Invariant behavioural based discrimination for individual representation

Writer identification based on cursive words is one of the extensive behavioural biometric that has involved many researchers to work in. Recently, its main idea is in forensic investigation and biometric analysis as such the handwriting style can be used as individual behavioural adaptation for authenticating an author. In this study, a novel approach of presenting cursive features of authors is presented. The invariants-based discriminability of the features is proposed by discretizing the moment features of each writer using biometric invariant discretization cutting point (BIDCP). BIDCP is introduced for features perseverance to obtain better individual representations and discriminations. Our experiments have revealed that by using the proposed method, the authorship identification based on cursive words is significantly increased with an average identification rate of 99.80%

Quantifying Factors Affecting Willingness to Communicate in English: Understanding Young Learners at Perhentian Island

Perhentian Island is a renowned islands by the locals and the tourists around the world. The island receives a high number of tourists every year. The high number of tourism activities has influenced the English communication skills among the locals who are using their own local dialect as a medium of communication. Nevertheless, based on the school yearly assessment, the proficiency among the pupils in the one and only school in Perhentian Island did not show any significant effect. It has brought up the question of how much the tourism activities could influence the English proficiency of the pupils. This research investigated the pupils’ willingness to communicate in English as a Second Language by applying the variables extracted from Theory Reason Action (TRA) and the variables from willingness to communicate (WTC). The respondents involved in this research (N=107) were the pupils at the Perhentian Island. The findings showed that the willingness of communication in L2 has influenced the pupils’ attitude and behavior in using English language during the school hours. The results reveal that perceived attitude is the main factor that influenced pupils’ readiness in Perhentian Island to communicate in English as a second language. The implications of the results and future research directions are also discussed

Experiences Of Crime Amongst Youth From A Gender Perspective: A Preliminary Analysis

Crime index in Malaysia has increased significantly over the years. There is an emerging trend today of juvenile involvement in crime and other social ills. Juvenile crime involving children aged 12 to 17 years experiences a 47% increment. There is also a notable increase of female juveniles in Malaysia. This paper contributes to the understandings of factors motivating criminal behaviour amongst youths by making a preliminary analysis of male and female juveniles’ experiences in Malaysia. Face to face indepth interviews were applied in the study that becomes the basis of this paper. The participants were residents of two rehabilitative facilities for juveniles in the Penang and Kedah, two northern states of Malaysia. This study of 37 male and 19 female juvenile offenders find that there are noteworthy gender differences in the whole experiences of serving incarceration at their respective schools. Preliminary analysis indicated several gender differences of male and female in overall referral rates to juvenile court, type of crime they committed, and level of violent offences. From the interviews, the study preliminarily finds that common narratives demonstrate male and female similarities in terms of factors leading them to the commission of crime. Female offenders, like male offenders tend to come from background marked by disadvantaged economic conditions, poor schooling and lack of attention from parents and/ or guardians. However, boys and girls may articulate their contexts of existing and desired support in different manners. This preliminary analysis can be the basis for rethinking further data gathering on juvenile delinquency issues and further strategies for intervention that may help rebuild juveniles’ senses wellbeing

The influence of men’s masculine gender-role attitude and behaviour on sexual relationships and reproductive health in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study

Background: This article is an extension of previous research on masculinity and sexual and reproductive health using a newly developed local masculinity scale, KANITA Masculinity Scale, to study men’s masculine gender-role attitude and behavior in Malaysia. Objective: To explore how Malaysian men’s masculine gender-role attitude and behavior influence sexual relationships and reproductive health. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study used the localized genderequitable men scale to measure the attitude of Malaysian men toward sexual relationships and reproductive health. A questionnaire survey was administered to a sample of 168 men of ages 20–64 yr, in Malaysia. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS version 3.2.6. Results: The findings of the study showed that men’s traditional behavior and controlling nature are positively associated with the inequality in sexual relationships (p < 0.05, t = 1.838; and p < 0.05, t = 3.750, respectively) and reproductive health (p < 0.05, t = 2.196; and p < 0.05, t = 4.133, respectively). In other words, men who offer stronger endorsement of traditional behavior and control over women report more negative condom attitude and greater priority of men’s desire in sexual relationships. In contrast, there was no significant relationship between men’s response to family and feminine roles in men with sexual relationships and reproductive health. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of considering traditional masculinity ideology when considering the role of men in sexual relationships and reproductive health. Our findings suggest gender transformative policies and programs seeking to inspire men for more gender-equitable relationships with their partners. Key words: Attitudes, Masculinity, Gender-role, Sexual health, Reproductive health, Malaysia

