
on the basis of the historical context of its origin.
Untrustworthiness of Troubadour’s mask
Authors: Prole Dragan
Published: May 2020

Troubadour? mask denotes a figure activated by Nietzsche in order to arrange
a quarrel with his own time. Transformative capacities of its untimilyness
were examined from the perspective of the contemporary instability of
democratic order, recognized by bulgarian political scientist Ivan Krastev
as an expression of encreasing crisis of the trust in the democratic order.
Unlike Krastev?s thesis, this paper uncovers that the process of
absolutization of trust caracterizes a trajectory from religious faith to
antidemocratical, slave-like totalitarian submission. Its conclusion claims
that maximalized trust leads to a totalitarian subject, who is unevitably
dumb, speechless, deprived of language, explicitly different from all
characteristics of Aristotelian political being whose crucial gift was
logos. Consequently, the ruth of contemporary mistrust is not
antidemocratical, as claimed by Krastev, but reflects an outstanding
democratical orientation and presents a direct consequence of the resistance
towards the cult of leader.
Nostalgia as a contemporary cultural phenomenon
Authors: Petrov Ana
Published: May 2020

In this article, I point to the most relevant characteristics of the
discourses on nostalgia in the 20th and 21st centuries. The focus of the
analysis is on the transformation of the concept of nostalgia from a mental
and emotional state to a product in contemporary consumerist society. The
text entails two crucial issues: nostalgia in the context of postmodernism
and nostalgia in the context of consumerism. The expansion of the concept
brought to an interpretation according to which nostalgia discourse in the
postmodern age reproduces itself without necessary reference to a specific
past, thus becoming a certain ahistorical autonomous style, which, as such,
can be available for consumption independently from any emotional connection
with the times and places on which the style alludes. This kind of nostalgia
is labeled as ?nostalgia mode? by Frederic Jameson. The aim of the article
is to point to the basic theoretical approaches to the process of
commodification of the concept of nostalgia in the contemporary society.
Even though there are copious typologies of nostalgia, since the end of the
20th century dealing with this phenomenon is mostly imbued in the context of
consumerism. Hence, contemporary nostalgia is sometimes also seen as both
consumed and consuming nostalgia.
Soil microbial properties under different management systems in soybean production
Authors: Marinkovic Jelena , Bjelic Dragana , Tintor Branislava , Djordjevic Vuk , Balesevic-Tubic Svetlana , Djukic Vojin , Ceran Marina
Published: May 2020

The aim of the study was to examine the effects of management practice on
microbial properties of soil under soybean production. The study included
180 samples of soil under certified organic soybean production and 80
samples in conventional production system. An abundance of the examined
microbial groups was assessed using the indirect dilution method, followed
by plating of soil suspension on different selective media, while
dehydrogenase and ?-glucosidase activity was measured
spectrophotometrically. Our data indicated that the management practice
affected the structure and activity of microbial com?munities. A significant
positive effect of organic farming on Azotobacter spp., free N-fixers and
abundance of actinomycetes was identified. The influence of management
system for the total number of bacteria, ammonifiers and fungi was not
observed. Significantly higher dehydrogenase and ?-glucosidase activity was
recorded in the soils under organic farming compared to the conventional
farming. The obtained results showed an increase in organic matter content,
associated with organic soil management, and its positive correlation with
soil microbial properties.
Evaluation of trace elements MPC in agricultural soil using organic matter and clay content
Authors: Pivic Radmila , Dinic Zoran , Maksimovic Jelena , Postic Dobrivoj , Strbanovic Ratibor , Stanojkovic-Sebic Aleksandra
Published: May 2020

