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The learning approach is always being the concern of educators to increase the quality of engineering education. Engineering education is essential in order to nurture quality engineers and prepare the workforce for country development. Coming to Industry 4.0, modern engineering education has combined ICT technology to meet the demand of Education 4.0. This paper aims to review blended learning to enhanced engineering education using flipped classroom approach. The paper starts with an overview of the current trend of engineering education, which encourages using blended learning approach. Blended learning was developed to overcome the advantages and disadvantages of traditional learning and online learning, which brings a better learning experience to students. From the review, the blended learning using flipped classroom approach have positively assisted students in their learning. Future ongoing research is recommended to explore the potential of flipped classroom approach use in supporting engineering education specifically in the context of Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliance on IT in day-to-day organisational activities raises concern about how to deal with its increasing complexity. Managing IT necessitates implementing IT governance to realise the benefits of IT use. However, there are inadequate and suitable frameworks to implement IT governance. For Higher Institutions of Learning (HILs) in Uganda, the case is not different, so there is need to provide a framework to implement IT governance in Uganda's HILs. This paper, therefore, applies design science research principles to develop and evaluate a conceptual framework for implementing IT governance in HILs in the context of Uganda (IGHU). The evaluated conceptual framework was developed in an earlier study. The evaluation methods used were case study and expert opinion which were based on understandability, ease of use, usefulness, and completeness. Results showed the framework satisfactorily implemented IT governance in Uganda's HILs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An exposition is undertaken to solve the open problem of finding the exact analytic closed form solution for GI/M/1 PSFFA model of the D/M/1 queueing system. This paper reveals the general revolutionary analytic solution to this open problem. Moreover, the closed form representation of the root parameter, σ(t), 1 > σ(t) > 0 is devised. Another contribution of this paper is determining the thresholds of the root parameter with respect to both time and the timedependent mean arrival rate, λ(t) are determined. Moreover, the thresholds of the derived analytic solution with respect to time-dependent mean arrival rate, λ(t) is devised. Typical numerical experiments to evidence the significant impact of time, time dependent mean arrival rate of the underlying time varying GI/M/1 queueing system as well as the time dependent root parameter, σ(t), 1 > σ(t) > 0, of the geometric distribution of the new arrival of the GI/M/1 model is given. Some potential applications of PSFFA theory to computer science, engineering and technology works are given. Closing remarks with proposed next research phases are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet of Things (IoT) is a potential technology to be used for data collection tasks in real-world environments. However, due to the difficulty of deploying and testing a real IoT implementation, many researchers end up having to use software simulation to evaluate their proposed techniques. This paper focuses on the use of IoTbased WSN for collecting flood-related data, which would then use by flood-related applications such as flood prediction applications and flood early warning systems. This paper proposed a methodology for simulating the IoT system used for flood data collection. The proposed methodology consists of four main steps which are identifying the flood environment, defining the architecture for flood data collection, simulating the IoT-based WSN flood data collection infrastructure and analyzing the results. The activities for each step are described in detail as to guide other researchers in the same area to adapt the methodology to their research work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we review the research findings in agent communication language (ACL). We then propose our model to develop an agent communication language based on the Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents (FIPA) Standards. The use of communicative acts enables agents to recognize the intent of the requesting agents for a specific service. The ACL handles the semantics of information exchanged between agents by the use of ontologies defined for the domain as specified by FIPA. We test the communication language in a collaborative process involving three agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world as we know it is rapidly rotating. The Industrial Revolution is one of history's most important movements (IR). The current fourth industrial revolution is built on the Internet of Things, unlike prior industrial revolutions that depended on steam or mass manufacturing processes, or on computers (IoT). Connectedness allows people, data, and systems to interact in new and novel ways.. Data, system, control, monitoring, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI) are all used interchangeably when discussing "smart technology." Keeping in mind that energy is a vital part of our life is essential. In today's world, energy informatics plays a key role in acquiring environmentally friendly energy. The purpose of the study and the problem investigated is that to design an overview of the energy informatics framework and its role in reducing energy use, CO2, and demand. Energy informatics is used to highlight the function of information systems in creating a green and clean environment. Efforts to become more environmentally