The Effect of Constructive Imaginative Mind Maps, Vee Maps, and Concept Maps on Students’ Attitude and Ability to Write Short Stories at Senior High School (SMAN) 13 Palembang

This study aimed to determine the effect of constructive imaginative mind maps, vee maps, and concept maps on students’ attitude and ability to write short stories at SMA 13 Palembang. The research method used was an experimental design. The population of this study was all students of the XI grade at SMA Negeri 13 Palembang. The sample consisted of three classes, namely XI grade MIA 2 with 38 students, XI grade MIA 3 with 36 students, and 32 students from XI grade MIA 4. The instruments used to collect data were tests of short story writing skills and attitude questionnaires using the Likert scale. A one-way Anova test was used to analyze short story data and Mancova was used to analyze the students’ attitudinal data. The results showed that the students’ scores and attitudes with the use of constructive imaginative mind maps in learning to write short stories were higher than with the use of vee maps and concept maps. The implication of this research is that Indonesian teachers can use constructive imaginative mind maps to improve students’ writing skills and attitude.   Keywords: concept map, constructive imaginative, mind mapping, students’ attitude, vee map, writing short storie

Contextual Approach for Expository Essay: A Study of Writing Achievement and Quality

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of a contextual approach to students’ writing achievement and quality based on some categories (excellent, good, average, and poor). Quantitative and qualitative methods were used in this study. An experimental method was used for the quantitative approach and essay analysis was used for the qualitative one. One hundred and eight of the tenth graders of SMAN 7 Palembang became the sample of the study. The results showed that the writing quality (content, organization, and language) of the students who were taught using a contextual approach was better than that of the students who were taught using an inductive and deductive approach. Students’ writing as being categorized of excellent or good quality was more predominant in classrooms taught using a contextual approach.   Keywords: achievement, contextual approach, essay qualit

Risk Probability of Time and Cost on Building Construction Project: A Monte Carlo Simulation

Construction project has never been avoided by not only low risk but also high risk. It can also occur in building and infrastructure construction project of Aceh Regional Intelligent Agency (BINDA) office complex. The complex structural works can impact the significant risk to the project construction process. To minimize the risk, it is required to review the risk analysis to the time and the cost. The problem of the research was how many probabilities of the highest risk by using Monte Carlo. The objective of the research was to analyze the highest risk probability percentage of time and cost in building construction project by using Monte Carlo simulation. Sampling technique used was census sampling by using 18 respondents. The variables used were contractual risk, construction risk, material and equipment risk, design and technology risk, and force majeure risk. The output of risk acceptability level analysis by using probability and impact found that the dominant risk in undesirable category is wrong implementation as the highest value of 7.50 risk value. The simulation output of Monte Carlo by using @risk software resulted that project duration time was 460 days on 99% probability. For probability distribution of cost estimation resulted that budget plan estimation was IDR 1,991,000,000 on 99% probability, so the project cost estimation can get the benefit as 1.00% by using @risk simulation. Therefore, the response provided is coordination to supervision consultant and owner

An alternative synthetic approach for 1,3- benzoxazine derivatives

1,3-benzoxazine derivatives were synthesized in high yield using three-step synthetic technique by the condensation of 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde with aromatic amines, reducing the condensation products and replacing the usual formaldehyde with methylene bromide to achieve ring closure. The structures of the benzoxazines were confirmed by FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR spectra and Mass spectroscopy

Synthesis and characterization of new 3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo- and naphtho-1,3-oxazine derivatives

New 1,3-benzoxazine and naphthoxazine monomers were synthesized using a modified step-wise technique in which formaldehyde was replaced with methylene bromide for ring-closure reaction in the last synthetic step. Salicylaldehyde and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde were used as the aromatic aldehydes and 4-fluoroaniline, 4-butylaniline, hexamethylenediamine, p-phenylenediamine and 2-aminothiazole were used as the primary amines. Condensation of the aromatic aldehydes and the aromatic primary amines in absolute ethanol gives imine compounds which on reduction with sodium borohydride in methanol give 2-hydroxybenzylamines/2-hydroxynaphthylamines. Ring-closure reaction between 2-hydroxybenzylamines/2-hydroxynaphthylamines and methylene bromide in absolute ethanol gives the 1,3-benzoxazines and naphthoxazines in good yields. The structures of the new 1,3-benzoxazine and naphthoxazine monomers were confirmed by FT-IR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectral analysis, Mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and elemental analysis. The mass spectrum of the synthesized compounds showed molecular ion peaks centered at m/z 229, 218, 316, 317, 444 and 268 which are equivalent to the molecular weights of the new synthesized compounds a, b, c, d, e and f, respectively. Results of elemental analysis also confirm the calculated result to be in agreement with the experimental result

