An acceleration simulation method for power law priority traffic

A method for accelerated simulation for simulated self-similar processes is proposed. This technique simplifies the simulation model and improves the efficiency by using excess packets instead of packet-by-packet source traffic for a FIFO and non-FIFO buffer scheduler. In this research is focusing on developing an equivalent model of the conventional packet buffer that can produce an output analysis (which in this case will be the steady state probability) much faster. This acceleration simulation method is a further development of the Traffic Aggregation technique, which had previously been applied to FIFO buffers only and applies the Generalized Ballot Theorem to calculate the waiting time for the low priority traffic (combined with prior work on traffic aggregation). This hybrid method is shown to provide a significant reduction in the process time, while maintaining queuing behavior in the buffer that is highly accurate when compared to results from a conventional simulatio

Shattering or Supporting Stereotypes? Examining Gender In/equality in English Language Textbooks in Brunei

This paper examines the representation of gender relations in textbooks used to teach the English language in public secondary schools in Brunei. The country is currently ranked 95th in the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s 2020 Global Gender Gap Index among 153 countries analysed. This fact seems to suggest that there is a significant gender gap existing in the country. As textbooks used in schools are considered among the most potent tools for promoting gender in/equality, they deserve to be examined in detail. Using Content Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as methods of analysis, this paper seeks to address the following questions: (i) in what ways and to what extent, is gender inequality manifested in textbooks used to teach the English language in Brunei and (ii) what are the implications and pedagogical measures which may be taken to address the persistence of gender inequality? The findings of the study show that the portrayal of gender relations in the textbook is fairly balanced, which is rather surprising considering the pervasive perception of conservatism and patriarchy in many Muslim societies, including Brunei. This suggests the need for a nuanced discussion of the nation’s social, cultural, economic, and political milieu in order to obtain a true picture of gender relations in the country

Biologcally-inspired optimal video streaming over unpredictable wireless channel

Recently there has been an alarming increase in demand for wireless video streaming and the need to provide the required quality of service (QoS) to support video applications is very crucial. It is obvious that supporting multimedia applications and services over wireless is very challenging task due to network heterogeneity and different QoS requirements. This requires low complexity and highly efficient optimization scheme to cope with the unpredictable channel condition. This paper is aimed at developing a biologically-inspired scheme using particle swarm optimization (PSO) to achieve optimal video streaming. The optimal parameters configuration selected provide the best settings to enhance the video streaming quality over wireless LAN. The scenario has been simulated in NS-2 environment, it clearly shows that the video quality has been improve by selecting best configuration to ultimately support video application. The PSO-based approach outperforms other techniques used to compare the performance of the develop scheme in terms of perceived video quality by more than 0.5dB. The experimental simulation has been used to verify the efficiency and potential application of the PSO in wireless multimedia networks

STUDENTS' REFLECTION ON GREEN SCHOOL

Education plays an important role in enhancing sustainable development and improving human capacity in addressing the issues of environment. Environment and development need to be incorporated as a key component in learning fields. Environment and Sustainability Course (GGGR6223) is a course offered to postgraduate students who are taking Science Education at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). This course prepares students with the knowledge, skills and approaches in management and environmental sustainability, especially on renewable and non-renewable resources as well as the problems that exist due to human activities. This study aimed to review the reflections made by the students of Environment and Sustainability Course at the National University of Malaysia on Green School. Data were collected through reflections made by the students upon completion of tasks and lectures related to green school carried out in their school. A total of 26 students' reflections were analyzed. Thematic analysis resulted in five key dimensions: positive feelings, awareness of green schools, understanding of green school's concepts, the role of teachers in instilling awareness about green schools and challenges in its implementation. The analysis demonstrated that the students have been exposed and have proper awareness about green schools. Awareness of green schools and environmental education are expected to form the next generations who are able to appreciate life and the environment

Comparison of growth rate and viability of DF-1 cell line in different culture media