A comparing key performance indicator and benchmarks of quality pre-school among the agency in Malaysia

High quality early childhood education (ECE) enables children to enjoy the experience and have nurturing environment that promotes holistic development. The key performance indicators such as quality pre-school’s environment, teachers and assistant teachers, learning materials have been predicted to produce desirable outcomes. However, the challenge is to identify the predictors that can quantify the definition of a quality teacher. This study uses questionnaire to assess individual perceptions and views on quality key performance indicators of early childhood pre-school center. The study’s findings revealed that the gap analysis related to the qualification of pre-school teachers and ratio teacher-child below the standard. Even though teacher-child ratio in private pre-schools is small because most of pre-schools do not employ assistant teacher as practiced in other pre-schools. Thus, the study found that the performance of children’s abilities in Ministry of Education pre-school and private pre-schools exceeded the national standard of 76.2% National Average of Reading and Writing, and 64.6% National Average of Arithmetic. However, based on benchmark 100% achievement, the screening performance report shown children far left behind. In conclusion, these findings are important to be given attention and remedial action in order the improvement and quality of pre-school achieve the minimum standard

The potential of bioflocculant-producing bacteria as inoculum for biofloc based systems

Aim: Biological flocculants has been widely used around the world to replace the usage of synthetic flocculants for wastewater treatment.Anew green technology using biological flocculant known as biofloc system was developed which offers zero water exchanged, low feed conversion ratio (FCR) and high nutritional profile. This study was conducted to determine the most potential bioflocculant-producing bacteria isolated from biofloc sampleinPacific Whiteleg shrimp,P. vannameiculture pond. Methodology: Biofloc sample was collected using Imhoff cone and bacteria was isolated. The most abundant bacteria isolated throughout P. vannamei culture period was selected for screening of bioflocculant-producing bacteria usingYPG medium and flocculation activity using floc-jar test. Results: Screening of bioflocculant-producing bacteria showed that B. infantis, N. aquimarinus, B. cereus, H. venusta, Pseudoalteromonas sp., and B. safensis were characterized as highly mucoid and ropy colony morpologies. The highest flocculation activity with 93% was showed by B. infantis followed by N. aquimarinus (91%), B. cereus (87%), H. venusta (79%), Pseudoalteromonas (78%), while the lowest flocculation activity was showed byB. safensiswith 69%. Interpretation: As bacteria grew, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced were involved in flocculation process. Each bacteria produced different EPS composition which differed their ability in flocculation process. Therefore, bacteria with high flocculation activity are potentially used as inoculum to increase flocculation processinbiofloc production

Validation Of The Multicultural Masculinity Ideology Scale In The Malaysian Context

The Multicultural Masculinity Ideology Scale (MMIS) measures an individual’s perception of being a man, adapting in a specific cultural context. The MMIS was first introduced in a study by Doss and Hopkins (1998), where gender-specific masculinity ideology items were chosen based on theoretical grounds and constructed into a scale. The MMIS has been empirically examined and validated in different cultures (e.g., Anglo-American, African-American, Chilean, Russian and Korean cultures). The aim of this study is to explore the psychometric properties of the MMIS in the Malaysian context from the responses of 100 Malaysian male respondents in a public university. Psychometric properties were investigated using factor analysis, convergent validity tests, discriminant validity tests and internal consistency reliability assessment. Factor analysis by using varimax rotation discovered two cross-cultural components: Hypermasculine Posturing and Achievement. Internal consistency reliability was supported by high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of the components and total scale. Evidence for discriminant validity was demonstrated through the relationship between the MMIS and the Bem Sex Roles Inventory (BSRI). Evidence for convergent validity was demonstrated by the relationship between the MMIS and the Gender Equity Men Scale (GEM). Findings validated MMIS in the Malaysian context. Implications for future research in the area of masculinity in Malaysia were discussed

