bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
INTELLIGENT SEGMENTATION OF FRUIT IMAGES USING AN INTEGRATED THRESHOLDING AND ADAPTIVE K-MEANS METHOD (TSNKM)
Authors: Hambali Hamirul ’Aini , Syed Abdullah Sharifah Lailee , Jamil Nursuriati , Harun Hazaruddin
Published: October 2019

Recent years, vision-based fruit grading system is gaining importance in fruit classification process.  In developing the fruit grading system, image segmentation is required for analyzing the fruit objects automatically.  Image segmentation is a process that divides a digital image into separate regions with the aim to obtain only the interest objects and remove the background.  Currently, there are several segmentation techniques which have been used in object identification such as thresholding and clustering techniques.  However, the conventional techniques have difficulties in segmenting fruit images which captured under natural illumination due to the existence of non-uniform illumination on the object surface.  The presence of different illuminations influences the appearance of the interest objects and thus misleads the object analysis. Therefore, this research has produced an innovative segmentation algorithm for fruit images which is able to increase the segmentation accuracy.  The developed algorithm is an integration of modified thresholding and adaptive K-means method.  The integration of both methods is required to increase the segmentation accuracy for fruits images with different surface colour.  The results showed that the innovative method is able to segment the fruits images with high accuracy value,
CHARACTERIZATION OF CHEMICAL STRUCTURE FOR BASE ACTIVE METAL (NaOH) ON PALM OIL INDUSTRIAL WASTE
Authors: Razali Noraini , Mat Yashim Marshahida , Saadon Norkamruzita , Abdul Rahman Norazah
Published: October 2019

The development of solid catalyst has been investigated by considering the development of the chemical structure. In this study, solid catalyst was produced by using potassium hydroxide (NaOH) as an active metal on three types of support, Magnesium Oxide (MgO), Oil Palm Kernel Shell (OPKS) and Oil Palm Ash (OPA). Catalysts was study at different temperature (300 °C, 400 °C, 500 °C) and time (4 and 5hr) calcination via impregnation process. The catalysts were subjected to the characterization analysis using Chemisorption, Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD). Chemisorption results showed weaker active site developed at higher calcination temperature while TGA results showed higher thermal stability at longer calcination time. In addition, the intensity of the XRD peaks also increased with increasing calcination temperature. The result showed that agricultural waste from oil palm industry could be tune as a potential support to produce active catalyst and can be applied in related chemical reaction.
THE RATE OF CONVERGENCE AND WEAKER CONVERGENT CONDITION FOR THE METHOD FOR FINDING THE LARGEST SINGULAR VALUE OF RECTANGULAR TENSORS
Authors: Ibrahim Nur Fadhilah , Mohamed Nurul Akmal
Published: October 2019

The applications of real rectangular tensors, among others, including the strong ellipticity condition problem within solid mechanics, and the entanglement problem within quantum physics. A method was suggested by Zhou, Caccetta and Qi in 2013, as a means of calculating the largest singular value of a nonnegative rectangular tensor. In this paper, we show that the method converges under weak irreducibility condition, and that it has a Q-linear convergence.
SIMULATION ANALYSIS ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE TOWARDS COMBATING OBESITY: SYSTEM DYNAMICS APPROACH
Authors: Zainal Abidin Norhaslinda , Mohd Jamil Jastini
Published: October 2019

Obesity is a medical condition where an individual has an excessive amount of body fat. Rapid development in industrialization and urbanization has brought changes to Malaysia’s socioeconomic, especially on the diet and lifestyles of Malaysians. With this transformation, one of the impacts can be seen on weight. Thus, the aim of this paper is to simulate the effect of behavioral changes of eating and sedentary behavior on the population reversion trends of average weight. The model combines different strands of sub-models comprises of information from nutrition, physical activity and body metabolism and gathers into a weight behavior model system. Comparing the effect between improved diet or reduced sedentary behavior, this study reported that changing to healthy food consumption is a better prevention since it has been tested in the model. As a summary, this study highlighted the importance of focusing on both healthy diet and lifestyle as the best behavioral change strategy in developing guidelines to prevent obesity.
DESIGN OF LINEAR AND CIRCULAR POLARIZED ANTENNA FOR WLAN APPLICATION
Authors: Abu Bakar Hamizan , Abd. Aziz Mohamad Zoinol Abidin , Ahmad Badrul Hisham , Salleh Azahari , Ghani Suhana , Kho Shin Phoo , Hassan Nornikman , Sulaiman Hamzah Asyrani , Othman Mohd Azlishah
Published: October 2019

