Template Matching Based Sign Language Recognition System for Android Devices

An android based sign language recognition system for selected English vocabularies was developed with the explicit objective to examine the specific characteristics that are responsible for gestures recognition. Also, a recognition model for the process was designed, implemented, and evaluated on 230 samples of hand gestures.  The collected samples were pre-processed and rescaled from 3024 ×4032 pixels to 245 ×350 pixels. The samples were examined for the specific characteristics using Oriented FAST and Rotated BRIEF, and the Principal Component Analysis used for feature extraction. The model was implemented in Android Studio using the template matching algorithm as its classifier. The performance of the system was evaluated using precision, recall, and accuracy as metrics. It was observed that the system obtained an average classification rate of 87%, an average precision value of 88% and 91% for the average recall rate on the test data of hand gestures.  The study, therefore, has successfully classified hand gestures for selected English vocabularies. The developed system will enhance the communication skills between hearing and hearing-impaired people, and also aid their teaching and learning processes. Future work include exploring state-of-the-art machining learning techniques such Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) for large dataset to improve the accuracy of results. Keywords— Feature extraction; Gestures Recognition; Sign Language; Vocabulary, Android device

Litter size, parity and sex effects on weaning and post weaning growth of pigs

Pig breeding has been mostly affected by number of piglets that survived to market age with regards to their productivity and fitness traits. This study investigated the influence of sex, parity and litter size on three growth performance characteristics (weaning weight, total weight gain and average daily gain of piglets) at the weaning and post-weaning period of piglets. The 43 piglets investigated are from the cross of Camborough and Landrace breeds, comprising 25 male and 18 female piglets, from three different parities and five unique litter sizes. Measurements of body weight of the piglets were taken immediately at weaning and consistently for additional 12 weeks on a regular weekly basis. The piglets were tagged with an ID and restrained for the measurement, which was recorded against each piglet ID. All measurements were done with a digital hanging balance sensitive to 0.00g, whereby the piglets were placed in bags and hung for weighing. Data collected were recorded on excel worksheets and validated for precision and accuracy. Preliminary descriptive statistics was done to check the data for normality, and indices (total weight gain and average daily gain) were computed from the measured weekly values. The values ranged between 3.55kg-8.35kg, 6.90kg-18.45kg and 0.08kg-0.22kg respectively for weaning weight, total weight gain and average daily gain. Sex did not exert significant (P>0.05) influence on any of the three characteristics studied, while parity only significantly (P<0.05) impacted weaning weight but did not influence the other two parameters (total weight gain and average daily gain). However, litter size significantly affected the three parameters investigated with the largest influence recorded on weaning weight (61.1%). The relationship between weaning weight and subsequent weekly weights were mostly positive (direct) and significant, with the exception of Week 1 post weaning that was negative. The study revealed that piglets from small to moderate litter sizes tend to have higher post weaning weight

DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF AN EFFICIENT MODEL FOR CREDIT CARDS FRAUD DETECTION

In this study a model which can improve the accuracy and reliability of credit card fraud detection was proposed. This is with a few to mitigating contentious issues regarding online transaction of credit card, such as  amount of transactions that have resulted in payment default and the number of credit card fraud cases that have been recorded, all of which have put the economy in jeopardy.   To address this challenge,sample dataset was sourced from online repository database of Kaggle. The feature extraction on the data was performed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The credit card fraud detection model was designed using Neuro-fuzzy logic technique, clustering was done using Hierarchical Density Based Spatial Clustering of Application with Noise (HDBSCAN) .The simulation of the proposed model was done in Python programming environment.The performance evaluation of the model was carried out by comparing the proposed model with Neuro-Fuzzy (NF) technique using performance metrics such as precision, recall, F1-score and accuracy.  The simulation result showed that the proposed model (NF + HDBSCAN) had precision of 98.75%, recall of 98.70%, F1-Score of 97.65% and accuracy 99.75% . NF had Precision of 94.60%, recall of 94.50%, F1-Score of 95.50% and accuracy 95.70% using training dataset. Likewise, when test dataset were used, the proposed (NF + HDBSCAN) had precision of 93.50%, recall of 95.50%, F1-Score of 94.50% and accuracy 95.50%. NF had Precision of 92.50%, recall of 93.00%, F1-Score of 94.00% and accuracy 93.50%.  The simulation results of the proposed model was viable, reliable and showed possibility of being designed as module which could be  integrated into the existing credit card design for lowering fraud rate and assisting fraud investigators

