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Synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles in lamellar lyotropic liquid crystal / Siti Mariah Mohd Yasin
No full textLamellar lyotropic liquid crystal-silver nanoparticles (LLLC-AgNPs) are synthesized using the in-situ method. The polarizer microscope showed a mosaic-like pattern with fan shape textures. The high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) confirmed that the AgNPs are spherical in shape with 4 – 12 nm size. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) determined the LLLC-AgNPs transition anisotropic phase to the highly ordered isotropic phase at 300 °C, and crystallinity was completed at 350 °C. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) verified that the LLLC-AgNPs were completely decomposed at 700 °C. Ultra-violet visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) found the absorption peaks at around 400 nm and proved that the AgNPs is distributed in a polydispersed manner. With the increase in temperature, the polydispersity behavior decreases indicating that the AgNPs' growth is restricted and the nucleation process took part. The absorption and bandwidth decrease after 4 weeks which proves that the AgNPs is distributed in a monodispersed manner. The granularity and dispersity of AgNPs were further confirmed by photoluminescence (PL). By varying pHs, surface enhance Raman spectroscopy (SERS) demonstrated the high signal of 4-ABT at pH = 5 – 12. The electrical potential achieved maximum, +70.7 mV at pH = 5 – 6, and all pH ranges still exceed the minimum stability within 2 months, which proves the super stability of AgNPs dispersed in the LLLC domain. The vector network analyzer (VNA) verified that the LLLC is a lossy dielectric and radiates higher magnetic energy, while, the LLLC-AgNPs are exhibited as storing dielectric material and radiating lower of magnetic energy
Fractal and edge-based techniques for kidney enhancement and segmentation on Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) / Alaá Rateb Mahmoud Al-Shamasneh
No full textRecently, many rapid developments in digital medical imaging have made further contributions to healthcare systems. However, the segmentation of regions of interest in medical images plays a vital role in assisting doctors in their medical diagnoses and for the early detection of disease. Since health issues related to the kidneys are increasing exponentially, this thesis focused on developing methods for the segmentation of MRI images of the kidney. Kidney images frequently suffer from low contrast, low resolution and noise, and are blur. Hence, it is necessary to enhance the images in order to improve the segmentation. Therefore, the current thesis focused on enhancing the fine details of the kidney region and the segmentation of the kidney images. To solve the above issues, the proposed work introduced a new model for enhancing low-contrast MRI kidney images based on fractional entropy. It is true that fractional entropy is able to handle complex situations such as images that are affected by the above challenges, and as such, the proposed work explored the same in this thesis to find solutions. However, sometimes, due to the presence of neighbouring organs and other regions in the background, the enhancement model must be one that can sharpen those details, thereby making the segmentation problem a challenging one. Therefore, this thesis was aimed at proposing a new method for kidney segmentation based on an active contour model driven by fractional-based energy minimization. Since the special characteristic of fractional calculus is its ability to preserve high-frequency contours regardless of contrast variations and noise, the proposed work explored this characteristic for the segmentation of kidney images. However, it should be noted that this method is said to be computationally expensive. Therefore, the thesis proposed a new method based on edge information for the segmentation of kidney images. It is true that the pixels representing the contours of the kidney share a unique spatial relationship. The proposed work used the same basis for the detection of the pixels in the edge domain, which represented the contours of the kidney in the enhanced images. Overall, this study made three contributions, namely, a fractional entropy-based method for the enhancement of kidney images, a fractional-based minimization function for kidney image segmentation, and an edge-based method for kidney image segmentation. The developed methods were tested on datasets using standard measures to evaluate the methods. The results of the proposed methods were compared with existing methods to show that the proposed methods are effective and useful
Scientific Quranic exegesis via internet: A comparative analysis of Abdul Daem Alkaheel and Zaghloul el-Naggar approaches in their websites / Lukman Afandi
No full textWith the rapid progress and development of information and communication technology (JCT), teaching and learning of the Quranic exegesis can be enhanced through the web
page. Nevertheless, this does not mean a person can interpret it according to their own
thinking. They are still bound by principles and rules which were suggested by well known
scholars in this field. Likewise, scholars have put general guidelines of the scientific Quranic exegesis to ensure that those in this line will not go beyond their
capability in understanding the Quranic texts. To relate the Quranic verses with scientific
findings has its own guidelines so as to avoid misinterpretation. The guidelines are crucial
to avoid misinterpretation and contradiction from the actual meaning of the verses of the
Quran or the Hadith. This research focuses on Scientific Quranic Exegesis in websites
owned by Abduldaem Al-Kaheel and Zaghloul El-Naggar. They have contributed in this
area and have obtained recognition from various Muslim countries. The objective of this
research is to understand the extent criteria and guidelines of scientific exegesis that are
being closely followed. The research uses content analysis to assess the content of the
scientific exegesis in both websites and uses comparative analysis to assess whether -is
the content is in-Line with the criteria and guidelines suggested by al-Zindani and al Nabuls"
i. Based on that, this study has tried to find the topics discussed by both Al-Kabeel
and El-Naggar in their websites which make similar references to the verses of the Quran.
