Search results for: content extraction

Authors: Ridwan Dewayanto Rusli

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We show how prisoner's dilemma-type competition problems can be mitigated through rapid platform diversification and ecosystem expansion. We analyze a ride-hailing company in Southeast Asia, Gojek, whose network grew to more than 170 million users comprising consumers, partner drivers, merchants, and complementors within a few years and has already achieved higher contribution margins than ride-hailing peers Uber and Lyft. Its ecosystem integrates ride-hailing, food delivery and logistics, merchant solutions, e-commerce, marketplace and advertising, payments, and fintech offerings. The company continues growing its network of complementors and App developers, expanding content and gaining critical mass in consumer data analytics and advertising. We compare the company's growth and diversification trajectory with those of its main international rivals and peers. The company's rapid growth and future potential are analyzed using Cusumano's (2012) Staying Power and Six Principles, Hax and Wilde's (2003) and Hax's (2010) The Delta Model as well as Santos' (2016) home-market advantages frameworks. The recently announced multi-billion-dollar merger with one of Southeast Asia's largest e-commerce majors lends additional support to the above arguments.

Keywords: ride-hailing, prisoner's dilemma, platform and ecosystem strategy, digital applications, diversification, home market advantages, e-commerce

Procedia PDF Downloads 79

Authors: Peyman Soltani, Mohammad Sadegh Amin Din

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The relation between religion and education has been considered for a long time. Approaching education through religion and sovereignty has been a kind of idealism in past centuries` educational systems and no opposition between religion and education has been felt. The doctrine of human education and training is mentioned in the Qur’an, as the most important reason of Prophet Mohammad ` first revelation, Verse 129 of Chapter Baqara, Verse 164 of Chapter Aali-ʻimraan and verse 2 of Chapter Jumʻah have addressed this issue. During Middle age, temples and mosques were engaged in children education. Religious materials have played an important role in the content of educational courses. In this era, the main goal of education was to study the religious books and behaving in society accordingly. Also in this training period, the European countries were considerably influenced by religion. Children in these countries were trained in churches and monasteries. Training and religion are closely connected with each other. It should be noted that experience and religious knowledge is a heart and emotional issue with no-imposition, therefore, the educational space should be designed in such a way that students, themselves, shift to experiencing some religious feelings. The important factors in Islamic Educational system are as follow: - Religious-based - Strengthening national identity - Authenticity of learner role 4- Importance of teacher` authority role. These factors are explained in Conceptual and intertwined network and in practical process, training each of them, proportional to student needs and conditions, can be the beginning of a course of religious education for students, and can strengthen other elements.

Keywords: education and training, Islamic educational system, the Qur'an, religious knowledge

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Authors: Glynn K. Pindihama, Rabelani Mudzielwana, Ndamulelo Lilimu

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Wastewater treatment effluents, particularly sludges, are known to be potential sources of heavy metal contamination in the environment, depending on how the sludge is managed. Maintenance of wastewater treatment infrastructure in developing countries such as South Africa has become an issue of grave concern, with many wastewater treatment facilities in dilapidating states. Among the problems is the vandalism of the periphery fence to many wastewater treatment facilities, resulting in livestock, such as cows from neighboring villages, grazing within the facilities. This raises human health risks since dried sludge from the treatment plants is usually spread on the grass around the plant, resulting in heavy metal contamination. Animal products such as meat and milk from these cows thus become an indirect route to heavy metals to humans. This study assessed heavy metals in sludges from 3 wastewater treatment plants in Limpopo Province of South Africa. In addition, cow dung and sludge liquors were collected from these plants and evaluated for their heavy metal content. The sludge and cow dung were microwave-digested using the aqua-regia method, and all samples were analyzed for heavy metals using ICP-OES. The loadings of heavy metals in the sludge were in the order Cu>Zn>Ni>Cr>Cd>As>Hg. In cow dung, the heavy metals were in the order Fe>Cu>Mn>Zn>Cr>Pb>Co>Cd. The levels of Zn and Cu in the sludge liquors where the animals were observed drinking were, in some cases, above the permissible limit for livestock consumption. Principal component and correlation analysis are yet to be done to determine if there is a correlation between the heavy metals in the cow dung and sludge and sludge liquors.

Keywords: cow dung, heavy metals, sludge, wastewater treatment plants, sludge.

Procedia PDF Downloads 36

Authors: Mohsen Bahrami, Banafsheh Nikmehr, Yueqiang Song, Anuradha Koduru, Ayse K. Vuruskan, Hongkun Lu, Tamer M. Yalcinkaya