Effect of Information Technology Investment on Organisational Productivity and Growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Developing Countries: A Case of Sachet and Table Water Industries in Lagos State, Nigeria

The objective of this paper is to determine the effect of information technological investment on employee’s output performance. Subject for the study consisted of seventy employees of sachet and table water manufacturing industries, Lagos, Nigeria. Data for the study were collected through a well-structured questionnaire delivered to the workers of the sachet and table water companies. We used F test, T test, regression and correlation to test our hypotheses whether information technology usage in production processes , work environment and management style boost up  the output performance  of an employees. The findings of the study showed that there exist strong positive relationship and significant effect between aggregate output, technology usage, work environment, and management style and that the technological usage in production processes has the highest contribution to boost aggregate output performance of an employees in sachet and table water manufacturing companies. Keywords: Information Technology, Output, Performance, Manufacturing Companies, Work Environment, Management Style

Influence of weight at hatching on weekly weight of broiler chickens

Broiler production is concerned with raising birds that reach market weight within a short time interval, and efforts are geared at indices that can accurately predict the future growth performance of birds based on their initial measurements. This study investigated the relationship between initial weight taken at hatch and its influence on subsequent weights of birds. Newly hatched day-old chicks were obtained from a reputable hatchery in Ibadan, Oyo state. It comprised of chicks from four different commercial broiler strains (Arbor Acre, Cobb, Marshall and Ross). The chicks were tagged for proper identification and weighed and records of their weekly weights taken over ten (10) week period of the study. At the end of the study, a total of 216 broiler chicks comprising Arbor Acre (48), Cobb (52), Marshall (60) and Ross (56) were analysed. Weekly weight progressively increased with increasing age of the birds, while weight gain increased across the weeks, with a decline and a further rise in values reflecting the different stages of growth. The population was fairly homogenous at the early stages but was later moderately varied with increasing age of birds. There was a highly significant (P<0.001) positive correlation amongst all the weights studied but strongest values were recorded on measurements that are contiguously close. Despite the fact that regression of weekly weights was highly statistically significant on initial weight, it is noteworthy that initial weight as predictors of weekly weight had the best fit on the first weekly weight, but the influence of initial weight consistently decreased with increasing age of the broiler birds. This study revealed that initial weight of broiler birds at hatch is a good predictor of future weight of the birds and can be used to model the future growth performances of the birds

High Energy X-Ray Dosimetry Using (ZnO)0.2(TeO2)0.8 Thin Filmbased Real-time X-Ray Sensor

This study reports the dosimetric response of a (ZnO)0.2(TeO2)0.8 thin film sensor irradiated with high-energy X-ray radiation at various doses. The spray pyrolysis method was used for the film deposition on soda-lime glass substrate using zinc acetate dehydrate and tellurium dioxide powder as the starting precursors. The structural and morphological properties of the film were determined. The I-V characteristics measurements were performed during irradiation with a 6 MV X-ray beam from a Linac. The results revealed that the XRD pattern of the AS-deposited thin film is non-crystalline (amorphous) in nature. The FESEM image shows the non-uniform shape of nanoparticles agglomerated separately, and the EDX spectrum shows the presence of Te, Zn, and O in the film. The I-V characteristics measurements indicate that the current density increases linearly with X-ray doses (0-250 cGy) for all applied voltages (1-6 V). The sensitivity of the thin film sensor has been found to be in the range of 0.37-0.94 mA/cm2 /Gy. The current-voltage measurement test for fading normalised in percentage to day 0 was found in the order of day 0 > day 15 > day 30 > day 1 > day 2. These results are expected to be beneficial for fabricating cheap and practical X-ray sensors

Comparative study of feeding frequencies on growth characteristics of four strains of broiler chickens

