A prototype for converting and merging multi type databases to single database / Suzana Ahmad and Siti Zaleha Zainal Abidin

FSKM or Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences is a well-known faculty in UiTM. FSKM has seven academic centres, which are Computer Science, Computer Technology and Networking, System Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Actuarial Science and Quantitative Methods. In keeping with the University’s mission and the Faculty’s mission, faculty administration has to manage a large number of data that was kept in different format and also different databases. Since these data are in different format and different databases, problems such as: manipulating wrong or contradictory data (two data sources giving two different information); delivering wrong information to the user, due to data inconsistency; increase workload leading to over budgeting; and delay in applications delivery with direct and/or indirect consequences on the activities of the faculty. Stand-alone databases are hard to maintain and to expand because there is a general lack of understanding of how the workflows and business rules are built into them. They are also difficult to integrate with newer systems in a modern platform because of non-extensibility, incapability and less openness of underlying hardware and software. These scenarios are not only happened in FSKM, but also common to other faculties throughout UiTM and other government agencies. This study is to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of converting stand-alone database to web-based database focusing on appropriateness, functionality, extensibility, scalability, challenges, data management and development tools. This research is to investigate the appropriateness, functionality, extensibility, scalability, challenges, data management and development tools of converting stand-alone database to webbased database. Research will also focuses on appropriateness, functionality, extensibility, scalability, challenges, data management and development tools of data conversion. Based from investigation of this research, a new conversion model for web-based database will be produced

Grid task scheduling in P2P desktop grids

Effective task scheduling is an important matter for the performance of Grid computing. At the same time, researchers are encountering issues and challenges when dealing with Grid Task Scheduling (GTS) because of various factors or constraints that influence GTS. This is due to the fact that there is an assortment of characteristics and types of scheduling in Grids. This paper reviews the GTS problems specifically in the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Desktop Grids by identifying the factors such as uncertainties, interruptions, and disturbances that have to be considered when designing the scheduling algorithm. The cause and effect of each factor are also enlightened. The factors are then classified according to the most concerned aspects based on the management layers of P2P Desktop Grid architecture proposed earlier in the related study. The findings may provide some significant guide to model more effective GTS mechanisms in P2P Desktop Grids

Data sharing management model in networked collaborative environment / Nasiroh Omar, Siti Zaleha Zainal Abidin and Suzana Ahmad

Networked collaborative environment is a computer mediated system for interaction between users (Abidin et a/., 2006). Dickerson (2008) defines networked collaborative system as Virtual reality spaces that enable participants to collaborate and share objects as if physically presence at the same place'. Communication in the networks involves many processes (either clients or servers) that need to be coordinated. The coordination is usually depended on the application. In recent years, most applications in networked collaborative systems not only facilitate communication but also improve collaborative works (Masud and Kiringa, 2007; Abidin et a/., 2004). Most collaborative activities involve data sharing and movements between parties. Data is valuable to relevant parties. For example, employee, supplier and stock data are all valuable to the related companies (Abidin et a/.., 2010; Hristidis et a/., 2009). Research data is also a valuable resource that usually requires much time and money to be produced. According to Wainhouse Research (2002) and Cheung (2006), data sharing leads to facilitating new collaborations between data users and data creators; reducing cost of duplicated data collection and encouraging the improvement and validation of data collection. Though data sharing leads to good things, it also raises common problems in management issues. Server-centric data management methodology occurs in distributed heterogeneous collaborative design such as openness, scalability and flexibility (Atzeni et al., 2002). In the server-centric data management mode, data is usually stored in the server side. For the authorization, a user can login into server systems for data management and performs data update operation (Rosen and Rimor, 2009). The server records the updated data according to the operation logs. Then, it transmits the updated information over the network. In the whole process, all activities are fulfilled by the server. Thus, server is heavily burdened that leads to the degrading reliability of network management. For example, when collaborative activities involve several groups of partner enterprises, issues of security in sensitive design for the server system must be seriously managed (Ferrin et al., 2005; Eaglestone and Ridley, 2001; Ruan and Vardharajan, 2010)

Language-based user management in interactive networked collaborative environment / Assoc. Prof. Siti Zaleha Zainal Abidin, Dr. Nasiroh Omar and Zainura Idrus

In interactive networked collaborative virtual environment (NCVE), users work in a group to involve in activities such as game, business transaction and learning. However, their existence is not visibly presence. Therefore, there is a crucial need to represent the invisible users so that users know with whom they are interacting with (presence), when to communicate (state) and what to do (role) during the collaboration. Unlike any group work or organizations, users in virtual space are dynamic. They can change their role and states frequently such as joining or leaving the group work at any time. They can engage in the collaboration only for a period of time or until the goals are achieved. This research will investigate and propose the generic way of managing invisible users (their presence, states and roles) through language-based approach. The novelty lies on the new design of language constructs for managing dynamic users. The language constructs offer faster and easier development of collaborative applications (game, commerce, defense, banking, education)

Dynamic user management model in interactive networked collaborative environment / Siti Zaleha Zainal Abidin … [et al.]