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In recent years, we have witnessed an explosion of studies aimed at using a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and time-lapse imaging data on embryos to improve IVF outcomes. However, despite promising results, no study has used a matched cohort of transferred embryos which only differ in pregnancy outcome, i.e., embryos from a single clinic which are similar in parameters, such as: morphokinetic condition, patient age, and overall clinic and lab performance. Here, we used time-lapse data on embryos with known pregnancy outcomes to see if the rich spatiotemporal information embedded in this data would allow the prediction of the pregnancy outcome regardless of such critical parameters. Methodology—We did a retrospective analysis of time-lapse data from our IVF clinic utilizing Embryoscope 100% of the time for embryo culture to blastocyst stage with known clinical outcomes, including live birth vs nonpregnant (embryos with spontaneous abortion outcomes were excluded). We used time-lapse data from 200 elective single transfer embryos randomly selected from January 2019 to June 2021. Our sample included 100 embryos in each group with no significant difference in patient age (P=0.9550) and morphokinetic scores (P=0.4032). Data from all patients were combined to make a 4th order tensor, and feature extraction were subsequently carried out by a tensor decomposition methodology. The features were then used in a machine learning classifier to classify the two groups. Major Findings—The performance of the model was evaluated using 100 random subsampling cross validation (train (80%) - test (20%)). The prediction accuracy, averaged across 100 permutations, exceeded 80%. We also did a random grouping analysis, in which labels (live birth, nonpregnant) were randomly assigned to embryos, which yielded 50% accuracy. Conclusion—The high accuracy in the main analysis and the low accuracy in random grouping analysis suggest a consistent spatiotemporal pattern which is associated with pregnancy outcomes, regardless of patient age and embryo morphokinetic condition, and beyond already known parameters, such as: early cleavage or early blastulation. Despite small samples size, this ongoing analysis is the first to show the potential of AI methods in capturing the complex morphokinetic changes embedded in embryo time-lapse data, which contribute to successful pregnancy outcomes, regardless of already known parameters. The results on a larger sample size with complementary analysis on prediction of other key outcomes, such as: euploidy and aneuploidy of embryos will be presented at the meeting.

Keywords: IVF, embryo, machine learning, time-lapse imaging data

Procedia PDF Downloads 76

Authors: Iman A. A. Kassem, Ayman A. Farghaly, Zeinab M. Hassan, Farouk R. Melek, Neveen S. Ghaly

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Lipidium sativum L, an annual herb that grows to 50 cm, is known as an important member of family Brassicaceae. Besides its nutritional value, the seeds were widely used in folk medicine for treatment of cough, asthma, and headache. It was also reported to possess hypocholesterolemic, anti-inflammatory, antidiarrheal, antimicrobial and anticancer activities. In this study, the genoprotective properties of L. sativum seed methanolic extract (LSME) were evaluated in vivo. Three groups of mice were given LSME for five consecutive days at the three dose levels 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg b.wt. The three groups were then injected intraperitoneally with cyclophosphamide at a dose of 20 mg/kg b.wt. to induce DNA damage. A group received only cyclophosphamide (20 mg/kg b.wt.) served as control. LSME significantly inhibited the DNA aberrations in mice caused by cyclophosphamide in a dose-dependent manner in the two groups that received LSME at 50 and 100 mg/kg b.wt. dose levels. The chromosomal aberrations' inhibitory indices were calculated as 18 and 31 in mice bone marrow cells and 27 and 48 in mice spermatocytes, respectively. Phytochemical examination carried out by us revealed that flavonoids were the main chemical constituents of LSME. The major flavonoids kaempferol, kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside, kaempferol-3-O-glucoside, quercetin, and quercetin-3-O-glucoside were isolated and characterized. It was concluded that the genoprotective effect of LSME might be attributed to the presence of flavonoids which are well-known for their antioxidant properties.

Keywords: cyclophosphamide, flavonoids, genoprotective effect, Lepidium sativum

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Authors: Maria Isabel Garcia-Planas, Maria Victoria Garcia-Camba

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Recent advances in cognitive neuroscience have allowed a step forward in perceiving the processes involved in learning from the point of view of the acquisition of new information or the modification of existing mental content. The evoked potentials technique reveals how basic brain processes interact to achieve adequate and flexible behaviours. The objective of this work, using evoked potentials, is to study if it is possible to distinguish if a patient suffers a specific type of learning disorder to decide the possible therapies to follow. The methodology used, is the analysis of the dynamics of different areas of the brain during a cognitive activity to find the relationships between the different areas analyzed in order to better understand the functioning of neural networks. Also, the latest advances in neuroscience have revealed the existence of different brain activity in the learning process that can be highlighted through the use of non-invasive, innocuous, low-cost and easy-access techniques such as, among others, the evoked potentials that can help to detect early possible neuro-developmental difficulties for their subsequent assessment and cure. From the study of the amplitudes and latencies of the evoked potentials, it is possible to detect brain alterations in the learning process specifically in dyscalculia, to achieve specific corrective measures for the application of personalized psycho pedagogical plans that allow obtaining an optimal integral development of the affected people.

Keywords: dyscalculia, neurodevelopment, evoked potentials, Learning disabilities, neural networks

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Authors: Julius Onyancha, Valentina Plekhanova

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One of the significant issues facing web users is the amount of noise in web data which hinders the process of finding useful information in relation to their dynamic interests. Current research works consider noise as any data that does not form part of the main web page and propose noise web data reduction tools which mainly focus on eliminating noise in relation to the content and layout of web data. This paper argues that not all data that form part of the main web page is of a user interest and not all noise data is actually noise to a given user. Therefore, learning of noise web data allocated to the user requests ensures not only reduction of noisiness level in a web user profile, but also a decrease in the loss of useful information hence improves the quality of a web user profile. Noise Web Data Learning (NWDL) tool/algorithm capable of learning noise web data in web user profile is proposed. The proposed work considers elimination of noise data in relation to dynamic user interest. In order to validate the performance of the proposed work, an experimental design setup is presented. The results obtained are compared with the current algorithms applied in noise web data reduction process. The experimental results show that the proposed work considers the dynamic change of user interest prior to elimination of noise data. The proposed work contributes towards improving the quality of a web user profile by reducing the amount of useful information eliminated as noise.

