The doctoral research abstract. Vol:9 2016 / Institute of Graduate Studies, UiTM

FOREWORD: Seventy three doctoral graduands will be receiving their scroll today signifying their achievements in completing their PhD journey. The novelty of their research is shared with you through The Doctoral Abstracts on this auspicious occasion, UiTM 84th Convocation. We are indeed proud that another 73 scholarly contributions to the world of knowledge and innovation have taken place through their doctoral research ranging from Science and Technology, Business and Administration, and Social Science and Humanities. As we rejoice and celebrate your achievement, we would like to acknowledge dearly departed Dr Halimi Zakaria’s scholarly contribution entitled “Impact of Antecedent Factors on Collaborative Technologies Usage among Academic Researchers in Malaysian Research Universities”. He has left behind his discovery to be used by other researchers in their quest of pursuing research in the same area, a discovery that his family can be proud of. Graduands, earning your PhD is not the end of discovering new ideas, invention or innovation but rather the start of discovering something new. Enjoy every moment of its discovery and embrace that life is full of mystery and treasure that is waiting for you to unfold. As you unfold life’s mystery, remember you have a friend to count on, and that friend is UiTM. Congratulations for completing this academic journey. Keep UiTM close to your heart and be our ambassador wherever you go. / Prof Emeritus Dato’ Dr Hassan Said Vice Chancellor Universiti Teknologi MAR

Analytic Predictive of Hepatitis using The Regression Logic Algorithm

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver which is one of the diseases that affects the health of millions of people in the world of all ages. Predicting the outcome of this disease can be said to be quite challenging, where the main challenge for public health care services itself is due to a limited clinical diagnosis at an early stage. So by utilizing machine learning techniques on existing data, namely by concluding diagnostic rules to see trends in hepatitis patient data and see what factors are affecting patients with hepatitis, can make the diagnosis process more reliable to improve their health care. The approach that can be used to carry out this prediction process is a regression technique. The regression itself provides a relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable. By using the hepatitis disease dataset from UCI Machine Learning, this study applies a logistic regression model that provides analysis results with an accuracy rate of 83.33

Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist Identify Plants and Plant Requirements (F2 – 1&2): Line F Apply Horticultural Practices: F2 – Level 1 and 2

Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist Identify Plant Requirements is an adaptation of KPU HORT 1155 Introduction to Plant Materials Lecture Notes. This first edition supports student achievement of the Level 1 and 2 learning goals for Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist Line F2.This PDF is a representation of the book as it was on Feb.13, 2020. The online version may have been updated. For the most recent version, please visit the book url

The environmental auditing of green spaces within cities with implications for management systems

The study was carried out to assess the management and overall importance of green spaces both for a city, it's human population and also for the associated wildlife. A diverse range of different land categories make up green sites in cities. Durham City exhibits many land use types also, but it is also different from most other cities, in that it has been designated a World Heritage Site (1987).This study was implemented with the acquisition of baseline data which included history and flora/fauna records. A noise and pH survey was carried out within the city and green spaces and a litter and flytipping visual assessment was carried out on each of the green spaces. General mitigation measures were suggested for reducing dumping and flytipping on these sites. Interviews were also conducted with the City/County Council, University, Dean and Chapter and private land owners to discover past and current management practices. Noise levels were recorded above 60dB(A) - according to the Institute of Environmental Assessment, a day time noise above this level would need mitigating measures. Higher noise levels were mostly due to traffic. It was judged that the effect of traffic on green spaces in Durham City was minimal, however mitigation measures were suggested. The pH survey recorded an average pH of 6.2 over the area, this is an adequate pH level for most plants, although the findings serve only as a guide. Recommendations for the future management of specific green sites appear in individual sections. The main recommendations refer to managing green spaces with greater sympathy for the environment, teaching the importance of green spaces in cities through education and utilising this to implement better management techniques and preserve existing green sites in cities for future generations

4th Lone Star Regional Native Plant Conference

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/sfa_gardens_lonestar/1005/thumbnail.jp