Interactive networked collaborative virtual environment (NCVE) provides ways for people to work together, faster and cheaper despite of locations. Results can be achieved without travelling time and spending more money. Unfortunately, users' existence is not visibly presence which results in lacking of user participation that seriously degrades communication quality. This leads to misinterpretation of vital information and jeopardize the group work. Therefore, it is crucial to present users so that others know with whom they are interacting with (presence), when to communicate (state) and what to do (role) during the collaboration. This research investigates the activities of users in order to identify all the possible job functions exist during collaboration. Then, their job functions are classified in relation to the management of dynamic invisible users (their presence, states and roles). The users' role, presence and state will be generalized to form a generic management model of dynamic users based on logical notation. This work employs data collection through literature review and a case study. For a case study, a monopoly game will be implemented by changing some of its rules to gather all the possible roles exist throughout the game. The game is also used as a platform to do an abstraction of real life phenomena. A mapping of users' job functions found in both literature review and the case study will be conducted to produce comprehensive elements for managing users in collaborative systems. All the elements and their relations are classified and represented as a set of mathematical equations. The model helps to manage users dynamically throughout the collaborative session. This session-based dynamic role feature is rarely found in any collaborative work as compared to application-based role. Furthermore, managing users in virtual space is challenging because it involves security, privacy and permission to information resources

Measuring Malaysian public perception with secret-eye / Siti Zaleha Zainal Abidin, Nasiroh Omar and M. Hamiz M. Radzi

People’s perception and emotion are usually measured through conducting a survey research. With the rigid multiple choice or lickert scale selection of answers, participants have to respond within a given time frame to give their feedback on a certain specified issue. In this paper, we present our research through collecting data regarding people’s perception and emotion through an online forum. We quantify the data and perform data classification based on issues and emotion. Data collection are carried out by using an implemented software tool called Secret-Eye which is capable of extracting all significant words in the forum unobtrusively at real time real life basis. The classified data are ranked according to their frequency of existence. The discussion on the tsunami disaster in Japan that happened in March 2011, is selected for this study. It is beneficial to have the results on the perception analysis as public’s feelings and facts on the discussion are expressed naturally. Thus, the results indicate that it is feasible to extract people’s true means of perception through social media

Towards interface design for virtual database / Zanariah Idrus...[et al.]

Today, big data has become as one of the important contribution in database management. It led to innovative ways of storing and organizing data which include structured and unstructured data. The unstructured data such as in news, reports, chats and surveys are basically loaded with heavy text data and numerous format. Thus, these data become challenging to be used for diverse purpose and are not appropriate to be stored in database. However, virtual database method has the capability to organize the unstructured data, and reconstruct into firm and concrete data. This approach carry out two major processes in databases which are mining and managing the data. However, the main problem is the insufficient support between people using databases and the heap of data collection. This is due to unawareness of clustered data organization as information is stored implicitly. Thus, this paper presents the conception of clustered data using the interface design model. Alignment of features and connections between the interface and knowledge composition allow users to access knowledge proficiently

Natphoric Kansei Engineering Systems (N-KES)

Over recent years, consumers have become sophisticated and desired product that meets their desired emotional connectivity, which stands out in their eyes among the abundance choices they have from the market. Kansei Engineering (KE) has been widely attracting researchers’ attention as a technology that enables incorporation of emotion in product design. KE makes it possible to discover relationships between product design and the resulted emotional responses. Among the process in KE implementation, KE analysis is the most crucial part, and it requires a Kansei expert intervention to determine the optimum result. However, there are not many accessible Kansei experts and there is no specific rule of thumb in this process. This research proposed a web-based system comprising of Natphoric algorithm in its engine to simulate the expert intervention in a computer-aided KE implementation. The algorithm is used to imitate the expert activity to find a significant factor of emotion. It learns the process by training with datasets from previous KE research works. The Natphoric algorithm is formulated to handle the complexity in KE, and the N-KES adopted the use of one of the technique in KE Type 1 to automate the Kansei conceptualization process which requires expertise in KE. The developed N-KES has produced similar result with the manual KE implementation. This research outcome will benefit the producers and designers advocates to easily implement KE Type 1, to enable development of new and innovative product design

Students’ Inclination towards English Language as Medium of Instruction in the Teaching of Science and Mathematics

AbstractMalay language, the national language of Malaysia has been the medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics for the past four and a half decades in Malaysia. The government however changed the medium of instruction of these subjects to English in January 2003. The “Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English” (PPSMI) policy was implemented in all primary and secondary schools. It aims to improve the English language proficiency among students as well as the learning and achievement level in science and mathematics. This paper presents findings of the study on students’ inclination towards English language as medium of instruction in teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in Higher Learning Institutions in Malaysia. The respondents were 291 undergraduate students from the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) and Faculty of Education (FPEND) of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). A questionnaire pertaining to students’ inclination was used as research instrument. Using descriptive statistics, ANOVA and t-test, the study found that undergraduate students of FST and FPEND had an inclination towards English as medium of instruction in the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics. Using the Post-Hoc test, it is found that Indian students and students from other races than Malay and Chinese have greater inclination towards English as medium of instruction in teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in UKM for both faculties. However, FST students who studied in Mandarin and Tamil at pre-university level (STPM) had higher inclination compared to those who used Malay language or even English

Hybridization of Particle Swarm Optimization with adaptive genetic algorithm operators

Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is a popular algorithm used extensively in continuous optimization. One of its well-known drawbacks is its propensity for premature convergence. Many techniques have been proposed for alleviating this problem. One of th