Keywords: web log data, web user profile, user interest, noise web data learning, machine learning

Procedia PDF Downloads 245

Authors: Mohamed H. El-Newehy, Badr M. Thamer, Nasser A. M. Barakat, Mohammad A.Abdelkareem, Salem S. Al-Deyab, Hak Y. Kim

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In this study, the influence of nitrogen doping on the electrocatalytic activity of carbon nanofibers with nickel nanoparticles toward methanol oxidation is introduced. The modified carbon nanofibers have been synthesized from calcination of electrospun nanofiber mats composed of nickel acetate tetrahydrate, poly(vinyl alcohol) and urea in argon atmosphere at 750oC. The utilized physicochemical characterizations indicated that the proposed strategy leads to form carbon nanofibers having nickel nanoparticles and doped by nitrogen. Moreover, due to the high-applied voltage during the electrospinning process, the utilized urea chemically bonds with the polymer matrix, which leads to form nitrogen-doped CNFs after the calcination process. Investigation of the electrocatalytic activity indicated that nitrogen doping NiCNFs strongly enhances the oxidation process of methanol as the current density increases from 52.5 to 198.5 mA/cm2 when the urea content in the original electrospun solution was 4 wt% urea. Moreover, the nanofibrous morphology exhibits distinct impact on the electrocatalytic activity. Also, nitrogen-doping enhanced the stability of the introduced Ni-based electrocatalyst. Overall, the present study introduces effective and simple strategy to modify the electrocatalytic activity of the nickel-based materials.

Keywords: electrospinning, methanol electrooxidation, fuel cells, nitrogen-doping, nickel

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Authors: Muhammad Munawar

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Pavement destruction is normally associated with the horizontal relocation of subgrade because of pavement engrossing water and inordinate avoidance and differential settlement of material underneath the pavement. The aim of the research is to study the effect of the additives (rockdust) on the stability and the increase of bearing capacity of selected soils in Mardan City. The physical, chemical and designing properties of soil were contemplated, and the soil was treated with added admixture rockdust with the goal of stabilizing the local soil. The stabilization or modification of soil is done by blending of rock dust to soils in the scope of 0 to 85% by the rate increment of 5%, 10%, and 15% individually. The following test was done for treated sample: Atterberg limits (liquid limit, plasticity index, plastic limit), standard compaction test, the California bearing test and the direct shear test. The results demonstrated that the gradation of soil is narrow from the particle size analysis. Plasticity index (P.I), Liquid limit (L.L) and plastic limit (P.L) were shown reduction with the addition of Rock dust. It was concluded that the maximum dry density is increasing with the addition of rockdust up to 10%, beyond 10%, it shows reduction in their content. It was discovered that the Cohesion C diminished, the angle of internal friction and the California bearing ratio (C.B.R) was improved with the addition of Rock dust. The investigation demonstrated that the best stabilizer for the contextual investigation (Toru road Mardan) is the rock dust and the ideal dosage is 10 %.

Keywords: rockdust, stabilization, modification, CBR

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Authors: Tahani Hallek, Dhaou Akrout, Riadh Ahmadi, Mabrouk Montacer

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The present work is an organo-geochemical study of the Fahdene Formation outcrops at the Mahjouba region belonging to the Eastern part of the Kalaat Senan structure in northwestern Tunisia (the Kef-Tedjerouine area). The analytical study of the organic content of the samples collected, allowed us to point out that the Formation in question is characterized by an average to good oil potential. This fossilized organic matter has a planktonic marine origin (type II), as indicated by the relatively high values of hydrogen index. Tmax values are in the range 440°C and attest a thermal stage of the oil window beginning. Mineralogical study found the existence of macro and micro fractures that are parallel to rock stratification or oblique with a high density. Fill standpoint, the major component of the mineralized veins is the fibrous calcite with bitumen traces. The composition of these fractures is mainly due to the availability of chemical elements scattered in the surrounding rock. As for the origin of these fractures, we assume that fluid pressure processes are heavily involved, together with the regional compressional tectonic stress regime. The Fahdene Formation has a great importance in conventional oil development as a potential source rock, and even in terms of unconventional oil exploitation through the intense fracturing allowing the percolation of gas shale and facilitating its exploitation.

Keywords: fluid pressure, fracturation, oil exploration, organic matter

Procedia PDF Downloads 239

Authors: Fatma Tezel Sahin, Zeynep Nur Aydin Kilic, Aysegul Akinci Cosgun

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Family involvement activities are a significant place in increasing the success in preschool education and maintaining the education. It is necessary that both of the parents be in the family involvement activities. However, while mother involvement is obtained in the family involvement activities, father involvement is neglected. For that reason, the current study aims at determining the views of teachers with regard to father involvement in the preschool education programs. The working group of the study consisted of 23 preschool teachers. The study is a descriptive survey. The data were obtained through individual interviews. As a data collection instrument, “Teacher Interview Form” was used. The data were analysed through content analysis method. The data regarding the views of the teachers were given as frequency and percentage values. At the end of the research, a great majority of the teachers stated that they were proficient in applying family involvement studies. They also pointed out that they held more family meetings in order to obtain family involvement and then they implemented involvement activities both in the class and out of the class for parents. They expressed that they observed more mother involvement in these activities that fathers. Parents expressed that the reasons why fathers involved in these activities less compared to mothers were the working conditions of fathers and that it was regarded as a task of mothers. Depending on the results of the research, it is likely to recommend that fathers should be informed about the involvement in family activities and that some applications and opportunities should be supplied for the fathers in preschool education institutions in order to encourage them.