friendly have been addressed. In addition, there are recommendations for achieving energy-efficient logistics at the study's conclusion. This paper is designed in such a way to provide a comprehensive overview of the energy informatics frameworks supported with energy efficient logistics. This is followed by samples of real cases and scenarios of smart warehouse. Finally, challenges faced by energy efficient logistics have been considered. One of the major findings is that improving the energy efficiency of the logistics industry is one of the most important things that can be done for the environment in order to make the logistics industry more environmentally sustainable. A brief summary of the interpretations related to the results obtained in this overview has been mentioned as follows: the processes involved in logistics need a lot of energy and have a detrimental influence on the environment. Increasing the use of capacity is one way to improve energy efficiency in the logistics industry, which is essential for maintaining a healthy environment and can be done by itself. So that, it has been given a number of case studies in this direction in order to help readers find effective ways in implementation of energy efficient related to logistics in order to overcome such a concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the feasibility of applying a combination of intelligent approaches of self organizing maps and fuzzy logic in modeling and predicting the growth of total bacteria coliform in tropical lakes. The application of self organizing maps (SOM) in this study is to derive the membership rules for ecological variables such as temperature, pH and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) that influence the growth of bacteria coliform in the water of Putrajaya (tropical) Lakes and Wetlands. The membership rules derived from the SOM are used as the bases to tune the intelligent fuzzy prediction module. The overall system has been trained and tested for its accuracy using a reliable database that provides samples of relevant parameters from the lakes and wetlands over a period of five years. The system has demonstrated prediction of coliform growth with up to 90.5% of accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A good number of modifications of the conventional Global Histogram Equalization have been proposed, and claimed to have overcome the problem of distortions. However, the previous evaluation focused only on one type of distortion. The resilience to other types of distortion remains questionable. In this paper, we propose a new evaluation method based on a Noise-Artifacts-Proof test. The results show that none of the methods under evaluation is noise-artifacts-proof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart grid (SG) has contributed much to enhance energy efficiency as well as the energy sector utilizing energy informatics (EI). There have been many smart tasks and services implemented to perform energy related operations. Energy-optimized solutions for smart buildings, demand response, and energy-use prediction are some examples that efficiently exploited SG conception. In this line, EI has been exploited to enhance the performance of such energy related operations. However, there are lots of challenges so as a result, performances can be then affected. Many obstacles need to be discovered and corresponding solutions proposed in order to solve the majority of them. As a result, this study attempts to explain a number of issues that are encountered throughout the implementation of SG and provide critical ways to overcome them. In this paper, a case study of Malaysia is provided and discussed in terms of implementation of SG and key strategies proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the last few decades more than twenty standardized usability questionnaires for evaluating software systems have been proposed. These instruments have been widely used in the assessment of usability of user interfaces. They have their own characteristics, can be generic or address specific kinds of systems and can be composed of one or several items. Some comparison or comparative studies were also conducted to identify the best one in different situations. All these issues should be considered while choosing a questionnaire. In this paper, we present an extensive review of these questionnaires considering their key features, some classifications and main comparison studies already performed. Moreover, we present the result of a detailed analysis of all items being evaluated in each questionnaire to indicate those that can identify users' perceptions about specific usability problems. This analysis was performed by confronting each questionnaire item (around 475 items) with usability criteria proposed by quality standards (ISO 9421-11 and ISO/WD 9241-112) and classical quality ergonomic criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous Collision Detection (CCD) has been widely accepted as the common tool to detect collision between dynamic collisions of rigid and deformable models, especially for use as an accurate collision method. Performing a computationally intensive technique for detecting between two configurations that focuses on accuracy always slows detection as compared to discrete collision detection (DCD). CCD algorithms focus on the motions toward objects regarding any interpolation as long as it can be detected before it can penetrate the object. While DCD requires backtracking after collision has been detected, CCD does not suffer the same problems as DCD. CCD also avoids the tunnelling problem that exists in DCD algorithms where penetration always occurs to the object (missed the collision). This paper will provide current and future research of CCD algorithms, which eventually will become the framework of our CCD algorithm technique for our research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) are a long lasting type of interface that has been used for the past four decades whereas Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) is an emerging interface believed to address some of GUI weaknesses. There has been some research comparing these two interfaces in terms of their usability. 