The aim of this paper is to investigate the contribution of the influence of
organic matter and clay content on the value of maximum permissible
concentrations (MPC) of trace elements Pb, Ni, Cr, and Cd. The investigation
was conducted on agricul?tural soil in the territory of Veliko Gradiste
Municipality. There were analyzed 82 samples of eutric cambisol type soil,
17 samples of chernozem soil, and 32 samples of sandy soil. In the composite
soil samples, taken from a depth of 0-30 cm, main parameters of soil
fertility (pH, P2O5, K2O, CaCO3, soil organic matter - SOM), the content of
the clay frac?tion, and total forms of Pb, Ni, Cr, and Cd were determined.
Interpretation of the obtained results was carried out in relation to the
MPC of trace elements defined in the Regulations (Official Gazette,
88/2018). Based on the ratio of the defined MPC and corrected values whose
calculation includes the values of the organic matter and clay content,
there was determined the correlation concerning the content of organic
matter and the content of clay fractions, respectively, in the tested
samples. In addition, the content of Cr and Pb in tested types of soil still
did not exceed the adjusted MPC value. As for Cd and Ni, there was no
deviation from the established and modified values of MPC. Concludingly, the
research should be continued and supplemented by data for other types of
soils, which would represent a base for a further assessment of the
applicability of the existing regulations taken from Dutch sources and
incorporated into Serbian Regulations (Official Gazette, 88/2018).
Acute hyperglycemia and spatial working memory in adolescents with type 1 diabetes
Authors: Omladič Jasna Šuput , Ozimič Anka Slana , Vovk Andrej , Šuput Dušan , Repovš Grega , Dovc Klemen , Bratina Nataša , Stefanija Magdalena Avbelj , Battelino Tadej
Published: May 2020

Objective: To investigate the
effect of acute hyperglycemia on brain function in adolescents with type 1
diabetes.

Research Design and Methods: Twenty participants with type 1 diabetes (T1D) (age
14.64 ±1.78 years) and 20 age-matched healthy controls (age 14.40± 2.82 years) performed
two functional magnetic resonance imaging sessions. Participants with T1D
performed the first scanning session under euglycemic and the second under
hyperglycemic clamp (20 mmol/L (360 mg/dL)).

Results: Lower spatial working memory (sWM)
capacity during acute hyperglycemia and significant differences in activation
of regions of interest during different stages of the spatial working memory task
(p=0.014) were observed.

Conclusions: Acute hyperglycemia
negatively affected sWM capacity in adolescents with T1D, which is relevant for
daily functioning and academic performance.
The Effects of The Mother-Child Play Therapy that Applied Family Play Therapy on Family Strength and Psychological Factors of the Mothers
Authors: Ham Hye Kyung , Yoo Sun , Kiel Hye Seong
Published: May 2020

Ham, Hye Kyung;Yoo, Sun;Kiel, Hye Seong
Preferensi Jelajah Harian Gajah Sumatera (Elephas maximus sumatranus) di Taman Nasional Bukit Barisan Selatan (Daily Range Preferences of Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park)
Authors: Rohman Widodo Arif , Darmawan Arief , Wulandari Christine , Dewi Bainah Sari
Published: May 2020

Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) is classified as a critically endangered species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list and is protected under Indonesian law. This study aims to analyze landscape characteristics based on the daily range of Sumatran elephants using Geographic Information System (GIS). The landscape data including land slope, land cover, distance from the source of disturbance and distance to water resources were collected in June–July 2018 and were overlaid to the points tagged from elephant collar GPS in 2011 and 2013 at the Pemerihan Resort, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park. Data were then analyzed using the GIS platform (ArcGIS 10.5) and then presented in tables and maps. The results showed that the highest preference for the land slope was ranging between 7–15%. The highest preference for land cover was in the form of bushes and forest vegetation, and the highest preferences for the distance from access road of more than 1.000 m. The results also revealed that the highest preferences for the distance to water resource in 2011 were 0–250 m, while in 2013 was 100–200 m.Keywords: Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, daily range, preferences, sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus)
PENATAAN KAWASAN CAGAR BUDAYA BERBASIS PARTISIPASI MASYARAKAT MELALUI MEKANISME PEMBERIAN SUBSIDI
Authors: Kurniawan Budi
Published: May 2020

Penataan kawasan cagar budaya berbasis partisipasi masyarakat melalui pemberian subsidi telah dilakukan pada Kawasan Kota Lama Sawahlunto (2007-2012). Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menilai perubahan karakteristik kawasan yang dihasilkan melalui partisipasi masyarakat dan mekanisme insentif yang digunakan. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah deskriptif kualitatif untuk mendapatkan gambaran bagaimana tahapan program dilakukan dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya. Berdasarkan kajian yang dilakukan ditemukan adanya ketidak sesuaian antara tujuan program dengan kebutuhan masyarakat terhadap ruang. Sehingga terjadi penyimpangan partisipasi masyarakat dalam pelaksanaannya. Pasca program, ditemukan kecenderungan kawasan untuk berubah kembali kepada kondisi pra program yang disebabkan oleh rendahnya motivasi dan komitmen masyarakat terhadap upaya pelestarian kawasan
Batch Kinetics and Effects of Process Parameters for Biodegradation of Reactive Black 5 in an Aerobic Mixed Microbial Culture
Authors: Krishnan Jagannathan , Ibrahim Siti Rabiatul Adawiyah
Published: May 2020