Keywords: preschool education, parent involvement, father involvement, teacher views

Procedia PDF Downloads 301

Authors: Sultan Z. Mahmud, Emily C. Graff, Adil Bashir

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Phosphoprotein enriched in astrocytes 15 kDa (PEA-15) is a multifunctional adapter protein which is associated with the regulation of apoptotic cell death. Recently it has been discovered that PEA-15 is crucial in normal neurodevelopment of domestic cats, a gyrencephalic animal model, although the exact function of PEA-15 in neurodevelopment is unknown. This study investigates how PEA-15 affects the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability in cat brain, which can cause abnormalities in tissue metabolite and energy supplies. Severe polymicrogyria and microcephaly have been observed in cats with a loss of function PEA-15 mutation, affecting the normal neurodevelopment of the cat. This suggests that the vital role of PEA-15 in neurodevelopment is associated with gyrification. Neurodevelopment is a highly energy demanding process. The mammalian brain depends on glucose as its main energy source. PEA-15 plays a very important role in glucose uptake and utilization by interacting with phospholipase D1 (PLD1). Mitochondria also plays a critical role in bioenergetics and essential to supply adequate energy needed for neurodevelopment. Cerebral blood flow regulates adequate metabolite supply and recent findings also showed that blood plasma contains mitochondria as well. So the BBB can play a very important role in regulating metabolite and energy supply in the brain. In this study the blood-brain permeability in cat brain was measured using MRI magnetization transfer (MT) effect on the perfusion signal. Perfusion is the tissue mass normalized supply of blood to the capillary bed. Perfusion also accommodates the supply of oxygen and other metabolites to the tissue. A fraction of the arterial blood can diffuse to the tissue, which depends on the BBB permeability. This fraction is known as water extraction fraction (EF). MT is a process of saturating the macromolecules, which has an effect on the blood that has been diffused into the tissue while having minimal effect on intravascular blood water that has not been exchanged with the tissue. Measurement of perfusion signal with and without MT enables to estimate the microvascular blood flow, EF and permeability surface area product (PS) in the brain. All the experiments were performed with Siemens 7T Magnetom with 32 channel head coil. Three control cats and three PEA-15 mutant cats were used for the study. Average EF in white and gray matter was 0.9±0.1 and 0.86±0.15 respectively, perfusion in white and gray matter was 85±15 mL/100g/min and 97±20 mL/100g/min respectively, PS in white and gray matter was 201±25 mL/100g/min and 225±35 mL/100g/min respectively for control cats. For PEA-15 mutant cats, average EF in white and gray matter was 0.81±0.15 and 0.77±0.2 respectively, perfusion in white and gray matter was 140±25 mL/100g/min and 165±18 mL/100g/min respectively, PS in white and gray matter was 240±30 mL/100g/min and 259±21 mL/100g/min respectively. This results show that BBB is compromised in PEA-15 mutant cat brain, where EF is decreased and perfusion as well as PS are increased in the mutant cats compared to the control cats. This findings might further explain the function of PEA-15 in neurodevelopment.

Keywords: BBB, cat brain, magnetization transfer, PEA-15

Procedia PDF Downloads 120

Authors: Andreas Gohs, Reinhold Kosfeld

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This study should be of interest for practitioners who want to predict precisely the sales numbers of vehicles equipped with an innovative propulsion technology as well as for researchers interested in applied (regional) time series analysis. The study is based on the numbers of new registrations of pure electric and hybrid cars. Methods of time series analysis like ARIMA are compared with the Bass Diffusion-model concerning their forecasting performances for new registrations in Germany at the national and federal state levels. Especially it is investigated if the additional information content from regional data increases the forecasting accuracy for the national level by adding predictions for the federal states. Results of parameters of the Bass Diffusion Model estimated for Germany and its sixteen federal states are reported. While the focus of this research is on the German market, estimation results are also provided for selected European and other countries. Concerning Bass-parameters and forecasting performances, we get very different results for Germany's federal states and the member states of the European Union. This corresponds to differences across the EU-member states in the adoption process of this innovative technology. Concerning the German market, the adoption is rather proceeded in southern Germany and stays behind in Eastern Germany except for Berlin.

Keywords: bass diffusion model, electric vehicles, forecasting performance, market diffusion

Procedia PDF Downloads 145

Authors: Mohammed Mashrei

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Ferrocement is a type of thin reinforced concrete made of cement-sand matrix with closely spaced relatively small diameter wire meshes, with or without steel bars of small diameter called skeletal steel. This work concerns on the behavior of square ferrocement slabs of dimensions (500) mm x (500) mm and 30 mm subjected to a central load. This study includes testing thirteen ferrocement slabs. The main variables considered in the experimental work are the number of wire mesh layers, percentage of silica fume and the presence of steel fiber. The effects of these variables on the behavior and load carrying capacity of tested slabs under central load were investigated. From the experimental results, it is found that by increasing the percentage of silica fume from (0 to 1.5, 3, 4.5 and 6) of weight of cement the ultimate loads are affected. Also From this study, it is observed that the load carrying capacity increases with the presence of steel fiber reinforcement, the ductility is high in the case of steel fibers. The increasing wire mesh layer from six to ten layers increased the load capacity by 76%. Also, a reduction in width of crack with increasing in number of cracks in the samples that content on steel fibers comparing with samples without steel fibers was observed from the results.