'Engagement' is a usability measure, but is not frequently utilized in GUI and TUI comparisons. Furthermore, most research done in such comparisons have not ventured into evaluating children with no prior computing experience. This paper will highlight the outcome of an evaluation process incorporating both, i.e. engagement as a measure and children with no prior computing experience as the sample group. Prior computer experience and engagement are both measured using performance metrics though time-on-tasks, a validated observational technique. At the end of all the experiments, this research demonstrates that there are no significance differences in engagement, comparing GUI and TUI, when these children were exposed to both interfaces for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a solution for autonomous agent navigation in unknown virtual environments. A new decision making method using fuzzy logic is proposed. The objective is to solve behaviour conflicts in behaviour-based architectures. Two main problems have been identified: how to decide which behaviour should be activated at each instant; and how to combine the results from different behaviours into one action. The method uses fuzzy _-levels to compute behaviour weights for each behaviour and the final action is selected using the Hurwicz criterion. The experimental results show that the autonomous virtual agent had successfully navigated various virtual environments. The results show the virtual agent required less decision making which means more reliable decisions had been generated and redundant decisions had been reduced. The qualities of the path produced are reasonably smooth, short and clear of collision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper detailed descriptions of the algorithms used in the pre-processing and feature extraction phases of an offline handwritten character are discussed. In classifying handwritten characters, the stages prior to the classification phase play a role as major as the classification itself. There are many pre-processing functions and methods that can be used and different research works will use different methods. This paper discusses in detail some of the algorithms used in the pre-processing stages of an offline handwritten character image file. This paper serves as part of the whole research work that aims at recognizing handwritten characters. The whole research presents a hybrid approach of HMM and Fuzzy Logic in the field of handwritten character recognition. Fuzzy Logic is used in the classification phase while HMM is used in the process of extracting features for the preparation of linguistic variables of the fuzzy rules. However, only the preprocessing stages as employed by the research are described here. The pre-processing phase starts from reading in the input file, the process of binarization, reference line estimation and thinning of the character image for further use in the next stage of the feature extraction and recognition process. Each of the pre-processing stages and the chain coding process will be described in detail giving improvised algorithms, and examples of the processes on existing samples from the database shown. Where comparing experiments with other methods is done, the experimental results are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer chess started as a promising domain of research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) more than five decades ago. The basic idea was that as a 'thinking sport' it would be a good challenge toward better understanding and potentially simulating (human) cognition in machines. Unfortunately, it was soon discovered that computers could be made to play chess (and certain other games like it) using computational methods quite different from how humans are thought to think. This spawned a competitive computer chess gaming industry and in 1997, the world chess champion was defeated by an IBM supercomputer. Since then, computer chess has seen further improvement with programs playing at the strong grandmaster level even on desktop machines. In the field of AI, attention has therefore shifted to even more-complex games like Go in the hope that computational approaches toward them will succeed where chess had apparently failed. In this paper I challenge that contention. I have reasons to believe that chess still has some things to teach us not only about computation and its limits but also about the human mind and how it probably works. As such, this is not a technical paper but rather one on 'computational philosophy'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students ordinarily use both domain-dependent (such as seeking specific domain help) and domain-independent (such as trying to relax) strategies in regulating their affective states in learning. By contrast, current affective tutoring systems concentrate on the deployment of domain-dependent strategies only in regulating students' emotional states in learning. This paper reports the results of an experimental study that evaluated students' performance using the proposed framework. In a between-subjects experiment, students used two versions of a system for teaching data structures. The systems differed only in that one supported domain independent strategies, while both system systems supported domain-dependent strategies. Results provide some evidence that the experimental groups (presented with both the domain-dependent and domain-independent strategies) performed better than the control group (presented with only domain-dependent strategy) in learning data structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SQL Injection attacks are one of