In this paper, a linear and circular polarized antenna with operating frequency at 2.4 GHz for Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) application is proposed. Firstly, a basic linear polarization antenna (Design A) was designed with rectangular slot at the rectangular patch and air gap between substrate and copper layer with distance of 10 mm. Next, in order to perform circular polarized, the antenna designed is added with optimized dual circular notch at the rectangular slot. This circular polarized antenna is designed with two different polarization types which are right-handed circular polarization (RHCP) with optimized dual circular notch at the patch (Design B) and left-handed circular polarization (LHCP) with optimized dual circular notch at the patch (Design C). The proposed antenna had been designed and simulated by using Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Microwave Studio Suite. The comparison result of simulation and measurement show that the proposed antenna can achieve axial ratio above 3 dB for linear polarized and below 3 dB for circular polarized with return loss less than -10 dB.
DEVELOPMENT OF LOW COST BLOCK MOLD FOR COPPER ALLOY CASTING
Authors: Mohd Nor Siti Zaleha , Ismail Romzee , Ahmad Sahrim , Samsudin Ahmad Salihin , Mohamad Isa Mohd Ikmar Nizam
Published: October 2019

Suitable block mold formulations for copper alloy casting have been developed and the formulations used were 25% plaster of paris (POP), 75% silica sand and 31-37% water. Silica sand with a grain size of 106-212 µm was added into dilute suspension of POP and the mixing process was continued until a thick slurry (mixture) was obtained. It has been found that the mixing time of molding materials was highly depended on the type of plaster and optimum slurry viscosity around the diameter of 7.7 – 9.6 cm (slump test) was essential to ensure that the wax pattern could be fully invested. In the dewaxing process, the mold was subjected to the temperature of 170oC for 3 hours and burnout process was effectively achieved by heating the molds at 750oC for 5 hours. The pouring process was successfully carried out without any leakage and it was found that all molds can be easily broken under a force of a hammer.  The developed mold also able to produce fully formed of casting without any major defects such as misrun, fin or flash and rat tail, which can be associated with inadequate mold temperature, mold cracks and the separation of mold’s material respectively.
EFFECT OF LOW TEMPERATURE CO2 INJECTION IN HIGH TEMPERATURE OIL RESERVOIRS USING SLIMTUBE EXPERIMENT
Authors: Hamdi Zakaria , Awang Mariyamni
Published: October 2019

A set of slimtube experiments is designed and presented to study the effect of cold temperature CO2 on recovery factor in reservoirs with high temperature. The comparison of the results indicates the positive effect of temperature on recovery trend in early stage as well as ultimate recovery in different injection pressures. The approach is based on a long slimtube to show the effect of temperature on the recovery. The study considers different temperatures and pressures of injection and reservoir allowing both miscible and immiscible flooding of CO2. Using non-isothermal conditions, the results show that, lowering temperature of injection can yield in higher recovery in early stage significantly. Also, considering ultimate recovery, it is observed that low temperature CO2 injection into high temperature reservoir can result in slightly higher recovery factor than isothermal injection. The reason for recovery increase is mainly due to elimination of the interfacial tension between CO2 and reservoir fluids especially near the injection point. Another finding is that the minimum miscibility pressures is lowered by means of lowering the temperature of injection which is again caused by elimination of interfacial tension between CO2 and oil. This is important because forming a single phase can increase the ability of CO2 to extract different components of the crude oil as well as lowering viscosity of the mixture, resulting in a better sweep efficiency. It appears that using liquid CO2 in high temperature reservoirs can be a promising method for better oil recovery in high temperature reservoirs.
EFFECT OF ELEVATED TEMPERATURE STORAGE ON STABILITY OF PINK GUAVA JUICE ADDED WITH MELASTOMA MALABATHRICUM FRUIT
Authors: Bujang Aishah , Othman Zati Alyani , Md Ismail Nor Farahin
Published: October 2019

