Al-Quran recitation speech signals time series segmentation for speaker adaptation using dynamic time warping

The transformation of the whole traditional process of Al-Quran Recitation into automated system application could raise the issues of robustness and integrity of recitation and correction quality and acceptance. There are several existing variations especially involve of rhythm, tone and length of recitation for different speaker. Dynamic Time warping (DTW) is used as dynamic programming to normalize the recitation speech length of speaker which warp the speech spectrum amplitude in time series for the experts and learners. DTW is used to gain the same length of recitation which warp the amplitudes, rhythm and tone into same length in time series segments based on formant frequency frame for different recitation speakers. There are 8 experts and 10 users from the Malay Muslim community had three selected surahs for Al-Quran recitation session. The aim of the paper is to normalize Al-Quran recitation speech signals as speaker adaption between experts and learner then represent each recitation speech signal at same vocal tract formant frequency that can be used in robust Automatic Recitation Recognition (ARR) to evaluate the performance of recitation evaluation.Keywords: Al-Quran speech recitation, Automatic Recitation Recognition, speaker adaptation, vocal tract length normalizatio

FRONT FOOT SLIDE VARIABILITY AND ITS RELATION TO TENPIN BOWLING PERFORMANCE

In tenpin bowling, bowlers try to knock down as many pins as possible with the allotted number of tries. In the modern power game, they achieve this by generating a lot of momentum using heavy balls released accurately at great velocities (Strickland, 1996). It must be done consistently over many tries. Although accuracy of the front foot slide during the delivery phase seems less relevant compared to the accuracy of the ball release, its consistency is still paramount. The ability to slide the front foot consistently presumably enables the bowler to have a predictable stable base to deliver the ball more accurately. Variability in performing sports skills has been studied in various disciplines such as javelin and basketball (Bartlett, 2008), but no published data is available on tenpin bowling. In fact, published work on tenpin bowling is rather scarce; the only recent study was by Chu and colleagues (2002) which compared a number of kinematic variables in the sagittal plane between male and female bowlers. The purpose of this study was to look at how variability of the front foot slide was related to average bowling score (Bave) and ball release velocity (BRvel ). In addition, the variability of the foot kinematics between elite and amateur bowlers was also compared

Electromyography assessment of forearm muscles: Towards the control of exoskeleton hand

Hand plays an important role in a human’s life by offering physical interaction and grasping capabilities. In most stroke cases, the hand is the most vulnerable part of the body that has a high chance of suffering. This has led to the development of a numerous wearable robotic devices such as exoskeleton hands. The exoskeleton hands can provide physical assistance for stroke survivors to regain their abilities in performing basic activities of daily living and to improve their quality of life. The key challenges in developing such a device do not only lie in designing its mechanical but also in designing its controller. In controlling the exoskeleton hand, the principal criterion is to work according to the user’s motion intention. It can be done by utilizing the electromyogram (EMG) signals generated by forearm muscles contributed from the movement and/or grasping abilities of the hand. In this paper, electromyography assessment of forearm muscles towards the control of an exoskeleton hand is presented. The EMG signals are collected non-invasively using multi-channel surface EMG sensors. The contractions of the muscles are detected from several forearm (flexion and extensor) muscles and the data is processed through several pattern recognition steps, before being mapped to various pinching/gripping forces and angular joints. The adaptability and learning process is done through a neural network. The experimental results show separable classes of features and significant range of control inputs that represent the inter-relation between forearm EMG signals, various pinching/gripping forces and angular joints for exoskeleton hand control

Electromyography assessment of forearm muscles: Towards the control of exoskeleton hand

Hand plays an important role in a human’s life by offering physical interaction and grasping capabilities. In most stroke cases, the hand is the most vulnerable part of the body that has a high chance of suffering. This has led to the development of a numerous wearable robotic devices such as exoskeleton hands. The exoskeleton hands can provide physical assistance for stroke survivors to regain their abilities in performing basic activities of daily living and to improve their quality of life. The key challenges in developing such a device do not only lie in designing its mechanical but also in designing its controller. In controlling the exoskeleton hand, the principal criterion is to work according to the user’s motion intention. It can be done by utilizing the electromyogram (EMG) signals generated by forearm muscles contributed from the movement and/or grasping abilities of the hand. In this paper, electromyography assessment of forearm muscles towards the control of an exoskeleton hand is presented. The EMG signals are collected non-invasively using multi-channel surface EMG sensors. The contractions of the muscles are detected from several forearm (flexion and extensor) muscles and the data is processed through several pattern recognition steps, before being mapped to various pinching/gripping forces and angular joints. The adaptability and learning process is done through a neural network. The experimental results show separable classes of features and significant range of control inputs that represent the inter-relation between forearm EMG signals, various pinching/gripping forces and angular joints for exoskeleton hand control

Pengaruh Pemberian Tugas Berbasis Portofolio terhadap Hasil Belajar Reaksi Oksidasi-Reduksi Siswa Kelas X di SMA Negeri 4 Gorontalo

Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kuantitatif yang bertujuan untuk mengetahui prosedur pemberian tugas berbasis portofolio dalam proses kegiatan belajar mengajar dan mengetahui pengaruh pemberian tugas berbasis portofolio terhadap hasil belajar siswa. Pemberian tugas berbasis portofolio diuji cobakan di kelas X IPA 1 SMA Negeri 4 Gorontalo dengan menggunakan Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design. Instrumen pengumpulan data terdiri dari lembar pretest dan posttest siswa. Teknik analisis data menggunakan uji-t, yakni tes statistik yang dipergunakan untuk menguji kebenaran atau kepalsuan hipotesis nihil. Hasil penelitian yang didapatkan, yaitu pemberian tugas berbasis portofolio dapat dilihat pada pemberian tugas mind mapping terjadi peningkatan pada pemberian tugas note exercise, dan mading, sehingga dapat disimpulkan bahwa nilai tugas-tugas portofolio siswa secara keseluruhan sudah cukup baik dan terdapat pengaruh pemberian tugas berbasis portofolio terhadap hasil belajar reaksi oksidasi-reduksi. Hal ini terlihat dari perbedaan yang cukup signifikan rata-rata hasil belajar siswa, yaitu 78,182 untuk kelas eksperimen dan 69,5 untuk kelas kontrol. Dibuktikan dengan hasil perhitungan uji-t yang telah dilakukan yaitu thitung 7,30 > ttabel 1,68

Assessment of Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Shop Houses for Sleep Lodging in Malaysia: Fulfilment of Conservation Guidelines

This study focuses on the compliance of adaptive reuse of historic shop houses for sleep lodging with reference to the Guidelines for Conservation Areas and Heritage Buildings by Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP). Through this research, awareness towards the compliance of building conservation guidelines for heritage shop houses will be clarified accordingly. The goal of this study is to determine and extract vital clauses and components of Guidelines for Conservation Areas and Heritage Buildings (GCAHB) towards adaptive reuse of heritage shop houses so that revitalization of these buildings can be ensured when changing the original function of the property. The aim is also to evaluate the compliance of the adaptive reuse of heritage shop houses with the GCAHB, and, lastly, to provide recommendations for adaptive reuse of heritage shop houses, also in compliance with the GCAHB. Additionally, heritage building owners can use this dissertation as a reference whenever they intend to adaptively reuse their buildings. Furthermore, recommendations in this research could be used for future reference

Evaluation of Fire Hazard and Safety Management of Heritage Buildings in Georgetown, Penang

Fire is a subject that is always neglected and ignored as far as heritage buildings are concerned. Unlike newly-built buildings, which are required under UBBL to undergo certain fire protection system tests, people are less likely to carry out such tests and detailed assessments for heritage buildings. Thus, this research is significant as it is aimed at accomplishing several objectives including studying the current fire emergency plan, besides identifying and assessing the possible fire hazards in heritage buildings in Penang. Several case studies were carried out at a few premises such as the Khoo Kongsi, Cheah Kongsi, Hock Teik Chen Shin Temple and the Teochew Temple with the aid of the Fire Rescue Department Malaysia (FRDM). The results obtained from this study will be discussed according to several aspects focusing on general health and safety management at the site, the fire-fighting system, fire exit routes and signage at the temples, fire hazards, and fire detection and alarm

Development of a knowledge-based energy damage model to assess occupational health and safety (OHS) construction risks in Malaysia

Malaysia's construction industry has been long described as a dangerous industry, indicated by its poor health and safety performance. One of the Malaysian government?s initiatives to address OHS in construction is through the widespread adoption of Industrialised Building Systems (IBS). An IBS approach is believed to affect the significance of a particular safety risk because it changes the nature of the construction process. This study proposes to examine the extent of IBS impact upon OHS in contrast with traditional construction in Malaysia, by developing a knowledge-based energy damage model that assesses the OHS risks of different construction approaches. The proposed model will provide best-practice reasoning support for designers in construction

Effect of two adjacent muscles of flexor and extensor on finger pinch and hand grip force

Hand grip force and motion pattern classification using bio signal such as Electromyogram (EMG) has been very important in current studies. EMG based pattern classification has gain the utmost consideration especially in the commercial prostheses. Developing an intuitive hand control with fast response both in time and space are the major challenges. These challenges are due to the lack of information gathered from adjacent muscles. The study of adjacent muscles is crucially needed as it will allow to provide optimised hand grip and motion pattern classification without redundancy in the use of muscle information. The main aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of two adjacent flexor muscles; flexor digitorum superficial (FDS) and flexor carpi radialis (FCR), two adjacent extensor muscles: extensor carpi radialis longus (ECRL) and extensor digitorum communis (EDC) providing the perspective view of individual muscle performance compared to their adjacent muscle with respect to finger pinch and hand grip force. Practical classification results prove the significance of the study, both adjacent muscles perform almost similar with approximately 95% of similarities across different subjects. The results achieved lead to the conclusion, that the use of adjacent muscles can be reduced to only single muscle channel providing an optimised data for pattern recognition or classification