the gravest threats for web applications. In this paper, we propose coalesce techniques to mitigate SQL injection attacks and focus on the research of the attack protection module. These techniques are based on a filter, cryptographic hash-function, linear probing technique, customized error message and POST method. The filter is used to detect malformed SQL queries whereas the hash function is used to match hash values of usernames and passwords against stored hash values. A linear probing technique is used to address the data collision and debug error message problems because it is able to stop the reconnaissance progress of threat agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recreation of virtual cultural heritage sites and urban environment simulations, the rapid display of densely populated scenery is a common requirement. An empty virtual environment will diminish the immersive experience that the simulations suppose to be presented, that is why simulations of massive virtual characters are needed to deliver sensible immersive experience to the user. In recent years, the growth of research in this area has escalated and there has been many techniques developed in crowd simulations area, both for real-time and non-real time rendering. This paper presents several significant related works in crowd simulation and crowd rendering. Our aim is to address one of the crowd simulation problems, which is crowd rendering in large scale virtual heritage environment. Due to rendering large scale virtual heritage environment were already computational expensive, rendering crowd will add more load to the rendering process. We proposing range detection technique to produce low computational cost real-time rendering of virtual crowd in large scale virtual heritage environment. Range detection technique has been chosen because its ability to produce low computational cost compare to other rendering techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information retrieval involves finding some required information in a collection of information or in databases. The information or database need not necessarily be in one language. In other words, language should not limit the finding of information. The way to search for the information is by looking at every item in the collection and when the need to translate the language arises, the techniques and methods developed for the cross-lingual retrieval system is used. This paper reviews some recent researches focusing on topics in cross-lingual information retrieval and their role in current research directions which include new models and paradigms in the wide area of information retrieval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-channel model in business is gradually going through a transition into becoming an omnichannel model. The omnichannel approach allows retailers to drive sales and traffic, as well as integrate digital touchpoints for a seamless customer experience. The purpose of this research is to develop an omnichannel prototype by extending the current multi-channel CRM system used by a retail company. The prototype aims to improve customer experience and prevent repetition of complaints, inquiries, or service requests made by customers. A user acceptance test through the means of survey was conducted to assess the aspects of usability and validity of the omnichannel prototype, participated by both customers and employees of the retail company. Results reveal that positive usability score, standard deviation grouped around the mean and low-variance of the data distribution in the pilot and actual user testing are well-administered and dependable. The findings further demonstrate that the extended CRM successfully integrates multi-channel interaction platform to facilitate omni-channel interation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this short article, we propose and explain a simple method that can be used to encrypt an FTP (file transfer protocol) server account password in an ASCII text file. This is useful for programmers of all levels to provide some security with regard to the FTP functionality of their programs. The method is easy and encapsulated enough to be understood and implemented in the form of a single function in any programming language while providing sufficient protection for most purposes where security is not the most critical issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shyness is a difficulty experienced by many children in our country. Although it is a norm that Asians exhibit more colourings of shyness (e.g. timidity, passiveness, non-confrontational); studies conducted within the learning domain verifies that this personality trait is being acknowledged as a negative trait, especially among young learners (children) which is likely to affect their potential and performance in the academic platform. Teachers and peers may falsely belief that these students are less capable and less intelligent which may develop a poor perception towards them. However, these shy students find computer-mediated communication to be easier means of interaction than face-toface contact with teachers. In-line with the Malaysian Education Blueprint (2015-2025) by the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE), development and use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) (e.g. e-learning, educational games and other interactive learning platforms through computer interfaces) are very much encouraged. Hence, implementing an interactive artificial tutor (fit with a shyness model) to automatically adapt and interact to the user's emotional state could help in overcoming shyness, at the same time encourage these shy learners to confidently communicate and exhibit their capabilities. This research intends to review the background study on the usefulness of a shyness computational model which will be integrated with an interactive synthetic tutor. The aim of this study is to identify and