This study focus on the stability of natural pigment from Melastoma malabathricum fruit in pink guava juice at 30°C and 60°C storage temperature. Analysis on the content of vitamin C, total phenolic content, lycopene, anthocyanin and color were conducted for 30 days. In general, the results showed higher reduction in all quality parameters at higher storage temperature. Freshly made PGJ contains 86.55±5.18 mg/100mL of vitamin C, 5.36±0.27 mg/L of lycopene, 933.50± 60.11 mgGAE/L of total phenolic content (TPC) and 1.36±0.32 mg/L of total monomeric anthocyanin. At day 30 of storage, vitamin C was reduced to 56.4% and 9.4% at 30oC and 60oC respectively. Total monomeric anthocyanins content was reduced to 38.2% and 7.2% at 30oC and 60°C respectively. Total phenolic content remained at day 30 was 12.1% and 7.5% at 30oC and 60oC respectively. While lycopene was found to be least affected by storage temperature compared to other quality attributes analyzed. The total color difference was increased drastically at 60oC between days 0 to 5 while linear increase was observed at 30oC storage. These studies provide useful information on the availability of the health beneficial compounds in fruit juice as well as their stability as natural food colourant during storage.
COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF SKEWED DISTRIBUTIONS ON THE S-CHART AND -EWMA CHART BASED ON THE MEDIAN RUN LENGTH CRITERION
Authors: Ker Hsin Ong , Sin Yin Teh , Boon Chong Khoo Michael , Wei Lin Teoh , Keng Lin Soh
Published: October 2019

The S2-EWMA (called the S square exponentially weighted moving average) control chart is effective in detecting small and moderate process variance shifts. Previously, the chart was designed based on the assumption that the distribution of the quality characteristic is normally distributed. This study designs the S2-EWMA control chart for skewed distributions. The skewed distributions considered in this paper are the lognormal and gamma distributions. The performance of the S2-EWMA control chart is compared with that of the traditional Shewhart S-chart, in terms of median run length (MRL), based on simulation using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS). The results show that regardless of the type of skewed distributions, sample size and skewness level, , in most of the cases, the S2-EWMA chart outperforms the S-chart. Moreover, the findings reveal that the MRL performances of the S-chart and S2-EWMA chart are significantly influenced by skewed distributions.
FOOD SECURITY: EFFECT ON PEROXISOME PROLIFERATOR-ACTIVATED RECEPTOR GAMMA (PPARY) AND BMI AMONG YOUNG ADULT
Authors: Alias Nur Atiqah , Md Nor Norazmir , Mastuki Mohd Fahmi , Md Isa Khairil Anuar
Published: October 2019

Food security status is a method used to differentiate food secure and food insecure experience. Throughout our lives, nutritious food and lifestyle are closely related with most lifestyle-associated illness. This study investigated young adults in both groups to determine molecular changes on gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ). PPARγ plays an important role in adipocyte differentiation, fatty acids, and insulin sensitivity. Increase of PPARγ expression help to improve metabolic indices in dysregulated metabolism associated with obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. There are no significant differences (P>0.05) of PPARγ expression and BMI for both groups. However, expression of PPARγ is detected in earlier amplification for food insecure group. Mean of BMI (20.70± 3.025) is also slightly higher in food insecure group than food secure. Conclusively, there are some effects on expression of PPARγ and BMI based on food security status.
ULTRASOUND LOCAL HEATING IMPROVE FOETAL PHYSIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT IN MATERNAL HYPERPARATHYROIDISM
Authors: Hashim Ummi Farhana , Md Dom Sulaiman
Published: October 2019