The findings show that there are similarities in emphasizing the usage of scientific
exegesis on verses discussed in their respective websites. Their interpretation works were
found to follow the criteria used in this study. However, it was not reflected in all the
topics discussed. There was no uniformity in terms of the description of the topics
discussed. Some topics discussed were accompanied with long descriptions while others had only a few paragraphs. Some topics stated the original reference of scientific findings
while some topics did not state the original source. There were a few topics discussed
which were referred from resources such as the Jjadi.th. Some of the Hadith used clearly
indicated the categories they belonged to, whether Sahib or Hasan. While some Hadith
did not state the category in which they belong to. The Hadith used were also analysed
and it was found to be either Sahib or Hasan. Most of the topics discussed by El-Naggar
also made references to scholars of tajsfr such as Ibn Kathir. However, it was not always
the case for the topics discussed by Al-Kaheel; tafsir reference was made only in a few
topics. El-Naggar is a geological expert, hence, the scientific findings are from his own
study. The findings are particularly on Earth such as topics regarding tremor and
earthquakes, can be considered as credible without including citation from other sources.
Overall, the results of their efforts to uphold the scientific interpretation of the Quran is
an eye-opener on how teaching and learning of the Quran could be carried out especially
in the present era. Such efforts can be beneficial not only to Muslims, but also to non Muslims
who can learn more from the Quran through this interpretation. Such efforts
should be praised and considerations should be given to widely expand the contributions
given by the Muslim scholars so that many are able to gain benefits from it
A longitudinal corpus investigation of grammatical stance markers in the English argumentative writing of chinese students / Deliang Man
No full textEvaluation is considered crucial for successful academic writing (Hunston, 1989, 1994; Hyland & Jiang, 2016; G. Thompson, 2001). It conveys the values and judgement of the writer, maintains the relations between the writer and reader and organizes the discourse (G. Thompson & Hunston, 2000). Despite the importance of evaluation, the use of evaluative language in academic writing has shown to be difficult for both L1 and L2 users of English. One active strand of research in English for academic purposes gives considerable attention to the use of linguistic markers of stance. While there has been growing research interest in stance expression in L2 writing, little is known about how L2 users might go about learning to evaluate over time. Even less empirical research has investigated the development of evaluative language from a non-essentialist approach despite repeated calls for researching second language development from a bilingual perspective (Brown, 2013; Cook, 1999; Ortega, 2013, 2018a, 2018c).
The general aim of the present thesis is to shed light on the developmental trajectories of evaluative language. In doing so, it examined the use of a set of grammatical stance markers (i.e., evaluative that-clauses, modals and semi-modals, and stance adverbials) in a longitudinal learner corpus, which consists of 632 argumentative essays produced by 158 Chinese undergraduates at four points in time. Frequency of the grammatical stance markers under examination were compared across the four points in time and qualitative analyses of the concordance lines were carried out.
