Factors that Contribute to Students’ Attrition in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Environment: A systematic review

This paper presents a systematic literature review of open distance learning (ODL) research that reports empirical findings on the factors that contribute to students' attrition in the ODL setting. Several prior literature reviews identified self-regulated learning as one of the critical factors that may lead to students dropping out. However, there has been much less understanding of the factors and challenges faced by the students in ODL learning and delivery, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic years. To address this limitation, this study provides a step toward a better understanding of the critical factors contributing to dropout risk, particularly in the ODL environment. Keywords: Open distance learning; Student attrition; COVID-19. eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by E-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC  BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behavior Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioral Researchers on Asians), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behavior Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7iSI10%20(Special%20Issue).413

Near field communication enabled mobile payments: preliminary study

The ubiquitous computing has made consumers life easy, it has given the new way to interact with family and friends and perform many activities which were impossible in previous time. One of the profound achievement of ubiquitous computing is Mobile Payment and an advanced mode of the mobile payment is the near field communication mobile payment. In this study the authors have proposed theoreti-cal near field communication mobile payment model that is based on extended unified technology acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) .In this paper, the author have performed the pilot study to validate the variables and to verify their reliability among the proposed items. The results has proven that there is a reliability among the items in variables, as the Cronbach’s alpha value for the vari-ables is above or equal to 0.7

Development of classification models for basal stem rot (BSR) disease in oil palm using dielectric spectroscopy

Basal stem rot (BSR) is the most destructive disease in oil palm plantations caused by Ganoderma boninense fungus, leading to a major economic setback in palm oil production. In order to reduce the losses caused by this disease, an effective early detection method is needed. Early detection not only prevents production losses, but it also reduces the use of chemicals. Therefore, this paper aims at investigating an early detection method utilizing dielectric properties (impedance, capacitance, dielectric constant, and dissipation factor) of oil palm trees. Leaf samples of healthy, mild, moderate, and severely-infected trees were collected and leaves’ dielectric properties were measured at a frequency range of 100 kHz–30 MHz with 100 kHz intervals. These spectral data were then reduced by principal component analysis (PCA) method. Following that, the reduced spectral data were tested to classify the leaf samples into four levels of disease severity. The classifiers used are linear discriminant analysis (LDA), quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA), k-nearest neighbor (kNN), and Naïve Bayes (NB). The results showed that the dielectric spectra of oil palm leaves of diffident BSR severity levels were statistically different (p < 0.0004). In addition, despite the slight better performance of QDA classifier, ANOVA test revealed that there was no significant difference in accuracy between all other classifier models (p = 0.7169). Amongst the tested dielectric properties, impedance is considered the best parameter to assess the severity of BSR disease in oil palm with overall accuracy ranging from 81.82% to 100%. These results verify the potential of dielectric spectroscopy for detecting BSR disease in oil palm

The development of spectral indices for early detection of Ganoderma disease in oil palm seedlings

Field spectroscopy is a rapid and non-destructive analytical technique that may be used for assessing plant stress and disease. The objective of this study was to develop spectral indices for detection of Ganoderma disease in oil palm seedlings. The reflectance spectra of oil palm seedlings from three levels of Ganoderma disease severity were acquired using a spectroradiometer. Denoizing and data transformation using first derivative analysis was conducted on the original reflectance spectra. Then, comparative statistical analysis was used to select significant wavelength from transformed data. Wavelength pairs of spectral indices were selected using optimum index factor. The spectral indices were produced using the wavelength ratios and a modified simple ratio method. The relationship analysis between spectral indices and total leaf chlorophyll (TLC) was conducted using regression technique. The results suggested that six spectral indices are suitable for the early detection of Ganoderma disease in oil palm seedlings. Final results after regression with TLC showed that Ratio 3 is the best spectral index for the early detection of Ganoderma infection in oil palm seedlings. For future works, this can be used for the development of robust spectral indices for Ganoderma disease detection in young and mature oil palm using airborne hyperspectral imaging