Keywords: ferrocement, fibre, silica fume, slab, strength

Procedia PDF Downloads 212

Authors: Andrew Enaifoghe

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Municipalities are the most fundamental units of governance, and they are responsible for providing basic services and supporting growth in the areas they rule. South African local government is primarily understood in terms of service delivery, and the South African constitution provides municipalities with the responsibility of mobilizing economic resources, to better the lives of all people. Essential public services are the primary pillars of enhanced quality of life, and appropriate supplies of safe water and sanitation are required for life, well-being, and human dignity. Therefore, having access to basic services is directly tied to social inclusion and social capital, and towns' inability to offer services can have a negative influence on social and economic growth. The problem of service delivery is seen as one of the biggest challenges facing South African municipalities today. This study attempts to assess South African municipal service delivery. Focusing on the main causes of service delivery challenges, the study also looks at the impact of these challenges to identify ways to minimize such challenges by introducing legal instruments such as municipal budgeting and annual reports. A qualitative design was adopted, and data were collected using a desktop technique and analyzed based on content. While public engagement in municipal affairs is required by law, considerable work has to be done to ensure successful participation. Finally, municipalities were deemed to need to do more to improve human capacity to offer services.

Keywords: municipalities, service delivery, corruption, monitoring, South Africa

Procedia PDF Downloads 122

Authors: Gina L. Solano

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This project endeavors to enhance learning experiences for undergraduate pre-service teachers and graduate K-12 educators by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI). Firstly, the initiative delves into integrating AI within undergraduate education courses, fostering traditional literacy skills essential for academic success and extending their applicability beyond the classroom. Education students will explore AI tools to design literacy-focused activities aligned with their curriculum. Secondly, the project investigates the utilization of AI to craft instructional materials employing gamification strategies (e.g., digital and classic games, badges, quests) to amplify student engagement and motivation in mastering course content. Lastly, it aims to create a professional repertoire that can be applied by pre-service and current teachers in P-12 classrooms, promoting seamless integration for those already in teaching positions. The project's impact extends to benefiting college students, including pre-service and graduate teachers, as they enhance literacy and digital skills through AI. It also benefits current P-12 educators who can integrate AI into their classrooms, fostering innovative teaching practices. Moreover, the project contributes to faculty development, allowing them to cultivate low-risk and engaging classroom environments, ultimately enriching the learning journey. The insights gained from this project can be shared within and beyond the discipline to advance the broader field of study.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, gamification, learning experiences, literacy skills, engagement

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Authors: Diamantino Ribeiro, António Pedro Costa, Jorge Remondes

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Dubai and the UAE governments have been investing in technology and digital communication for a long time. These governments are pioneers in introducing innovative strategies, policies and projects. They are also recognized worldwide for defining and implementing long term public programs. In terms of eGovernment Dubai and the UAE rank among the world’s most advanced. Both governments have surprised the world a few years ago by creating a Happiness Ministry. This paper focuses on UAE’s government digital strategies and its approach to the next era. The main goal of this exploratory study is to understand the new era of eGovernment and transfer of the happiness and wellness programs. Data were collected from the corpus latente and analysis was anchored in qualitative methodology using content analysis and observation as analysis techniques. The study allowed to highlight that the 2020 government reshuffle has a strong focus on digital reorganisation and digital sustainability, one of the newest trends in sustainability. Regarding happiness and wellbeing portfolio, we were able to observe that there has been a major change within the government organisation: The Ministry of Happiness was extinct and the Ministry of Community Development will manage the so-called ‘Happiness Portfolio’. Additionally, our observation allowed to note the government dual approach to governance: one through digital transformation, thus enhancing the digital sustainability process and, the second one trough government development.

Keywords: ministry of happiness, eGovernment, communication, digital sustainability

Procedia PDF Downloads 125

Authors: Siti Aishah Hasbullah

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Studies on identification of pork content in food have grown rapidly to meet the Halal food standard in Malaysia. The used mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) approaches for the identification of pig species is thought to be the most precise marker due to the mtDNA genes are present in thousands of copies per cell, the large variability of mtDNA. The standard method commonly used for DNA detection is based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method combined with gel electrophoresis but has major drawback. Its major drawbacks are laborious, need longer time and toxic to handle. Therefore, the need for simplicity and fast assay of DNA is vital and has triggered us to develop DNA biosensors for porcine DNA detection. Therefore, the aim of this project is to develop electrochemical DNA biosensor based on ruthenium (II) complex, [Ru(bpy)2(p-PIP)]2+ as DNA hybridization label. The interaction of DNA and [Ru(bpy)2(p-HPIP)]2+ will be studied by electrochemical transduction using Gold Screen-Printed Electrode (GSPE) modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and succinimide acrylic microspheres. The electrochemical detection by redox active ruthenium (II) complex was measured by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The results indicate that the interaction of [Ru(bpy)2(PIP)]2+ with hybridization complementary DNA has higher response compared to single-stranded and mismatch complementary DNA. Under optimized condition, this porcine DNA biosensor incorporated modified GSPE shows good linear range towards porcine DNA.