The results show that patterns of changes in the use of grammatical stance markers are complex: (1) patterns of changes vary with the linguistic structures under investigation: whereas the frequency of evaluative that-clauses has increased over time, the frequency of modals and semi-modals has decreased; (2) the trajectory for longitudinal changes is iv
not linear: the frequency of grammatical stance markers changes in an organic, dynamic manner; (3) instances of innovative language use were observed in the corpus, which offer valuable insights into language development from a longitudinal perspective. This thesis shows the value of using longitudinal learner corpora for the study of L2 evaluative language development. Implications for language teaching in tertiary education are discussed
Enhancement of graphene biocompatibility as a potential nano-carrier for drug delivery applications using natural deep eutectic solvent / Mohamad Hamdi Zainal Abidin
No full textGraphene has attracted massive interest in numerous biomedical applications such as anti-cancer therapy, drug delivery, bio-imaging and gene delivery. Therefore, it is important to ensure that graphene is nontoxic, and that its cellular biological behavior is safe and biocompatible. Herein, a new route was used to enhance the biocompatibility of graphene as a nano-carrier for potential drug delivery applications, using different compositions of natural deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as functionalizing agents, owing to their capability to introduce various functional groups and surface modifications. To meet this end, eight different combinations of binary and ternary DESs were synthesized using choline chloride salt with several hydrogen bond donors (i.e., urea, glucose, fructose, sucrose, glycerol and malonic acid). Characterizations of the physicochemical changes in DES-functionalized graphene were conducted by FE-SEM, EDX, FTIR, XRD, BET and Raman spectroscopy. The cytotoxicity profile of DES-functionalized graphenes on human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), human gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) and macrophage cell line (RAW264.7) was significantly improved compared to pristine graphene and oxidized graphene, as demonstrated by cell viability, cell cycle progression, and reactive oxygen species evaluation assays. This work also studied the association between cellular toxicity of DES-functionalized graphene and their physicochemical properties. The application of DESs as functionalizing agents, especially for DES choline chloride (ChCl):malonic acid (1:1), ChCl:glucose:water (5:2:5) and ChCl:glycerol:water (1:2:1), significantly reduced the cytotoxicity level of graphenes. Next, it was selected doxorubicin and tamoxifen, as representatives of common anti-cancer drugs, to load on the DES-functional graphene samples. Subsequently, the drug loading capacity and entrapment efficiency were determined. The DES ChCl:malonic acid (1:1) and ChCl:glucose:water (5:2:5) functionalized graphenes demonstrated higher tamoxifen and doxorubicin entrapment efficiency and loading capacity in comparison to the other DES-functionalized graphenes. The drug-loaded on the DES-functionalized graphene possessed higher toxicity level against MCF-7 and AGS cell lines in comparison to unloaded graphenes. The drug-loaded DES-functionalized graphene also had destructive effects against cancerous cells through the generation of intracellular ROS and cell cycle disruption phenomena. The anti-cancer activity of drug-loaded graphene was confirmed by real-time cell growth analysis. Across all tested cellular kinetic models, the most significant reduction in the growth rate constant of cancerous cells was obtained using graphene functionalized with DES ChCl:glucose:water (5:2:5) and ChCl:fructose:water (5:2:5). Overall, DES-functionalized graphene demonstrated improved anti-cancer activity compared to non-functionalized graphene. This study supports DESs as potential green functionalizing agents for nano drug carriers, owing to their lower cytotoxicity, higher drug loading capacity and better anti-cancer activity
Supervised optimal decision machine learning approach to class- and method-level data preprocessing towards effective software defect prediction / Ebubeogu Amarachukwu Felix
No full textSoftware defect prediction provides actionable outputs to software teams while contributing
to industrial success. Therefore, predicting the number of defects in a new version
of software at both the class and method levels is an important goal of defect prediction
studies to assist software teams in optimizing their test efforts towards improving software
quality. However, despite remarkable achievements in defect prediction, the quality of the
data applied in defect prediction studies has been a major concern, with related quality
issues leading to numerous contradictory findings in machine learning research. In addition,
a demonstrated approach for predicting the number of defects in a new software version is
lacking. Therefore, efforts are required to demonstrate how class- and method-level defect
prediction can be achieved for a new software version and to develop an approach for
preprocessing the highly imbalanced class- and method-level data available for software
defect prediction. To address these issues, first, a data preprocessing framework is proposed
to overcome some of the challenges associated with typical software datasets, for instance,
irrelevant and redundant features. A machine-learning-driven, supervised optimal decision
procedure is followed in the development of this data preprocessing framework, resulting
in a prime advantage of bias-free method- and class-level datasets. Second, a method of
predicting the number of software defects in an upcoming product release is proposed using
predictor variables derived from the defect acceleration observed based on the existing
software defects, namely, the defect density, defect velocity and defect introduction time. The number of defects in the current version of a software product is characterized by
this defect acceleration; hence, these derived predictor variables can be used to construct
regression models to predict the number of software defects in a new version. An experiment