Dielectric constant and chlorophyll content measurements for basal stem rot (BSR) disease detection

Basal stem rot (BSR) is a common plant disease that is largely responsible for high economic losses in oil palm production. Several novel techniques have recently been develop and reported in the literature for detecting BSR disease in oil palm plantations. However, studies on the application of electrical properties in detecting BSR disease in oil palm does not exist. Therefore, this paper aims to contribute to the existing knowledge by investigating the potential of dielectric constant (DC) and chlorophyll properties in detecting BSR disease in oil palms. The study involved the collection of different leaf samples namely; healthy, mild, moderate, and severely-infected. Impedance analyzer operating at a frequency range of 100 kHz-30 MHz with 300 spectral intervals and SPAD 502 were used to measure the DC and chlorophyll of the samples collected, respectively. ANOVA, Duncan's multiple range test (DMRT) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used for statistical analysis. The results of this study showed a significant relationship between DC and different severity levels of BSR disease (p <; 0.0001). Specifically, BSR disease severity levels of all samples collected were clearly discriminated based on DC. Conversely, the chlorophyll content could not classify the different levels of BSR disease into distinct separate groups but two groups (healthy and BSR-infected). As such, the results demonstrated that DC and chlorophyll content at certain extend could be used as a sensing parameter for Ganoderma disease detection

An oncological curiosity of a male patient with a huge leiomyoma of the terminal ileum

Leiomyoma is a smooth muscle tumour that can arise in any part of the body especially the uterus. Even though it is traditionally linked with hormonal inf luence, it can also develop in extrauterine organs with a slight female predominance. It is indistinguishable with gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) histologically. We report a case of a 30-year-old gentleman who presented with a huge painful mass in the right iliac fossa. Computed tomography revealed a 10 × 10 cm homogeneous mass arising from the terminal ileum; he subsequently underwent an open right hemicolectomy. Histology showed a well-circumscribed lesion composed of interlacing bundles of smooth muscle fibres of the submucosa with positive smooth muscle actin and H-Caldesmon stains but negative for DOG-1 and CD117 (c-kit) stains which were consistent with leiomyoma. Despite its rarity, this hormone-related tumour needs to be considered regardless of gender. Immunohistochemistry is paramount as it is histologically identical to GIST

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p&lt;0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p&lt;0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Penggunaan Media Google Meet Sebagai Media Pembelajaran Bahasa Arab di MTs Alghozali Jatibarang

Tujuan penelitian ini untuk memaparkan penggunaan Google -Meet dalam pembelajaran bahasa Arab serta prinsip pemilihan media pengajaran di era 4.0. Di era digital atau biasa dikenal dengan era industri 4.0. Pembelajaran yang berjalan harus disertai dengan penggunaan teknologi yang mempermudah guru dan peserta didik dalam melaksanakan proses belajar mengajar, begitu juga dengan pembelajaran bahasa Arab. Google -Meet sebagai salah satu media yang banyak digunakan saat ini bisa dimanfaatkan untuk pembelajaran bahasa Arab. Penelitian ini berbasis pustaka, sehingga data yang diperoleh melalui pendalaman terhadap teks-teks buku maupun artikel sesuai data yang dibutuhkan. Kemudian data dianalisis dan dideskripsikan.Artikel ini memberikan jawaban dengan memaparkan prinsip pemilihan media pengajaran di era 4.0 yaitu kejelasan maksud dan tujuan media, familiar, serta adanya panduan yang jelas dalam pemanfaatannya. Penggunaan Google -Meet untuk pembelajaran bahasa Arab serta layanan pesan tulis, suara, video dan file yang disesuaikan dengan keterampilan bahasa yang akan diajarkan

Al Qawa'idu al Kubra: al Mausum bi Qawa'idi al Ahkami fi Ishlahi al Anami (2)

494 hal.; 24 cm