Mixed microbial culture used in this study was developed from sludge that was taken from local textile wastewater treatment tank. Acclimatization process was performed before starting the biodegradation experiment to obtain a microbial culture with high degradation properties. Kinetic studies by the mixed microbial culture were determined quantitatively for the model pollutant, Reactive Black 5 (RB 5). By using Michaelis-Menten model, the constants were found to be 11.15 mg L-1 h-1 and 29.18 mg L-1 for V m and Km respectively. The values of kinetic constants for Monod model were found to be 33.11 mg L-1 cell h-1 for the maximum specific microbial growth rate, µm and 86.62 mg L-1 for Monod constant, K5. The effects of process parameters such as pH, inoculum size and initial dye concentration on the biodegradation of azo dye, RB 5 were systematically investigated. Maximum removal efficiencies observed in this study were 75% for pH 6, I 00% for 15% inoculum concentration and 75% for 20 ppm of initial dye concentration.
Application of Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis for Discrimination of Palm Oil
Authors: Mohd Ruah Mas Ezatul Nadia , Rasaruddin Nor Fazila , Sim Siong Fong , Jaafar Mohd Zuli
Published: May 2020

This paper outlines the application of chemometrics and pattern recognition tools to classify palm oil using Fourier Transform Mid Infrared spectroscopy (FT-MIR). FT-MIR spectroscopy is used as an effective analytical tool in order to categorise the oil into the category of unused palm oil and used palm oil for frying. The samples used in this study consist of 28 types of pure palm oil, and 28 types of frying palm oils. FT-MIR spectral was obtained in absorbance mode at the spectral range from 650 cm·1 to 4000 cm·1 using FT-MIR-ATR sample handling. The aim of this work is to develop fast method in discriminating the palm oil by implementing Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), Leaming Vector Quantisation (LVQ) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). Raw FT-MIR spectra were subjected to Savitzky-Golay smoothing and standardised before developing the classification models. The classification model was validated by finding the value of percentage correctly classified using test set for every model in order to show which classifier provided the best classification. In order to improve the performance of the classification model, variable selection method known as /-statistic method was applied. The significant variable in developing classification model was selected through this method. The result revealed that PLS-DA classifier of the standardised data with application of t-statistic showed the best performance with highest percentage correctly classified among the classifiers.
Ionic Conductivity Studies on Magnesium-Based Cellulose Acetate Polymer Gel Electrolytes
Authors: Omar Aniza , Zainal Abidin Siti Zafirah , Kamisan Ainnur Sherene , Saaid Siti Irma Yuana , Marwan Afi Ab Malik , Yahya Muhd Zu Azhan
Published: May 2020

Magnesium-based polymer gel electrolytes consist of magnesium triflate (MgTf) salt, a mixture of ethylene carbonate (EC) and diethyl carbonate (DEC) solvents as well as cellulose acetate as a polymeric agent were prepared via direct dissolution method. The highest ionic conductivity obtained for MgTf-EC:DEC(1: 1) liquid electrolytes was 2. 66 x 10-3 S cm·1 and enhanced to 2.73 x 10-3 S cm·1 with the addition of cellulose acetate. These results were in agreement with the activation energy obtained with the lowest value of 0.11. The best explanation on the enhancement in ionic conductivity of PGE is due to the "breathing polymeric chain model". The plots of conductivity-temperature were shown to obey an Arhenius rule. The electrical properties of the sample with the highest conductivity were analyzed using electrical permittivity-based frequency and temperature dependence in the range of JOO Hz-1 MHz and 303-373K, respectively. The variation in dielectric permittivity (e, and e) as a function of frequency at different temperatures exhibited decays at higher frequencies and a dispersive behavior at low frequencies. Based on the observed electrical properties, it can be inferred that this polymer gel electrolyte could be a promising candidate as an electrolyte in electrochemical devices.
Climate Change and Freshwater Availability: Present and Future Challenges
Authors: Ali Izzadin , Omar Dasimah , Kamaruddin Siti Mazwin
Published: May 2020