conducted on 69 open-source ELFF Java projects, containing 131,034 classes
and 289,132 methods, as well as on the NASA datasets, which contain 10 different Java
and C++ projects with 22,838 classes, is reported. To evaluate the effectiveness of the
proposed framework for data preprocessing, the average classification performances of
six selected state-of-the-art classifiers before and after data preprocessing are investigated
and compared across multiple projects with data imbalances between the defective and
defect-free classes. For both the class and method levels, these selected state-of-the-art
classifiers, namely, naïve Bayes, logistic regression, neural network, K-nearest neighbors,
support vector machine and random forest classifiers, achieve noteworthy performance
when applied to preprocessed datasets. Moreover, for the ELFF projects, the results at the
class and method levels respectively show correlation coefficients of 61% and 60% for the
defect density, -11% and -4% for the defect introduction time, and 94% and 93% for the
defect velocity (consistent results are also obtained for the NASA datasets, as presented in
the results section). The proposed approach can serve as a blueprint for program testing to
enhance the effectiveness of software development activities
Assessment of soft skills for preservice teachers and its impact on teaching performance in senior secondary schools in North–Central, Nigeria / Macqual Stephen Maren
No full textThe term soft skill is generating considerable interest in teacher education. Recent developments suggest that in the next few years, soft skills are likely to become a more important teaching component than technical skills. This study was aimed at finding out the level of the implementation of the course “curriculum instruction” in federal universities in Nigeria. Therefore, this study focused on pre-service teacher soft skills gained from participation in the course in other to achieve the ultimate objective of the study. This study used questionnaires and performed data analysis using SmartPLS software in a correlational design with a total of 722 pre-service teachers. Partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) results revealed that pre-service teachers gained moderate soft skills from participating in the soft skills course, which, in turn, benefited them in classroom management and, ultimately, teaching success. Further findings indicate that soft skills gained generated a sense in pre-service teachers to have control over their classrooms and has the strongest effect on teaching performance success. These findings shows that pre-service teacher participation in soft skills course generates different kinds of benefits to them at the same time. Turning to findings regarding the effects sizes of the soft skills predictors, results revealed that the effect sizes of some soft skills predictors on soft skills gained were weak, this may mean that not much was done in the implementation of the soft skills curriculum by the institutions to warrant substantive level of soft skills gain by preservice teacher. The analysis did not reveal any significant difference between experienced and novice students in terms of the impact of soft skills on their perception of teaching success. The findings from this study suggest that with substantial soft skills, pre-service teachers need only work into any classroom and then teach successfully upon graduation. This study contributes to theory by discovering new effects sizes for the soft skills predictors as well as the soft skills gained on teaching success. This study also contributes to the curriculum development by developing a curriculum model that can be utilised in the teaching as well as evaluation of soft skills
Development of collaborative TPACK module for continuing professional development in a higher education institution / Vinothini Vasodavan
No full textTeaching and learning in higher education should be more than just a transmission of knowledge. The focus should be on acquiring skills for interacting, applying, evaluating and creating new knowledge as well as problem solving. This can be achieved through social interactions and cognitive process during collaborative learning (CL) using collaborative learning (CL) tools. Therefore, instructors should be able to integrate CL tools effectively into instruction by having a good understanding of incorporating them into appropriate pedagogy and content. Hence, in this study a Collaborative TPACK module was developed for continuing professional development (CPD) to build instructor’s skills and knowledge in TPACK so that they able to teach meaningfully with CL tools. A design and developmental research with three phases; need analysis; design and development; implementation and evaluation were employed. In the first phase, seven instructors, two Head of Training Units and a trainer were interviewed to gain insights on instructors’ current technology skills and perspective regarding the use of CL and CL tools. In addition, data was triangulated with previous TPACK training evaluation and learning activities took place in the university learning management system (LMS) to identify the frequently used tools by instructors for teaching. Instructors seems to have a basic knowledge pertaining to the usage of technology in education but lack of knowledge on CL concepts and implementation in the teaching process. Hence, there was a need for module development. In the design phase, the elements appropriate for the Collaborative TPACK module was determined using the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM). First, a semi structured interview was conducted with four experts and the data was analysed thematically to design the FDM survey. The survey was administered to sixteen experts for consensus on the elements in the module. Consensus was achieved for the elements of learning outcome, content, instructional strategies, resources/media, assessment and delivery that should be incorporated into the module. After the module development, the Collaborative TPACK module was reviewed by four experts before implementation. The module was implemented among thirty-four instructors in one of the public higher education institutions in Klang Valley using one group experimental design. In addition, seven