Keywords: gold, screen printed electrode, ruthenium, porcine DNA

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Authors: A. Kazbekova, A. Kudaibergenov, G. Atazhanova, S. Adekenov

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In recent years, it achieved some progress such a direction as to study the possibility of correlation between different types of biological activity. In particular, in our work, we consider questions such as: the impact of the qualitative composition of total substances in the example of plant extracts on antioxidant and antiradical activity, the presents of correlation between these types of activity, etc. It is known that there is a relationship between the values of optical density of working solutions of extracts and corresponding bioactivity in vitro, in particular, the antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects. In this study, we have identified that among some studied species of wormwood (Artemisia viridis Wild, Artemisia jacutica Drob, Artemisia annua L, Artemisia siversiana Wild, Artemisia adamsii Bess, Artemisia tianschanica, Artemisia obtusiloba Ledeb., Artemisia heptopotamica), as well as extracts of Inula caspica, Аjania tenuifolia, Abies sibirica, Galatella songorica, Mentha asiatica and Thymus mugodzharicus it was identified that the highest content of polyphenol compounds is in Thymus mugodzharicus. At the same time, we determined the antioxidant and antiradical activity, which was the highest for the Thymus mugodzharicus. Butylhydroxyanisole and ascorbic acid were used as comparison substances. Also, it was established that antioxidant and anti-radical activities depend on the concentration of the of all investigated samples. Based on obtained data, we believe that the extract of Thymus mugodzharicus can be recommended for further study on the antioxidant and antiradical activity in vivo, as well as the opportunity of this sample to demonstrate hepatoprotective effect. The study was sponsored by SANTO academic program.

Keywords: in vitro, in vivo, antioxidant, hepatoprotective effect

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Authors: S. K. Ashiquer Rahman

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The innovative knowledge threshold significantly shifted education from traditional to an online version which was an emergent state of arts for academic programs of any higher education institutions; the substantive situation thus raises the importance of deliberative integration of education, Knowledge, technology and sustainability as well as knowledge platforms, e.g., ePLANETe. In fact, the concept of 'ePLANETe' an innovative knowledge platform and its functionalities as an experimental digitized platform for contributing sustainable assessment of academic programs of higher education institution(HEI). Besides, this paper assessed and define the common sustainable development challenges of higher education(HE) and identified effective approach and tools of 'ePLANETe’ that is enable to practices sustainability assessment of academic programs through the deliberation methodologies. To investigate the effectiveness of knowledge tools and approach of 'ePLANETe’, I have studied sustainable challenges digitized pedagogical content as well as evaluation of academic programs of two public universities in France through the 'ePLANETe’ evaluation space. The investigation indicated that the effectiveness of 'ePLANETe’s tools and approach perfectly fit for the quality assessment of academic programs, implementation of sustainable challenges, and dynamic balance of ecosystem within the university communities and academic programs through 'ePLANETe’ evaluation process and space. The study suggests to the relevant higher educational institution’s authorities and policymakers could use this approach and tools for assessing sustainability and enhancing the sustainability competencies of academic programs for quality education

Keywords: ePLANETe, deliberation, evaluation, competencies

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Authors: Priyadharshini Ahrumugam

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Cooperative groups through much research have been recognized to churn remarkable achievements instead of solitary or individualistic efforts. Based on Johnson and Johnson’s model of cooperative learning, the five key components of cooperation are positive interdependence, face-to-face promotive interaction, individual accountability, social skills and group processing. In 2011, the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) introduced the Holistic Student Development policy with the aim to develop morally sound individuals equipped with lifelong learning skills. The Community Service project was included in the improvement initiative. The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship of team-based learning in facilitating particularly students’ positive interdependence and face-to-face promotive interaction. The research methods involve in-depth interviews with the team leaders and selected team members, and a content analysis of the undergraduate students’ reflective journals. A significant positive relationship was found between students’ progressive outlook towards teamwork and the highlighted two components. The key findings show that students have gained in their individual learning and work results through teamwork and interaction with other students. The inclusion of Community Service as a MOHE subject resonates with cooperative learning methods that enhances supportive relationships and develops students’ social skills together with their professional skills.

Keywords: community service, cooperative learning, positive interdependence, teamwork

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Authors: Giselle Maggie-Fer Castañeda Lozano

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The main objective of this research was to explore the role of neural network architectures in simulating behavioral phenomena as a potential explanation for selective associations, specifically related to biological constraints on learning. Biological constraints on learning refer to the limitations observed in conditioning procedures, where learning is expected to occur. The study involved simulations of five different experiments exploring various phenomena and sources of biological constraints in learning. These simulations included the interaction between response and reinforcer, stimulus and reinforcer, specificity of stimulus-reinforcer associations, species differences, neuroanatomical constraints, and learning in uncontrolled conditions. The overall results demonstrated that by manipulating neural network architectures, conditions can be created to model and explain diverse biological constraints frequently reported in comparative psychology literature as learning typicities. Additionally, the simulations offer predictive content worthy of experimental testing in the pursuit of new discoveries regarding the specificity of learning. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed. Finally, it is suggested that this research could inaugurate a line of inquiry involving the use of neural networks to study biological factors in behavior, fostering the development of more ethical and precise research practices.