Penerokaan Awal Terhadap Jenayah Seksual Dalam Kalangan Remaja Lelaki Di Malaysia: Satu Kajian Kes Terhadap Remaja Di Sebuah Pusat Pemulihan

Isu krisis akhlak dan moral golongan remaja di Malaysia semakin membimbangkan. Statistik menunjukkan peningkatan sebanyak 111 peratus dalam tempoh setahun bagi jumlah kes jenayah membabitkan pesalah juvana. Statistik yang dikeluarkan oleh pihak Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) pada tahun 2013 menunjukan sebanyak 7,816 kes dicatatkan berbanding hanya 3,700 kes pada 2012 iaitu membabitkan peningkatan sebanyak 4,116 kes termasuk bagi jenayah seksual seperti rogol dan liwat. Melihat kepada perkembangan ini, adalah penting untuk mengenalpasti faktor-faktor yang mendorong kepada peningkatan jenayah seksual tersebut agar pencegahan awal dapat dilakukan bagi mengelak penglibatan orang muda dalam jenayah khususnya dalam jenayah seksual. Maka, kajian ini dilakukan sebagai penerokaan awal terhadap jenayah seksual dalam kalangan remaja lelaki di Malaysia. Bagi tujuan tersebut, pendekatan kaedah kualitatif telah digunakan dengan menjalankan temubual mendalam bersama 6 orang pesalah juvana yang menjalani hukuman pemulihan di sebuah pusat pemulihan di Pulau Pinang. Temubual ini memberikan gambaran yang mendalam tentang pengalaman dan perasaan juvana lelaki yang terlibat dalam jenayah seksual. Hasil kajian ini menunjukkan pengaruh rakan sebaya, keadaan keluarga, suka sama suka dan individu itu sendiri menjadi salah satu faktor yang mendorong berlakunya jenayah seksual

Juveniles and Their Parents: Narratives of Male & Female Adolescents in Rehabilitation Centres

A number of studies, internationally, have established a relationship between family structures and environment with juvenile delinquency (Harper and McLanahan, 1998; Larson, Swyers and Larson, 1995; Anderson, 2002). Not many studies have been conducted in Malaysia to link juvenile delinquency with the context of juveniles’ families, especially of their parents or people assuming the role of their parents. This paper is an early attempt at understanding the experiences of juveniles with their parents in order to explore the relationship between their experiences and their involvement in crime or juvenile behaviour. For this purpose, a qualitative research approach was adopted by conducting in-depth interviews with seven (7) male juvenile offenders from a rehabilitation centre in Penang and five (5) female juvenile offenders from a rehabilitation centre in Kedah, Malaysia. The interviews provide an insight into the male and female juveniles’ personal feelings about their experiences and relationships with their parents or persons whom they identify as people have parental guardianship over them. The study finds that adolescents who are involved in delinquencies expressed much unhappiness with their parents due to reasons such as their parents having divorced, not receiving love from their parents, feeling uncared by their parents and families, having strained relationships with their family and experiencing violence from their parents and/ or family. The narratives of the juveniles are hoped to be able to inform us about specific areas to explore further in understanding the criming and delinquent behaviour of juveniles

Misuse case modeling for secure e-tendering system

Tendering process is utilized by principal to invited capable tenderer to participate in competitive bid for winning a large project.Due to advent of IT infrastructure, E-tendering is introduced and adopted in many countries. Yet, an electronic environment did not promise curbing collusion between principal and certain tenderers. Other than common threats to system like security breaches by malicious parties, security issue related to ethical issue like fraud and repudiation issue where no evidence existed to denied it.In this paper, common threats for e-tendering process altogether with security countermeasure are described. This three interrelated attribute (consist of tender phase, threat and security countermeasure) are illustrated in misuse case for better understanding of the risk that may occurs in particular tender phase. Furthermore, it sought to ease the system developer for designing and constructing a secure e-tendering system