Starfruit classification based on linear hue computation

In this paper, a classification process to group starfruit into six maturity indices is proposed based on 1- dimensional color feature called hue, which is extracted from the starfruit image. As the original hue is quantified from the nonlinear transformation of the 3-dimensional Red, Green and Blue color, this paper proposes a linear hue transformation computation based on the 2 colors of Red and Green. The proposed hue computation leads to a reduced computational burden, less computational complexity and better class discriminant capability. The hue is then applied as the input for the maturity classification process. The classification process is based on the hypothesis that for each of the maturity index, certain area of the starfruit surface is supposed to have distinctive value of the hue. In this work, the said starfruit surface area is set as 70% of the total area and based on 600 samples, the proposed technique results in 93% classification accuracy

CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE OF GMO COWPEAS IN SUB-SAHARA AFRICA

Cowpea is the most important indigenous African grain legume for both home use and as a cash crop. Because of its tolerance to drought it is especially important for the Sahel. Genetic transformation of cowpea with Bachilius Thurengius (Bt) genes to control pod boring insects has many advantages, but little is known of the potential consumer response. This paper analyzes and reports the results of a survey of 200 consumers in northern Nigeria in early 2003 concerning consumer awareness of and acceptance of biotechnology. Ninety percent of the respondents were aware of GM products. Those respondents who were most concerned about the ethics of genetic transformation were likely to disapprove of such products, while those individuals who identified international radio as an information source were more likely to approve of GM technology.Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

CD4/CD8 Ratios among Blood Donors in Penang

In this study, the value for CD4/CD8 (Th/Ts) ratios among blood donors of various ethnic groups in Penang was established. The range ofCD4/CD8 ratio among blood donors in Penang obtained from this study was O. 75-2.13 with the mean of1.36. The significance of biologic variables such as age and race on the ratio was also determined in this study. There was no significant difference for the range of CD4/CD8 ratio between Malays, Chinese and Indians. Likewise, there was also no significant difference for CD4/CD8 ratio in terms of their age

Distinct amino acid compositional requirements for formation and maintenance of the [PSI+] prion in yeast

Multiple yeast prions have been identified that result from the structural conversion of proteins into a self-propagating amyloid form. Amyloid-based prion activity in yeast requires a series of discrete steps. First, the prion protein must form an amyloid nucleus that can recruit and structurally convert additional soluble proteins. Subsequently, maintenance of the prion during cell division requires fragmentation of these aggregates to create new heritable propagons. For the Saccharomyces cerevisiae prion protein Sup35, these different activities are encoded by different regions of the Sup35 prion domain. An N-terminal glutamine/asparagine-rich nucleation domain is required for nucleation and fiber growth, while an adjacent oligopeptide repeat domain is largely dispensable for prion nucleation and fiber growth but is required for chaperone-dependent prion maintenance. Although prion activity of glutamine/asparagine-rich proteins is predominantly determined by amino acid composition, the nucleation and oligopeptide repeat domains of Sup35 have distinct compositional requirements. Here, we quantitatively define these compositional requirements in vivo. We show that aromatic residues strongly promote both prion formation and chaperone-dependent prion maintenance. In contrast, nonaromatic hydrophobic residues strongly promote prion formation but inhibit prion propagation. These results provide insight into why some aggregation-prone proteins are unable to propagate as prions

User friendly system for the visually impaired in learning Al-Quran

This study presents a method to enable the visually impaired Muslim to learn and read the Al-Quran using Braille Display with software help. The system reads the database which contains all verses of Al-Quran and user will need to select the verse and ayah to read. Besides that, this system can be used in a class to teach visually impaired students to learn Al-Quran. Every word or character typed by the instructor in the main Braille Panel will be transmitted to the sub Braille Panel that is connected to the main Braille Panel. The selected verse of Al-Quran and ayah will also generate an index before being transmitted to the Braille Panel. The index will be transmitted to the Braille Display for people to touch and read the display. A user friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) will be used to fulfill the ergonomics for the visually impaired user's physical capabilities. Several approaches are used to design and implement the interface for the visually impaired like speech or sound output and Braille display. The Braille codes can be displayed using the Braille panel. The design interface and structure of the system for the visually impaired users in learning Al-Quran is presented

Pengaruh Kompetensi, Motivasi dan Kepuasan Kerja terhadap Kinerja Karyawan di PT Elnusa Tbk

Program Turnaround di PT Elnusa Tbk merupakan langkah fundamental untuk melakukan Perubahan diberbagai aspek. Penelitian bertujuan mengkaji turunan dari program tersebut berupa pengaruh kompetensi, motivasi dan kepuasan kerja terhadap kinerja karyawan. Penelitian ini menggunakan Analisis Jalur dengan pengambilan contoh stratified random sampling with proportional allocation terhadap karyawan PT Elnusa Tbk bagian shared service dengan 45 contoh. Hasil penelitian menunjukan tata nilai kompetensi tidak berpengaruh nyata terhadap kepuasan kerja, motivasi berpengaruh nyata terhadap kepuasan kerja karyawannya. Hal lainnya kepuasan kerja memiliki pengaruh nyata terhadap kinerja karyawan. Untuk itu, evaluasi mengenai sistem kompensasi perlu memerhatikan level dan beban kerja karyawan serta sistem komunikasi untuk menjaga motivasi kerja karyawan Perusahaan

Design and construction of 2.14 m. LOA (one sheet) flat bottom canoe (punt) for pond activities

A 2.14M length overall (LOA) flat bottom canoe (punt), was designed and constructed using locally available materials. The features of the canoe are least cost material, light weight, shallow draft and easy maneuverability. The canoe's light displacement (weight empty) was 28kg, which was less.than local canoe of same size. When placed on water a draft of 5.5cm was achieved which is 14.8% of its depth (37cm). The capacity of the canoe was 200kg, and the total production cost of N8, 700.00 which was, not beyond, the reach of an average fisher folks, or any fish farmer. The canoe was easily maneuvered when propelled by paddling as it floated at a shallow draft; this makes the canoe adequate for use on shallow water bodies such as ponds and reservoirs. Such easily maneuvered craft can also be used on pond or reservoirs for recreation which include, sport fishing, canoein