Keywords: comparative psychology, connectionism, conditioning, experimental analysis of behavior, neural networks

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Authors: Demisash, Abate Getnet, Gudisa, Ababo Geleta, Daba, Berhane Olani

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As consumption trends of fish are rising in Ethiopia, assessment of the environmental performance of Fisheries becomes vital. Hence, Cleaner Production Assessment was conducted on Lake Tana No.1 Fish Supply Association. This paper focuses on determining the characteristics, quantity, and setting up cleaner production options for the site with the experimental investigation. The survey analysis showed that illegal waste dumping in Lake Tana is common practice in the area, and some of the main reasons raised were they have no option than doing this for dis-charging fish wastes. Quantifying a fish waste by examination of records at the point of generation resulted in a generation rate of 72,822.61 kg per year, which is a significant amount of waste and needs management system. The result of the proximate analysis showed high free fat content of about 12.33%, and this was a good candidate for the production of biodiesel that has been set as an option for fish waste utilization. Among the different waste management options, waste reduction by product optimization, which involves biodiesel production, was chosen as a potential method. Laboratory scale experiments were performed to produce a renewable energy source from the wastes. The resulting biodiesel was characterized and found to have a density of 0.756kg/L, viscosity 0.24p, and 153°C flashpoints, which shows the product has values in compliance with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards.

Keywords: biodiesel, cleaner production, renewable energy, waste management

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Authors: Violina R. Angelova, Venelina T. Popova, Radka V. Ivanova, Givko T. Ivanov, Krasimir I. Ivanov

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A comparative research on the impact of compost on uptake and allocation of nutrients and heavy metals and quality of Oriental tobacco Krumovgrad 90 has been carried out. The experiment was performed on an agricultural field contaminated by the lead zinc smelter near the town of Kardzali, Bulgaria, after closing the lead production. The compost treatments had significant effects on the uptake and allocation of plant nutrients and heavy metals. The incorporation of compost leads to decrease in the amount of heavy metals present in the tobacco leaves, with Cd, Pb and Zn having values of 36%, 12% and 6%, respectively. Application of the compost leads to increased content of potassium, calcium and magnesium in the leaves of tobacco, and therefore, may favorably affect the burning properties of tobacco. The incorporation of compost in the soil has a negative impact on the quality and typicality of the oriental tobacco variety of Krumovgrad 90. The incorporation of compost leads to an increase in the size of the tobacco plant leaves, the leaves become darker in colour, less fleshy and undergo a change in form, becoming (much) broader in the second, third and fourth stalk position. This is accompanied by a decrease in the quality of the tobacco. The incorporation of compost also results in an increase in the mineral substances (pure ash), total nicotine and nitrogen, and a reduction in the amount of reducing sugars, which causes the quality of the tobacco leaves to deteriorate (particularly in the third and fourth harvests).

Keywords: chemical composition, compost, heavy metals, oriental tobacco, quality

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Authors: Juan Torralba

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Student digital artifacts were investigated, utilizing a qualitative exploratory research design to understand the ways in which students represented their knowledge of seventh-grade proportionality concepts as they participated in maker-based activities that culminated in the creation of digital 3-dimensional models of their dream homes. Representations of the geometric and numeric dimensions of proportionality were analyzed in the written, verbal, and visual data collected from the students. A directed content analysis approach was utilized in the data analysis, as this work aimed to build upon existing research in the field of maker-based STEAM Education. The results from this work show that students can represent their understanding of proportional reasoning through open-ended written responses more accurately than through verbal descriptions or digital artifacts. The geometric and numeric dimensions of proportionality and their respective components of attributes of similarity representation and percents, rates, and ratios representations were the most represented by the students than any other across the data, suggesting a maker-based instructional approach to teaching proportionality in the middle grades may be promising in helping students gain a solid foundation in those components. Recommendations for practice and research are discussed.

Keywords: learning through making, maker-based education, maker education in the middle grades, making in mathematics, the maker movement

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Authors: Ana Lucia Mosquera Rosado

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Media is believed to be the reflection of Peruvian society. However, the context in which media content is generated not always respond to an accurate representation of its cultural diversity, since many of the contents portray images of cultural minorities (indigenous and Afro-Peruvian) that contribute to the reproduction of negative stereotypes, having an impact on society. The current research paper aims to discuss the use of parody as a way of representing Afro-Peruvian population in the national television, through the reproduction of negative stereotypes and the construction of the black body, specifically relating the analysis to El Negro Mama, a very popular character in Peruvian television thought to be a portrait of the Afro-Peruvian men. In order to analyze these representations, the research will use the theory of simulation and simulacra, explained by James Baudrillard to understand the replacement of reality as a consequence of both of these concepts. This research paper will also focus on the social reaction to the existence of this character, in order to construct a hypothesis based on the theory of cultural hegemony, conceived by Jackson Lears as a legitimized group of patterns and behaviors that shape social interaction. This theoretical framework will be used to explain the popularity of this character among Peruvian society and the reactions caused by the controversy generated by the demands of civil society to remove the character from national television.