instructors participated in the follow up session by completing several tasks such as lesson design, lesson observation and designing the e-portfolio. In addition, post lesson observation was conducted to gather rich description about their experiences and opinion teaching with collaborative TPACK. Besides that, a survey was administered to explore the instructors’ perception on the module usability. Instructors found that the module is usable form the pedagogical and technical aspect. The Wilcoxon Matched-pairs Signed Ranks Test indicates a significant difference in the pre and post TPACK score and t-test analysis indicates a significant difference in the pre, and post-test score due to the implementation of the Collaborative TPACK module. This study contributed to the element of collaboration in the existing TPACK model which known as Collaborative TPACK by incorporating Merrill's First Principles and taxonomy of learning outcome in a CPD programme. This study also adds to the repertoire of knowledge the important of continues assessment with inclusion of phase five, transfer of knowledge and the retention of expertise. It is recommended that the module should be implemented in other higher education institutions to develop instructors’ skills and knowledge in collaborative TPAC
Effects of leadership competencies on students’ learning outcomes as mediated by organisational culture in selected Saudi higher education institutions / Radwan, Omaymah Abdulwahab A
No full textHigher education institutions (HEIs) play a significant role in increasing the social and economic growth of a nation. They are responsible for the grooming of qualified individuals from various academic disciplines to meet the needs of the community. Thus, HEIs are in dire need of competent leadership that can help them to contribute to the nation’s development, and to achieve the desired learning outcomes among students. Previous studies indicated that leadership has both direct and indirect impacts on students’ learning outcomes (SLOs). By utilising mediating components in the educational environment, some studies have established the positive impact leaders can exert on students. Other studies pointed out that organisational culture could be one of the mediator components that impact positively on the outcomes of the educational environment. However, most of these studies were mainly conducted at basic education, such as among kindergarten and 12 years of basic education. There is still a lack of studies that examine the effect of leadership competencies of academic leaders on SLOs in HEIs. There is also limited evidence on the mediation role that organisational culture plays in HEIs. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effect of leadership competencies of academic leaders on SLOs in selected Saudi HEIs. It also aims to examine the mediating effect of organisational culture on the effect and relationship between leadership competencies of academic leaders and SLOs in selected Saudi HEIs. It also aims to identify the level of academic leadership competencies, the type of organisational culture, and the level of SLOs in selected Saudi HEIs. It also aims to examine the effect of organisational culture on SLOs in selected Saudi HEIs. Hence, this study utilised a quantitative research design by distributing questionnaires consisting of 120 items to faculty members in selected Saudi HEIs. They were selected using a proportionate stratified random sampling technique. A total of 496 responses were received, and the data were analysed using SPSS (V.23) and PLS-SEM. The findings indicated that there are an indirect effect and relationship between leadership competencies of academic leaders and SLOs in selected Saudi HEIs. The findings illustrated that organisational culture mediated the effect and relationship between leadership competencies of academic leaders and SLOs in the selected Saudi HEIs. The findings indicated that academic leaders have a very high level of competencies in terms of their personal skills and required skills. The findings also stated that Clan Culture is the type of culture that is being practised currently in selected Saudi HEIs. The results also showed that students in selected Saudi HEIs at a high level of learning outcomes. The findings also pointed out that the organisational culture has a significant and direct effect on SLOs in selected Saudi HEIs. The findings of the study highlighted the importance of organisational culture in HEIs to the policymakers, stakeholders, and practitioners so that they will incorporate it in the future direction and planning of HEIs. The study has the potential to reflect positively on the performance of HEIs and the Ministry of Education
The role of brand credibility and brand experience in post-consumption outcomes of hotel choice among Malaysian Muslim consumers / Nadzirah Rosli
No full textThis research investigates the importance of hotel attributes in examining Malaysian Muslim tourists' hotel choice. Based on the mean-end chain theory, it explores the relationship among nine constructs; hotel attributes, brand credibility, brand experience, brand attachment and post-consumption outcomes which consisted of satisfaction, revisit intention and word-of-mouth, as well as travel motivation and Islamic religiosity. A total of 474 valid and usable self-administered questionnaires were collected through purposive sampling technique. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach was deployed to validate the research model and the research hypotheses. The result indicates that brand experience fully mediates the relationship between hotel attributes and brand attachment. Hotel attributes was found to influence brand credibility and brand experience. On the other hand, brand experience was found to influence brand attachment and brand credibility. Likewise, brand credibility was found to influence satisfaction and revisit intention. In addition, brand attachment was found to influence satisfaction, revisit intention, and word-of-mouth. The findings also found that travel motivation moderates the relationship between brand attachment and post-consumption outcomes (i.e. satisfaction, revisit intention and word-of-mouth). The result offers implications for hotelier and direction for future research