Parathyroid disorder associated with hypercalcemia during pregnancy reduces the normal foetal growth, skeletal mineralization and serum calcium concentration. Hypercalcemia increases the risk of birth loss and foetal postpartum complications which includes intrauterine growth retardation, low birth weight, preterm delivery, neonatal hypocalcaemia, tetany and still-birth. Human and animal study exhibit benefits from local hyperthermia induced by ultrasound exposure. Ten-month-old primiparous New Zealand White (NZW) does were assigned  into three different groups; control (C), healthy NZW does and free from ultrasound insonation; hyperparathyroidism (HPT), a positive control group having hypercalcemia conditions established through administering phosphate intravenously for 5 months and free from  parathyroid ultrasound insonation; treatment (T), an experimental group  experiencing hypercalcemia condition and receiving parathyroid ultrasound insonation during pregnancy as intervention to hyperparathyroidism. In treatment group rabbit were exposed for 30, 60 and 90 minutes of parathyroid ultrasound exposure on 1st, 2nd and 3rd gestational stage accordingly. Following birth, foetal serum calcium (SCa), body weight (BW), crown-to-rump length (CRL), total body length (TBL), bi-parietal diameter (BPD) and femur length (FL) of the foetal were measured. Maternal hypercalcemia during pregnancy produced small to gestational age (SGA) progeny with significant reduction of  BW, CRL, TBL, BPD, FL and SCa compared to normal. While the outcome of ultrasound exposure given during middle 2nd gestational stage resulted in significantly increase in progeny mean average  BW, CRL, TBL, BPD FL and SCa compared to HPT group. Ultrasound induced local heating demonstrated an improved in the physiological development of progeny in the cases of maternal hypercalcemia condition.
WEIGHT ESTIMATION METHOD IN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IN MALAYSIA: IS BROSELOW TAPE (BT) RELIABLE?
Authors: Sahar Mohd Azmani , Nordin Norsham Juliana , Mohd Nor Ahmad Tajuddin , Zakaria Mohd Idzwan
Published: October 2019

Broselow tape is a well-established medical equipment to estimate body weight with pre-calculated drug dosages and emergency equipment sizes. The aim of this study is to determine whether weight estimation based on Broselow Tape corresponds to the actual weight of pediatric population in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The aim of this study is to determine the accuracy of BT usage in pediatric population attending the emergency department. A total of 1163 children attended emergency department at green zone were approached to be the sampling frame. BT weight estimation colour code was determined based on the colour which the child’s heel fell on the tape. Scatter plot was done to determine the range of actual weight scattered around the range of BT. Bland-Altman plot was used to identify the bias relation between the BT and actual weight measurement. In our population, the BT was an ineffective method to predict weight of pediatric patients with body length of <0.6m and >0.9m. Incorrect estimation of children weight leads toward poor clinical judgment.  Therefore, clear indication of the BT limitations should be addressed before using the method as part of emergency department standard operating procedure for management of pediatric patients.
FEATURE EXTRACTION OF ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM SIGNAL GENERATED FROM WRITING IN DYSLEXIC CHILDREN USING DAUBECHIES WAVELET TRANSFORM
Authors: Mahmoodin Zulkifli , Mansor Wahidah , Yoot Khuan Lee , Mohamad Noor Bariah , Amirin Sariah
Published: October 2019

Dyslexia which causes learning deficiencies in reading and writing is due to a neurological disorder where the brain processes information differently. This paper describes the feature extraction of (EEG) signal using Daubechies wavelet transform. The EEG signals were recorded from capable and poor dyslexic children during writing activities of non-words. Brain learning pathway theories for reading and writing were used to localize electrode placement to 8 positions, namely C3, C4, P3, P4, T7, T8, FC5 and FC6. Daubechies provide the wavelet function shape that represent the type of features in an EEG signal well, detecting variations in frequencies that corresponds to activation of areas in relation to activities. Results showed that capable dyslexic subjects exhibit higher beta band power feature of the frontal (FC6) and parietal (P4) right hemisphere if compared to poor dyslexics, where the normal left hemisphere processing center was utilized. This indicates that the brain of dyslexic is compensating its deficiencies of the left brain with activation of areas to the right.
EFFECTS OF KINESIO® TAPING ON DYNAMIC POSTURAL CONTROL FOLLOWING FATIGUE INDUCTION
Authors: Zulfikri Noh , Bukry Saiful Adli , Justine Maria
Published: October 2019