The interrelationship between freshwater availability with the growing population and climate change estimates is complex. This article investigates climate change role in freshwater resources availability. This is critical issue as freshwater is vital resource for life, and it is in stake as it is depleted worldwide. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) was discussed. This paper elucidates the climate model downscaling methods used by scholars for future projections. The applications of modelling could provide a holistic approach based on historical data to predict the effect of climate change on the availability of freshwater. However, the people variability uncertainties dominate assessments of freshwater stress, whilst climate change projections uncertainties are more hypothesized to play a smaller role than people.
Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using Natural Dyes Extracted From Plumeria and Celosia Cristata Flowers
Authors: Abu Bakar Siti Noraini , Abdullah Huda , Mohamad Mahbor Kamisah , Kamarullah Shahida Hanum
Published: May 2020

In this study, extracted plumeria and celosia cristata flowers have been used as the sensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The cells were fabricated using TiO2 as a semiconductor layer deposited on transparent Indium doped tin oxide (ITO) conductive glass using a spin coating technique. The films with dyes were characterized by UV-VIS absorption spectra. The photovoltaic properties of DSSC were studied under an incident irradiation of 100 mW/cm2. The I-V characteristic curves of all fabricated cells were measured and analysed. The energy conversion efficiency (η) of the cells consisting of plumeria extract and celosia cristata extract was 3.73 × 10-6 and 1.18 × 10-7, respectively.
The Influence of Cr Doped TiO2 on the Optical Property and Photocatalytic Activity under Sunlight Irradiation
Authors: Suhaili Siti Zulaikha , Yaakob Muhamad Kamil , Saaid Siti Irma Yuana , Jais Umi Sarah
Published: May 2020

Pure TiO2 and Cr doped TiO2 (0.1-1.0wt% Cr) nanoparticles were synthesized via sol gel method. This study focuses on narrowing the TiO2 band gap energies in order to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency under visible light. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-Ray diffraction method (XRD), field emmision (FESEM) and also UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS).The photocatalytic activity under sunlight irradiation was demonstrated by photocatalytic decomposition of methylene blue in water using UV/Vis spectrophotometer. The XRD analysis of pure TiO2 and doped TiO2 calcined at 500oC showed a mixture of anatase and rutile phases with decreasing crystallites size from 13.3nm to 11.6nm as the concentration of Cr was increased. The anatase-rutile phase transformation increased from 28.8% to 57.4%. An indication shows that at 0.75wt%, Cr the anatase and rutile phases have equal composition percentage. This study demonstrated that band gap energy of TiO2 was reduced with Cr doping which could enhance the photocatalytic efficiency. Sample containing 1.0wt% exhibit the lowest optical band gap energy at 2.86 eV. The optimum chromium doping concentration was found to be at 0.1 wt% Cr corresponding to band gap energy of 2.87 eV and degradation rate of 84%.
Effect of Solar Radiation to the Building Materials Properties: A Review
Authors: Mohamad Hata Raihana , Hassan Rohana , Arshad Fadzil , Idayu Haslin
Published: May 2020

This paper provides a review on the effect of solar radiation to the different building materials properties. Solar radiation; watt per meter square [W/m2] is one of the cause for thermal gain in building envelopes. Buildings envelopes comprises of various materials. Different materials have different rate of heat absorption depends on their emissivity and other parameters. The three materials studied in this paper are concrete, timber and composites materials. According to the radiation heat equation, heat rate are affected by the surface area of exposed envelope (A) measure in meter (m), emissivity of the building exposed surface (ε) and the temperature difference between envelope exposed surface (Ts) and temperature of equivalent atmosphere (Tsky) measure in 0C. Based on the parameters, research methodology was adopted either by software simulation or test field experimental. Solar radiation affects the materials in various ways, depends on parameters considered, location of testing and type of materials.
Bending Strength of Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete Ribbed Slab Panel
Authors: Samsudin Amir Syafiq , Mohd Hashim Mohd Hisbany , Hamzah Siti Hawa , Abu Bakar Afidah
Published: May 2020