One of the commercial cell line that gained attention for the study of viral vaccine was an immortalized cell line derived from chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells. Unlike CEF cells, DF-1 cells have higher proliferation rate and also can be subcultured infinite number of times. In this study, the growth profile of DF-1 cell line was investigated by undergoing series of optimization process by testing it out on several culture media and also by manipulating the components of culture media which were sodium bicarbonate and serum. At the end of this study it has been figured out that DF-1 achieved the highest cell culture density in Dulbecco’s Modification of Eagle’s Medium( DMEM) and with 1.24 g/L of NaHCO3 and 5.5 % serum, it yielded the shortest doubling time

Growth study of DF-1 cell line in microcarrier bioreactor

Animal cell culture is fundamental in the manufacturing of many biological products. Biological products produced in animal cell cultures include vaccines, enzymes, hormones, antibodies and anticancer agents. However majority of animal cells is anchorage-dependent and requires attachment to a surface for their growth. Microcarrier is a small bead used to provide surface for the culture of anchorage-dependent animal cells. Microcarrier culture has very large surface area to volume ratio, thus able to produce larger number of cells when compared to conventional monolayer cultures which uses multiple glass or plastic bottles. This research was carried out mainly to study the growth performance of DF-1 cell culture by using microcarriers in a 1-L litre stirred tank bioreactor and compares it with conventional monolayer cultures grown in T-flasks bioreactor. At the end of the study it has been found that the maximum viable cell concentration achieved by the microcarrier culture was 1.315 × 106 cells/ml which was higher than maximum viable cell concentration achieved by the cell culture in T-flasks which was 1.25 × 106 cells/ml

Integrated Robotics STEM Curriculum Towards Industry 4.0

In consideration of future employment in STEM domains, university graduates should be prepared to meet the demands of industry 4.0 – resulting from a fourth industrial revolution. Based on the technological concept of cyber-physical systems and the internet of things, it facilitates – among others - the vision of the smart factory. As a result, robotics education is faced with a large potential field of research, which ranges from the technical development and didactical students’ acceptance or the proof of concept of the terms of learning efficiency. This paper presents a conceptual framework to investigated which kinds of learning outcomes prefer in a robotics education in secondary school STEM curriculum. Building upon the results content analysis, a collaborative STEM curriculum using robotics as a platform was created within the collaborative competition environment. It is expected that the students exposed to the robotics curriculum in secondary school would continue to pursue the engineering course in university. Therefore, this is an important contribution towards a globalized and digitalized working world in terms of industry 4.0

An improvement in support vector machine classification model using grey relational analysis for cancer diagnosis

To further improve the accuracy of classifier for cancer diagnosis, a hybrid model called GRA-SVM which comprises Support Vector Machine classifier and filter feature selection Grey Relational Analysis is proposed and tested against Wisconsin Breast Cancer Dataset (WBCD) and BUPA Disorder Dataset. The performance of GRA-SVM is compared to SVM’s in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and Area under Curve (AUC). The experimental results reveal that GRA-SVM improves the SVM accuracy of about 0.48 by using only two features for the WBCD dataset. For BUPA dataset, GRA-SVM improves the SVM accuracy of about 0.97 by using four features. Besides improving the accuracy performance, GRA-SVM also produces a ranking scheme that provides information about the priority of each feature. Therefore, based on the benefits gained, GRA-SVM is recommended as a new approach to obtain a better and more accurate result for cancer diagnosis

Handover Algorithm based VLP using Mobility Prediction Database for Vehicular Network

This paper proposes an improved handover algorithm method for vehicle location prediction (VLP-HA) using mobility prediction database. The main advantage of this method is the mobility prediction database is based on real traffic data traces. Furthermore, the proposed method has the ability to reduce handover decision time and solve resource allocation problem. The algorithm is simple and can be computed very rapidly; thus, its implementation for a high-speed vehicle is possible. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, QualNet simulation is carried out under different velocity scenarios. Its performance is compared with conventional handover method. The superiority of the proposed method over conventional handover method in deciding the best handover location and choosing candidate access points is highlighted by simulation. It was found that VLP-HA has clearly reduced handover delay by 45% compared to handover without VLP, give high accuracy, hence low complexity algorithm