capture the display features of colourings of shyness (e.g. timidity, passiveness, non-confrontational) through facial features (e.g. smiles, pouting) and vocal behaviours (silences, frequent pauses, filler words and turn-taking patterns) projected by shy young Malaysian learners (children aged between 9-11 years). These markers will be collected and constructed into a shyness model suitable for interactive synthetic agents used in the learning domain for teaching and training young learners in a typical Malaysian academic setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to information overload, information management for managers in organisations is a big task. It has been recognized that an effective methodology is required to evaluate information to avoid information overload and to retain the critical information for reuse. Various tools and strategies are presented in an attempt to obtain information's "value." This study examines the topic of information overload, the definition of information value, and associated research on the value of information in many fields to resolve this issue. The Bayesian Theorem and information characteristics are used to offer a framework for evaluating information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional programming is an important programming paradigm. It is based on a branch of mathematics known as lambda calculus. In this article, we provide a brief overview, aimed at those new to the field, and explain the progress of functional programming since its inception. A selection of functional languages are provided as examples. We also suggest some improvements and speculate on the potential future directions of this paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nokia is a Finnish company largely known for its telecommunication technologies. However, in recent times it appears to have lost some ground to competitors, primarily in the smartphone market, such as Apple and Samsung. In this historical case study, we explore the origins of Nokia and their progress toward breaking new ground in telecommunications technology. We also look at some of the pitfalls they encountered and how perhaps things could have been done differently. In particular, we focus on the aspect of their mobile phone interface design evolution and improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In chess games, the Shannon value is one way to represent the relative values of chess pieces. We propose a method to perform an exhaustive search of piece combinations based on any given total Shannon value. Nested loops are used along with certain sentinel controls that comply with the basic rules of chess. For example, there are 9 loops assigned for the queen, as the maximum legal number of queens on the board is 9, including the promoted pawns. Therefore, each chess piece (queen, rook, bishop, knight, pawn) has its own specific number of loops which correspond to its legal number and they are nested in together. The experiment performed shows that if nested loops that represent each of the pieces are arranged together along with the chess-based sentinel controls, they can produce all possible and legal chess piece combinations that match the desired Total Shannon Value (TSV). This method can be used for a variety of purposes in chess engines and other games or areas with similar constructs and constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) were often associated with improved outcomes. Generally, when IT or IS including internet were thoughtfully selected and properly implemented, vulnerability to human fallibility can be reduced. Studies related to adoption of IT and IS in healthcare sector were essential, and this study aimed to explore factors that are crucial to the adoption of electronic healthcare (e-healthcare) and their impacts on patient safety. The secondary data retrieved from past articles were employed and analyzed in this study. The findings of this study were the research model and hypotheses which were developed based on adoption of IT and IS theories, and essential elements of patient safety. A direction for future research was then described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we report the feedback from respondents in relation to the implementation of Interactive Multimedia Learning Awareness (IMLA) in enhancing awareness of autistic characteristics among parents and society in Malaysia. Methods of gathering information such as observation and interviews were used in order to identify the current level of awareness towards autistic children. Nine respondents were selected to participate in this interview ranging from two content experts from the National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM), a researcher who is also an expert in autism from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), a mother with autistic children, a mother without autistic children, two parents without autistic children and three unmarried women. The findings of this preliminary investigation confirm that there is a lack of awareness that needs to be addressed by Malaysian society. As a conclusion, the implementation of Interactive Multimedia Learning Awareness (IMLA) needs to be designed and developed to facilitate and to enhance the awareness of autistic characteristics in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Craniofacial landmark identification provides an important method to obtain the cephalometric analysis and assist maxillofacial surgeries. The focus of this study is to describe the development of a method identifying landmarks on an isosurface visualized from CT generated craniofacial data in a 3D environment. The work is achieved by using graphical subprogram library, Visualization Toolkit and Tcl/Tk. The development of this study facilitates current craniofacial surgeries. A 3D-based automatic landmark detection method is proposed at the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]