Nowadays, demands in the application of fibre in concrete increase gradually as an engineering material. Rapid cost increment of material causes the increase in demand of new technology that provides safe, efficient and economical design for the present and future application. The introduction of ribbed slab reduces concrete materials and thus the cost, but the strength of the structure also reduces due to the reducing of material. Steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) has the ability to maintain a part of its tensile strength prior to crack in order to resist more loading compared to conventional concrete. Meanwhile, the ribbed slab can help in material reduction. This research investigated on the bending strength of 2-ribbed and 3-ribbed concrete slab with steel fibre reinforcement under static loading with a span of 1500 mm and 1000 mm x 75 mm in cross section. An amount of 40 kg/m  steel fibre of all total concrete volume was used as reinforcement instead of conventional bars with concrete grade 30 N/mm2. The slab was tested under three-point bending. Load versus deflection curve was plotted to illustrate the result and to compare the deflection between control and ribbed slab. This research shows that SFRC Ribbed Slab capable to withstand the same amount of load as normal slab structure, although the concrete volume reduces up to 20%.
Preliminary Investigation on the Flexural Behaviour of Steel Fibre Reinforced Self-Compacting Concrete Ribbed Slab
Authors: Suparlan Nur Aiman , Ku Ayob Muhammad Azrul , Ahmad Hazrina , Hamzah Siti Hawa , Mohd Hashim Mohd Hisbany
Published: May 2020

A ribbed slab structure has the advantage in the reduction of concrete volume in between the ribs resulting in a lower structural self-weight. In order to overcome the drawbacks in the construction process, the application of steel fibre self-compacting concrete (SCFRC) is seen as an alternative material to be used in the slab. This preliminary investigation was carried out to investigate the flexural behaviour of steel fibre self-compacting concrete (SCFRC) as the main material in ribbed slab omitting the conventional reinforcements. Two samples of ribbed slab were prepared for this preliminary study; 2-ribbed and 3-ribbed in 1 m width to identify the effect of the geometry to the slab’s flexural behaviour. The dimension of both samples is 2.5 m x 1 m with 150 mm thickness. The compressive strength of the mix is 48.6 MPa based on the cubes tested at 28 days. Load was applied to failure by using the four point bending test set-up with simple support condition. The result of the experiment recorded ultimate load carrying capacity at 30.68 kN for the 2-ribbed slab and 25.52 kN for 3-ribbed slab. From the results, the ultimate load of the 2-ribbed sample exceeds 3-ribbed by approximately 20%. This proved that even with lower concrete volume, the sample can still withstand an almost similar ultimate load. Cracks was also observed and recorded with the maximum crack width of 2 mm. It can be concluded that the steel fibres do have the potential to withstand flexural loadings. Steel fibre reduces macro-crack forming into micro-cracks and improves concrete ductility, as well as improvement in deflection. This shows that steel fibre reinforced self-compacting concrete is practical as it offers good concrete properties as well as it can be mixed, placed easier without compaction.
Pull-Out Performance of T-Stub End Plate Connected To Concrete Filled Thin-Walled Steel Tube (CFTST) using Lindapter Hollo-Bolts
Authors: Ahmad Zamri Nazrul Azmi , Petrus Clotilda , Ibrahim Azmi , Ab Hamid Hanizah
Published: May 2020

The application of concrete filled steel tubes (CFSTs) as composite members has widely been used around the world and is becoming popular day by day for structural application especially in earthquake regions. This paper indicates that an experimental study was conducted to comprehend the behaviour of T-stub end plates connected to concrete filled thin-walled steel tube (CFTST) with different types of bolts and are subjected to pull-out load. The bolts used are normal type bolt M20 grade 8.8 and Lindapter Hollo-bolt HB16 and HB20. A series of 10 mm thick T-stub end plates were fastened to 2 mm CFTST of 200 mm x 200 mm in cross-section. All of the specimens were subjected to monotonic pull-out load until failure. Based on test results, the Lidapter Hollo-bolts showed better performance compare to normal bolts. The highest ultimate limit load for T-stub end plate fasten with Lindapter Hollo-bolt is four times higher than with normal bolt although all end plates show similar behaviour and failure mode patterns. It can be concluded that T-stub end plate with Lindapter Hollo-bolt shows a better performance in the service limit and ultimate limit states according to the regulations in the design codes.
An Insight of Linear Regression Analysis
Authors: Ng Set Foong , Chew Yee Ming , Chng Pei Eng , Ng Kok Shien
Published: May 2020