The poultry industry has evolved in recent years owing to the high demand for chicken meat. However, about 60 to 70% of broiler production cost is on feed. Thus, it becomes critical to make concerted efforts to reduce feed cost without compromising overall poultry productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding the birds twice (12 hourly) or thrice (8 hourly) on some growth characteristics of the birds. The birds were fed using commercially compounded broiler feeds [Starter (0-4 weeks) and Finisher (5-10 weeks)]. Data collected on weight was subjected to preliminary exploratory boxplot and normality analyses, and at the end of the study total of 211 of the original 304 birds were statistically evaluated. Strain, feeding frequency and sex all exerted significant (P<0.05) influence albeit at varying levels, on growth parameters. The model explained 36.2 percent of total variation with each of the factors respectively accounting for 33.23%, 1.37% and 1.60%. The largest source of variation was from the differences in strain, while the least was recorded on the feeding frequency. The study revealed that twice daily (12 hourly) feeding had a better impact on the parameters studied, while the male had superior performance over the female and difference due to strain was only pronounced in the Marshall which had the least values in all parameters studied. It is therefore recommended that broiler birds are fed twice daily (12 hourly), thereby reducing labour cost and frequency of disturbance to the birds

Comparative analyses of growth parameters of pure Clarias gariepinus and its hybrid in monosex culture

This study compared sexual differences in growth parameters of pure and hybrid African catfishes (Clarias gariepinus and Clariabranchus) raised in a monosex culture. The two species were obtained from 281 fishes comprising 150 pure breed and 131 hybrids in an earlier study and grouped by sex separately as male and female in four separate plastic tanks, representing two replicates per sex. Ten each of the pure clarias and its hybrid were reared in each tank. In all, 40 male and 40 female fish comprising 20 each of the pure clarias and its hybrid for each sex were evaluated for the growth parameters. A total of 80 fish were included in this study and the study lasted nine (9) weeks. The fish were fed commercially compounded feed twice daily throughout the period of the experiment. Length-weight relationship and growth parameters such as Mean Growth Rate (MGR), Specific Growth Rate (SGR), Absolute Growth Rate (AGR), Relative Growth Rate (RGR), Condition Factor (CF) were computed and evaluated for sex effect. All statistical analyses involving descriptive, general linear model analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc test were done using Minitab® 17 Statistical Software. Sex had significant (P<0.05) effects on all growth parameters except Absolute Growth Rate (AGR) albeit at different levels, but specie only had significant (P<0.05) effect on Mean Growth Rate (MGR), while the interaction of sex x specie exerted significant (P<0.05) effects on all growth parameters except Condition Factor (CF). This study revealed that growth performance is significantly (P<0.05) affected by sexual dimorphism and also by interaction of sex and specie. &nbsp

Stress and its associated factors among medical students in a public medical faculty, Malaysia

Background: Stress is common among university students. Levels of stress vary between the students of different courses in the university and many factors are associated with it. As compared to other professional courses, medical students are more prone to get depressed because medical education is known to be stressful and very demanding. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using a pretested, self-administered questionnaire involving all medical students in academic session 2013/2014. The questionnaire consists of 3 parts; socio-demographic information, family factors and personal factors; Depression, Anxiety and Stress Score 21 questionnaire (DASS 21) and Duke University Religion Index (DUREL). DUREL measures religiosity in 3 scales namely; organized religious activity (ORA), non-organized religious activity (NORA) and intrinsic religiosity (IR). The questionnaire was distributed to all medical students available in FMHS during the data collection period. Data collected were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 21. Result: Of 409 medical students, 329 (80.4%) responded. Most (50.5%) were aged 22 years and above, majority (62.3%) were female students. Respondents were mainly Malay (54.4%) and Muslims (56.8%). Stress prevalence in medical students were 19.8%. Stress prevalence was higher among students aged ≤ 21 years (22.1%), male (20.2%), Indian (24.0%) and Hindus (31.6%),among students with father of primary education level (21.4%), mother of tertiary education level (25%) and low income family (21.4%). Prevalence of stress among students in pre-clinical year (21.4%) and clinical year students (17.9%), p>0.05. Stress among students who did not undergo matriculation course and those who attended were 21.7% and 18.8%, respectively. Proportion of stress students who entered medical school not on their own choice and on their own choice were 24.3% and 18.5%, respectively, p>0.05. Medical students with poor ORA and NORA showed higher proportion of stress (20.2%, 20.6% respectively) however, students with good IR had higher proportion of stress compared to those with poor IR (20.0%, 19.5%, p>0.05). Conclusion: Stress is prevalent among almost one-fifth of medical students, especially those in their pre-clinical years of studies. Students’ involvement in religious activities could be beneficial to prevent stress. Further research is needed to assess the effect of medical training on stress and the effect of religiosity on stress coping