This study aimed to determine the effects of Kinesio® taping (KT) on dynamic postural control following fatigue induction. It is hypothesized that the application of KT limits the effects of fatigue on dynamic postural control. This study used a randomized controlled trial recruited 32 male recreational athletes, randomized to one of the two groups (Group A: KT and fatigue and Group B: KT and no fatigue). Fatigue was induced using the adapted Functional Agility Short Term Fatigue Protocol (FAST-FP). The rectus femoris of quadriceps, biceps femoris of the hamstring and medial gastrocnemius of the dominant leg were taped. The dynamic postural control was assessed pre and post fatigue. A significant interaction was observed between the group and time for the anterior-posterior position (p=0.03, ηp2=0.21) while non-significant interaction was observed in the lateral symmetry (p=0.84, ηp2=0.001). A significant main effect of time was observed for anterior-posterior position (p>0.05, ηp2=0.15) while non-significant for the lateral symmetry (p=0.65, ηp2=0.007). For the main effect of the two groups was not significant for the anterior-posterior position (p=0.42, ηp2=0.02) and lateral symmetry (p=0.73, ηp2=0.004). In conclusion, the diminishing effect of fatigue on the anterior-posterior position was observed. Moreover, KT application does not limit the effects of fatigue on the dynamic postural control.
EFFECTS OF WETTING TIME ON PROPERTIES OF STEEL-ALUMINIUM BRAZED JOINT
Authors: Rahman M. A. I. A. , Omar M. Z. , Abdullah S. , Sajuri Z. , Zamri W. F. H. , Muhamed M. N. , Abdullah M. F.
Published: October 2019

The brazing of 1080 steel to 6063 aluminium alloy was conducted under various wetting time to investigate the properties of the joint. Generally, joining of steel to aluminium using high temperature joining method can cause formations of hard and brittle intermetallic compounds that reduce the strength of joint. Brazing wetting time were varied to observe the effect of this parameter to the shear strength and microstructure at the interface of brazed joint. Shear testing showed that the strength of joint with brazing time of 5 to 15 minutes have exceeded the strength of the 6063 aluminium alloy. Microstructure analysis revealed that brazing with 15 minutes wetting time has better joining profile at interface between the steel and aluminium alloy than the other wetting durations. Optimization of the brazing wetting time improved the strength of brazed joint by minimizing the formation of brittle layer within the join interface.
EFFECT OF LOADING RATE ON FRACTURE BEHAVIOUR OF Mg-Al-Zn ALLOYS
Authors: Abdul Latif Noradila , Sajuri Zainuddin , Syarif Junaidi , Miyashita Yukio
Published: October 2019

In recent years, magnesium alloys are widely used for automotive applications as structural components due to its lightweight property and high specific strength. In this regards, magnesium alloys are subjected to high velocity and impact loads during accident. Hence, understanding the impact and dynamic behaviours of magnesium alloys are essential. In this study, the effect of loading rates on the fracture behaviour of Mg-Al-Zn alloys was investigated using pre-cracked single-edge notched bending (SENB) specimens. Three-point bending tests were conducted at different loading rates of 5, 50 and 500 mm/min. The Mg-Al-Zn alloys that used in the present study were extruded AZ31 and AZ61 magnesium alloys. From the load-load line displacement results, both alloys exhibited nonlinear fracture behaviour. The maximum load (Pmax) of these two alloys increased with increasing loading rate. Comparing both alloys, AZ61 exhibited higher Pmax than that of AZ31 due to the higher volume of b-phase and smaller grain size in AZ61. Fracture surface observation revealed that both alloys fractured in ductile manner with large scale yielding and high shear lips ratio at all loading rates.
MICROSTRUCTURAL CHANGES OF ALUMINIUM ALLOY A319 ON COOLING SLOPE PLATE
Authors: Aziz Ahmad Muhammad , Omar Mohd Zaidi , Sajuri Zainuddin , Salleh Mohd Shukor
Published: October 2019