Regression models are developed in various field of applications to help researchers to predict certain variables based on other predictor variables. The dependent variables in the regression model are estimated by a number of independent variables. Model utility test is a hypothesis testing procedure in regression to verify if there is a useful relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variable. The hypothesis testing procedure that involves p-value is commonly used in model utility test. A new technique that involves coefficient of determination R2 in model utility test is developed in this paper. The effectiveness of the model utility test in testing the significance of regression model is evaluated using simple linear regression model with the significance level α = 0.01, 0.025 and 0.05. The study in this paper shows that a regression model that is declared to be a significant model by using model utility test, however it fails to guarantee a strong linear relationship between the independent variable and dependent variable. Based on the evaluation presented in this paper, it is shown that the p-value approach in model utility test is not a good technique in evaluating the significance of a regression model. The results of this study could serve as a reference for other researchers applying regression analysis in their studies.
Evaluation of Virtual Point Detector for High Purity Germanium (Hpge) Detector, using Monte Carlo Simulations, and Artificial -Neural Networks
Authors: Sina Sedigheh , Molaeimanesh Zahra , Karimipoorfard Mehrnoosh , Shafahi Zeinab , Papie Maryam , Jahromi Mohammad Amin Nazari
Published: May 2020

The virtual point detector concept is useful in gamma-ray spectroscopy. In this study, the virtual point detector, h0, was obtained for High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors of different sizes using MCNP5 Monte Carlo simulations. The HPGe detectors with different radii (rd), and height (hd), having aluminum, or Carbon windows, were simulated. A point photon source emitting several gammas with specific energies was defined at a distance x of the detectors. The pulse height distribution was scored using F8 tally. Finally, the artificial neural network was used for predicting the h0 values for every value of hd, rd, and x. Because of the high simulation duration of MCNP code, a trained ANN is used to predict the value of h0 for each detector size. The results indicate that the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) can predict the virtual point detector good accuracy.
Available Transfer Capability Optimisation Using Evolutionary Programming
Authors: Othman Muhammad Murtadha , Sheikh Rahimullah Bibi Norashiqin
Published: May 2020

In a deregulated electric power industry, transmission providers are required to rapidly produce commercially viable information of available transfer capability (ATC) so that such information can help power marketers, sellers and buyers in planning, operation and reserving transmission services. ATC is a measure of the additional amount of power transfer that may flow across the interface, over and above the base case flows without jeopardizing power system security. This paper presents the ATC determination using the evolutionary programming (EP) technique using modified Gaussian formulation. The proposed EP technique has the ability in providing accurate ATC results and the computation burden caused by the AC power flow solutions are significantly reduced. The outages of critical line that adversely affect the amount of ATC are determined by performing the line contingency ranking and selection. ATC determinations have been made on the case study of Malaysian system. Comparison in terms of accuracy and computation time in estimating the ATC are made by considering the three methods which are the EP using modified Gaussian formulation (EPMG), EP using standard Gaussian formulation (EPSG) and the recursive AC power flow solution (RACPF).
Potentiality of Banana (Musa) Stem as Raw Material in Chemical Nonwood Pulping
Authors: Leong Soo Kwan , Abd Rahman Rakmi
Published: May 2020

Wood is not sufficient in many countries to meet the rise demand for paper and pulp. In recent years, a lot of researches have been done to find a new, non-wood raw material for paper production especially using agricultural waste. Agriculture industry is one of the main industries in Malaysia which has generated a large amount of waste every year such as banana stem, rice hull, sugarcane bagasse and wheat straw. These are regarded as abundant, inexpensive and readily available natural resources for pulping industry. The purpose of this paper is to study of the pulping potentialities of banana stems which are growing in Malaysia. In this research the banana stem is used as raw material in the pulping process for the purpose of producing cellulose as pulp. The chemical pulping method which is used in the study is soda pulping, where NaOH is the main chemical substance used in cooking and with anthroquinone as the additive. Temperature, residence time and dosage of chemical were the parameters to be manipulated in this non-wood chemical pulping process to get an optimum condition for pulping. A 3 litre batch reactor was used in this non-wood chemical pulping process. The concentration of NaOH used was varied from 10 – 45 % and cooking temperature was varied from 100 – 200 °C. The ratio of solid to liquid is set at 1:8 and also the cooking period was varied from 30 – 210 minutes. The result shows that the optimum yield of pulp from this study is at 20 % w/w NaOH, cooking at 160 °C with 120 minutes. The yield of pulp is around 30 %. The cellulose content in the pulp produced is as high as 90 %.