Keywords: media representation, media, race and ethnicity, racist discourse, afro-descendants in the media

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Authors: Yongjun Ahn, Sung Gyu Choi, Seung-Yeop Kwak

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Selective removal of free fatty acid (FFA) and chlorophyll in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is necessary to enhance the thermal stability in the condition of the deep frying. In this work, we demonstrated improving the thermal stability of EVOO by selective removal of free fatty acid and chlorophyll using (3-Aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) functionalized mesoporous silica with controlled pore size. The adsorption kinetics of free fatty acid and chlorophyll into the mesoporous silica were quantitatively analyzed by Freundlich and Langmuir model. The highest chlorophyll adsorption efficiency was shown in the pore size at 5 nm, suggesting that the interaction between the silica and the chlorophyll could be optimized at this point. The amino-functionalized mesoporous silica showed drastically improved removal efficiency of FFA than the bare silica. Moreover, beneficial compounds like tocopherol and phenolic compounds maintained even after adsorptive removal. Extra virgin olive oil treated by aminopropyl-functionalized silica had a smoke point high enough to be used as commercial frying oil. Based on these results, it is expected to attract the considerable amount of interest toward facile adsorptive refining process of EVOO using pore size controlled and amino-functionalized mesoporous silica.

Keywords: mesoporous silica, extra virgin olive oil, selective adsorption, thermal stability

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Authors: Gabrielle Veloso, Welison Ty

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Trait anxiety is a pervasive tendency to attend to and experience fears and worries to a disproportionate degree, across various situations. This study sought to determine if participants who undergo emotional working memory training will have significantly lower scores on the trait anxiety scales post-intervention. The study also sought to determine if emotional regulation mediated the relationship between working memory training and trait anxiety. Forty-nine participants underwent 20 days of computerized emotional working memory training called Emotional Dual n-back, which involves viewing a continuous stream of emotional content on a grid, and then remembering the location and color of items presented on the grid. Participants of the treatment group had significantly lower trait anxiety compared to controls post-intervention. Mediation analysis determined that working memory training had no significant relationship to anxiety as measured by the Beck’s Anxiety Inventory-Trait (BAIT), but was significantly related to anxiety as measured by form Y2 of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y2). Emotion regulation, as measured by the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), was found not to mediate between working memory training and trait anxiety reduction. Results suggest that working memory training may be useful in reducing psychoemotional symptoms rather than somatic symptoms of trait anxiety. Moreover, it proposes for future research to further look into the mediating role of emotion regulation via neuroimaging and the development of more comprehensive measures of emotion regulation.

Keywords: anxiety, emotion regulation, working-memory, working-memory training

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Authors: Desmond Chinedu Oparaku, Emmanuel Uwazie Anyanwu, Oyemike Victor Benson, Ogbonna Isaac-Nnadimele

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The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical discourse that highlights the challenges associated with management of indigenous knowledge with reference to developing countries. Literature review and brainstorming were used to collect relevant data and draw inferences. The findings indicate that non-existence of indigenous knowledge management policy (IKMP), low level of partnership drive among library and information services providers, non-uniformity of format and content of indigenous knowledge, inadequate funding, and lack of access to ICTs, lack of indigenous people with indigenous expertise and hoarding of knowledge as challenges to indigenous knowledge management. The study is based on literature review and information gathered through brain storming with professional colleagues the geographic scope as developing countries. The study has birth several implication based on the findings made. Professionally, it has necessitated the need for formulating a viable indigenous knowledge management policy (IKMP), creating of collaborative network through partnership, and integration of ICTs to indigenous knowledge management practices by libraries in developing countries etc. The originality of this paper is revealed in its capability as serving as an eye opener to librarians on the need for preserving and managing indigenous knowledge in developing countries. It further unlocks the possibilities of exploring empirical based researches to substantiate the theoretical issues raised in this paper. The findings may be used by library managers to improve indigenous knowledge management (IKM).

Keywords: developing countries, ICTs, indigenous knowledge, knowledge management

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Authors: Neha Sharma, Kanthi K. Kondepudi, Naveen Gupta

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Phytases are phytate specific phosphatases catalyzing the step-wise dephosphorylation of phytate, which acts as an anti-nutritional factor in food due to its strong binding capacity to minerals. In recent years microbial phytases have been explored for improving nutritional quality of food. But the major limitation is acceptability of phytases from these microorganisms. Therefore, efforts are being made to isolate organisms which are generally regarded as safe for human consumption such as Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB). Phytases from these organisms will have an edge over other phytase sources due to its probiotic attributes. Only few LAB have been reported to give phytase activity that too is generally seen as intracellular. LAB producing extracellular phytase will be more useful as it can degrade phytate more effectively. Moreover, enzyme from such isolate will have application in food processing also. Only few species of Lactobacillus producing extracellular phytase have been reported so far. This study reports the isolation of a probiotic strain of Lactobacillus fermentum spp KA1 which produces extracellular phytase. Conditions for the optimal production of phytase have been optimized and the enzyme production resulted in an approximately 13-fold increase in yield. The phytate degradation potential of extracellular phytase in rice bran has been explored and conditions for optimal degradation were optimized. Under optimal conditions, there was 43.26% release of inorganic phosphate and 6.45% decrease of phytate content.

Keywords: Lactobacillus, phytase, phytate reduction, rice bran

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