The cooling slope (CS) casting process is one of the simplest methods for producing a non-dendritic microstructure. To more clearly determine how this microstructure is formed, specifically in A319, requires an examination of how the dendritic microstructure evolves along the entirety of the CS plate. Yet until now, there are still unclear on the verification of microstructures changes on the CS plate. Based on experimental results, this paper offers an explanation for the mechanism involved in producing a nearly globular microstructure in A319. In addition, the mechanism is verified by using the planimetry method. Moreover a quantitative method is used to determine the grain size and shape factor to provide further support for the proposed mechanism. The solid fraction of α-Al at the impact zone is 70 % which is the highest compared to other zones. Grain size and shape factor shown a decreasing and increasing value respectively from the impact zone until the bottom zone.
DRIVERS’ READINESS TO USE CAR DRIVING SIMULATOR AS A TOOL TO IMPROVE DRIVING SKILL: A PRELIMINARY STUDY
Authors: Ismail Rozmi , Md Saad Mohamad Hanif , Mohd Nor Mohd Jailani , Rosli Redzwan
Published: October 2019

Driving simulators have existed since the 1960s, but for a long time they remained too expensive to be used widely for training purposes. As IT related technology improved, the cost of driving simulators goes down in the last few years. Today, driving simulators have been used as a training device in the basic driver training. In developed countries the use of simulator in driving education is not new. In Malaysia, however, the use of simulators in training is quite new compared to other Asian countries. This paper presents the results of preliminary study on the readiness of Malaysian driver to use car driving simulator in training and education prior to driver licensing.  Survey method was used to get information on drivers’ perception toward the introduction of driving simulator in selected driving institutes. The results of this study showed that all respondents agreed on the importance and usefulness of the driving simulator in improving the driving training process. Based on the result of this study, it is suggested that driving simulator should be implemented in the driving curriculum in order to produce competent driver.
GRAIN REFINEMENT AND MICROSTRUCTURE EVOLUTION IN ALUMINUM A2618 ALLOY BY HIGH-PRESSURE TORSION
Authors: Mohamed Intan Fadhlina , Lee Seungwon , Edalati Kaveh , Horita Zenji , Abdullah Shahrum , Omar Mohd Zaidi , Wan Zamri Wan Fathul Hakim
Published: October 2019

This work presents a study related to the grain refinement of an aluminum A2618 alloy achieved by High-Pressure Torsion (HPT) known as a process of Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD). The HPT is conducted on disks of the alloy under an applied pressure of 6 GPa for 1 and 5 turns with a rotation speed of 1 rpm at room temperature. The HPT processing leads to microstructural refinement with an average grain size of ~250 nm at a saturation level after 5 turns. Gradual increases in hardness are observed from the beginning of straining up to a saturation level. This study thus suggests that hardening due to grain refinement is attained by the HPT processing of the A2618 alloy at room temperature.
DEVELOPMENT OF NOISE AND VIBRATION EXPOSURE MONITORING SYSTEM FOR MALAYSIAN ARMY (MA) THREE-TONNE TRUCKS
Authors: Ab Aziz Shamsul Akmar , Nuawi Mohd Zaki , Mohd Nor Mohd Jailani
Published: October 2019