Noticing in L2 writing

The study investigated the ways L2 learners of English reflect on their use of English while completing a writing task and the strategies learners apply in order to resolve their language-related problems. Factors which might have some influence on the learners' noticing and problem-solving behaviour were explored using a qualitative, inductive research approach involving the detailed analyses of ten participants. Think-aloud protocols and stimulated recall interviews were used to investigate learners' noticing while composing and their use of strategies. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted in order to analyze the learners' language learning background and preferences. The analysis was purposely inductive, deriving units of analysis and categories from the data rather than basing it on existing theories. At a later stage, the data-grounded analysis was compared to existing research, terminology and theories, and adapted where necessary. The results of the study revealed three basic tendencies (called types for a better clarity in describing the results) in noticing and strategy use behaviour. Learners of the first type frequently reflected on their language use and effectively applied a wide range of strategies to resolve their problems. The second type also used strategies effectively but applied a low range of strategy types. These learners did not often encounter linguistic problems and their linguistic problems occurred only in a few basic areas such as lexis. The third type were learners who, while encountering different numbers and ranges of language-related episodes, preferred to act intuitively rather than using problem-solving strategies in order to resolve their language-related problems. The different noticing and strategy use profiles were linked to the characteristics of the learners. Learners of the first type all had differentiated views on the importance of communication or accuracy in writing and speaking. Besides this, they exhibited two different sets of characteristics. The first subgroup was confident learners who were motivated to learn English and willing to invest some effort into learning English and other languages. The second subgroup considered learning English as an obligation and their English learning was strongly influenced by school. They were anxious learners with low communicative confidence who seemed to feel forced to reflect on their language use in order to avoid negative consequences. Learners of the second type also saw learning English as an obligation and were influenced by school in their English learning, but as confident learners, they found ways to handle the L2 effectively and to invest only as much effort as necessary. Learners of the third type exhibited a strong private influence on their English learning, combined with the motivation to learn English and other languages. Two of them had a clear preference for oral communication, linked to a less effective use of strategies in writing, whereas one learner used written and spoken English equally and at the same time demonstrated knowledge and effective use of strategies specific to writing. This study complements other studies which were concerned with noticing or strategy use in L2 output, adding new insights concerning the types of language-related problems, the different problem-solving strategies, and the links between these and the learner profiles. Based on the results, possible implications for English language teaching are drawn, stressing the balance of communication and accuracy in English language teaching, and illustrating how the different tendencies found in this study could be considered in foreign language instruction

From Nursery to Nature: Evaluating Native Herbaceous Flowering Plants Versus Native Cultivars for Pollinator Habitat Restoration

There is growing awareness about the value of preserving and restoring floral-rich habitats for the benefit of pollinators, especially native bees. The increasing demand for native plants in pollinator habitat restoration and other ecological landscaping applications, combined with the desire for more robust and predictable plant habits, have led to the selection and breeding of native cultivars. Yet, little is known about how these cultivated varieties differ from the native species in their ability to attract and support pollinators. I compared flower visitation by all insect pollinators to 12 native herbaceous plant species and 14 native cultivars in a replicated field experiment at two sites over two years. I classified insect pollinators during visual field observations into seven taxonomic and functional groups. I found seven native species to be visited significantly more frequently by all insect pollinators (combined) than their cultivars, four were visited equally, and one native cultivar was visited more frequently than the native species. Bees (both native and non-native) and moths/butterflies exhibited similar preferences, whereas flies showed no preference between the native species and the native cultivar. Our study shows that many insect pollinators prefer to forage on native species over cultivated varieties of the native species, but not always, and not exclusively. Some native cultivars may be comparable substitions for native species in pollinator habitat restoration projects, but all cultivars should be evaluated on an individual basis. Plant selection is integral to the value and success of pollinator habitat restorations, yet there is little consistency and overlap in pollinator planting recommendations and very little empirical data to support plant choice. Non peer-reviewed pollinator plant lists are widely available and are often region-specific, but they are typically based on anecdotal rather than empirical data and lack in specificity. To help close the gap between anecdotal and empirical data, and between practice and research, I reviewed the published literature on plant selection for pollinator habitat restoration. I explicitly reviewed and compared the value of native plant species, near-natives, non-natives and native cultivars. From there, I identified gaps in the literature that are most needed in practice and recommended basic strategies for practitioners to navigate plant lists and choose the best plants for a site\u27s success

Ag-IoT for crop and environment monitoring: Past, present, and future

CONTEXT: Automated monitoring of the soil-plant-atmospheric continuum at a high spatiotemporal resolution is a key to transform the labor-intensive, experience-based decision making to an automatic, data-driven approach in agricultural production. Growers could make better management decisions by leveraging the real-time field data while researchers could utilize these data to answer key scientific questions. Traditionally, data collection in agricultural fields, which largely relies on human labor, can only generate limited numbers of data points with low resolution and accuracy. During the last two decades, crop monitoring has drastically evolved with the advancement of modern sensing technologies. Most importantly, the introduction of IoT (Internet of Things) into crop, soil, and microclimate sensing has transformed crop monitoring into a quantitative and data-driven work from a qualitative and experience-based task. OBJECTIVE: Ag-IoT systems enable a data pipeline for modern agriculture that includes data collection, transmission, storage, visualization, analysis, and decision-making. This review serves as a technical guide for Ag-IoT system design and development for crop, soil, and microclimate monitoring. METHODS: It highlighted Ag-IoT platforms presented in 115 academic publications between 2011 and 2021 worldwide. These publications were analyzed based on the types of sensors and actuators used, main control boards, types of farming, crops observed, communication technologies and protocols, power supplies, and energy storage used in Ag-IoT platforms