Industrial Training as Gateway to Engineering Career: Experience Sharing

AbstractToday's engineering education demands in-depth theoretical knowledge as well as hands-on exposure to the profession. Traditionally, theoretical engineering education is achieved in campus through direct teaching and laboratory learning. However, hands-on exposure or real world confrontation provides engineering students with on-the-job experience. This helps them to decide whether their skills and industry are a good match. For specialised industries, such as manufacturing, aerospace and electronics, industrial training provides the opportunity for students to gain the most rewarding and enlightening working experience in related companies. This paper examines the industrial training experience gained by the students through a 12-week attachment period specifically looking at whether the companies have been successful in providing a relevant engineering workplace experience. A few industrial training experiences by students will be shared highlighting the positive and negative aspects. This study also suggests some steps that can be taken to ensure companies run industrial training programs that do meet the faculty's expectation

A Comprehensive Study of Using 2D Barcode for Multi Robot Labelling and Communication

Multi robot is an emerging field in robotic research with surprisingly various open problems. Reports have been published stating the advantages of multi robot over conventional single robot, including reducing task completion time. One of the open problem as concentrated in this study is their communication. This study focuses on using a 2D QR barcode for robot labelling suitable for vision-based multi robot communication. The aim is to prove that QR barcode could be decoded in various distances as well as in different angles. Image sampling is done in controlled environment. A two-way ANOVA without repetition is used to analyze the image data in terms of successful QR decoding. ANOVA with significant level of critical α 0.05 is used and has justified that smallest variance at different distances and angular pose will give the best position in order to decode the respective QR barcode. Hence multi robot communication by means of labelling a QR label onto them has the possibilities for further research

Copper oxide nanoparticles-loaded zeolite and its characteristics and antibacterial activities

In the present work, a simple and green co-precipitation method was used to prepare copper oxide-zeolite nanocomposites (CuO-zeolite NCs). The weight ratio (1, 3, 5, 8 and 10 wt%) of CuO nanoparticles (NPs) loaded into zeolite was investigated to obtain the optimum CuO distribution for antibacterial activities. The prepared CuO-zeolite NCs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF). The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) revealed a uniform surface morphology of the CuO-zeolite NCs. The UV–vis spectrum of NCs showed absorption peaks between 230 and 280 nm for nano-CuO in the XRD patterns, and new peaks appeared between (36.56°–38.83°) related to the CuO. At weight ratio less than 10 wt%, the CuO nanoparticles loaded to the zeolite exhibited spherical shapes with average particle diameter of 6.5 nm measured by TEM and XRD. Antibacterial activities were tested against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The obtained results showed that, CuO-zeolite NCs with 8 wt% CuO nanoparticles had the highest antibacterial activities against Bacillus Subtilis B29 and Salmonella Choleraesuis ATCC 10708, which can be attributed to the good dispersion of CuO NPs on the zeolite surface

myBas driving cycle for Kuala Terengganu city

Driving cycles are series of data points that represent vehicle speed versus time sequenced profile developed for specific road, route, city or certain location. It is widely utilized in the application of vehicle manufacturers, environmentalists and traffic engineers. Since the vehicles are one of the higher air pollution sources, driving cycle is needed to evaluate the fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. The main objectives in this study are to develop and characterize the driving cycle for myBAS in Kuala Terengganu city using established k-means clustering method and to analyse the fuel consumption and emissions using advanced vehicle simulator (ADVISOR). Operation of myBAS offers 7 trunk routes and one feeder route. The research covered on two operation routes of myBAS which is Kuala Terengganu city-feeder and from Kuala Terengganu to Jeti Merang where the speed-time data is collected using on-board measurement method. In general, driving cycle is made up of a few micro-trips, defined as the trip made between two idling periods. These micro-trips cluster by using the k-means clustering method and matrix laboratory software (MATLAB) is used in developing myBAS driving cycle. Typically, developing the driving cycle based on the real-world in resulting improved the fuel economy and emissions of myBAS

Modification of Montmorillonite by new surfactants.

The sodium Montmorillonite is not susceptible to polymer due to its organophobic character and has low basal spacing. This study reports on the effect of three new organic cations including Triethyl Amine (TEA), Tripropyl Amine (TPA) and Trioctyl Amine (TOA) on the basal spacing of the clay as indictors to the sociability of the clay to the incorporation of polymers. The Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to evaluate the incorporation of the three organic cations in the clay. The X-ray diffraction technique was utilized to indicate the basal spacing of the treated clay as a measure of the susceptibility of new organoclays. The FTIR, XRD and CHNS elemental analysis results shown that the three new organic cations acrylonitrile/montmorillonite were successfully incorporated in the Montmorollite clay. X-ray diffraction indicates that the basal spacings in acrylonitrile/montmorillonite of the treated clay with TEA, TPA and TOA individually increased by 14.2, 15.1 and 19.5Å, respectively. FTIR spectra illustrate that amine compounds were successfully intercalated into the clay layers