Exposure to noise and vibration in the driver’s cabin of Malaysian Army (MA) three-tonne trucks can cause discomfort to the drivers and passengers, and can be classified as hazardous if exposed to more than the standard 8 h time period. This study was conducted for two different road conditions often used by MA vehicles; tarmac and dirt roads. Noise exposure was measured using a DuO sound level meter, which is capable of recording raw sound pressure in Pa. Whole-body vibration (WBV) and hand-arm vibration (HAV) were measured using a Brüel&Kjær Type 3649 vibration analyser, which is capable to record WBV and HAV raw data from the driver’s seat and steering wheel. All the raw data was analysed using the Integrated Kurtosis-Based Algorithm for Z-Notch Filter (I-kazTM). Depending on the type of signal, an exposure model was developed for each measured parameter, with I-kazTM  used for noise, I-kaz 3D for WBV and I-kaz Vibro for HAV. With reference to the limits from the respective international standards, a noise and vibration monitoring system for MA three-tonne trucks was then developed.
METALLIC MATERIAL CHARACTERIZATION USING ACOUSTICS SIGNAL ANALYSIS
Authors: Ahmad Mohd Sani , Nuawi Mohd Zaki , Othman Alias , Ahmad Muhamad Arif Fadli
Published: October 2019

Characterization of material properties is a vital aspect in engineering structural design as it practically use as a mechanical component. Nonetheless with such application, the component is highly vulnerable to failed under active loading condition. To prevent such failure, a reliable test to characterize the in-service structural component and its material properties is highly sought by manufacturing industries. This study is based on non-destructive testing by implementing the acoustics signals to describe the relationship of metallic material properties. Experimental procedure accordance to ASTM 1876 standards was carried out by using an impact hammer within specific range of impact force and acted to the specimens. Four types of materials were used in the study, such as medium carbon steel S50C, stainless steel AISI 304, cast iron FCD 500, and brass. The measurement process involves two types of observation data signal which were acoustic signal and impact force. Subsequently, microphone and an impact hammer were used for data acquisition signals. Acoustic signals are then filtered and analyzed using two methods, namely Integrated Kurtosis based Algorithm for Z-notch filter (I-kazTM) and Mesokurtosis Zonal Nonparametric (M-Z-N). The experimental curves obtained by the determination of I-kazTM coefficient and M-Z-N coefficient for various impact forces and metallic materials found that the results were statistically significant and can be successfully used for determining the correlation between the characteristic of the curves and the relevant elastic properties of the metallic materials. Apparently, experimental test of this analysis method on four metallic materials showed a good agreement between the quadratic coefficients with the metallic materials properties.
MONITORING THE FLANK WEAR USING PIEZOELECTRIC OF ROTATING TOOL OF MAIN CUTTING FORCE IN END MILLING
Authors: Tahir N.H.M. , Muhammad R. , Ghani J. A. , Nuawi M. Z. , Haron C. H. C.
Published: October 2019

Tool condition monitoring (TCM) system in the industry are mainly used to detect tool wear, breakage and chatter on the tool. Tool wear of AISI P20 under various cutting conditions have been investigated in end milling using cutting force signals due flank wear progression. This study is focused on the piezoelectric sensor system which is integrated on rotating cutting tool for tool wear monitoring system in milling process. The signal captured by piezoelectric sensors are analyzed in time and frequency domain. The signal amplitudes of main cutting force, Fc in time domain are increased, while the peak of the amplitude in frequency domain is decreased as the flank wear and cutting speed increases. By using 3D I-kazTM statistical analysis method, the relationship and correlation between I-kaz coefficients, Z∞  values with resultant flank wear width data, VB are proved. The results show that 3D I-kazTM statistical analysis method can be effectively used to monitor tool wear progression using a wireless telemetry system during milling operations.
SIDE FORCE ANALYSIS OF SUSPENSION STRUT UNDER VARIOUS LOAD CASES
Authors: Kong Y.S. , Abdullah S. , Omar M.Z. , Haris S.M.
Published: October 2019

This paper presents the side forces extraction of a Macpherson suspension strut under extreme load cases using multibody dynamics model. Inevitable side forces subjected to the Macpherson suspension system during vehicle driving cause the damper rod and top mounting failure. Bending moment generated could increase the friction of damper piston and inner tube and simultaneously decrease the ride comfort of the vehicle, or in a more severe condition, failure occurs. In this study, the side forces magnitude subjected to the Macpherson strut under various severe load events were obtained through a quasi-static multibody dynamics half vehicle model simulation. Outcomes of the multibody simulation that showing the forces exerted on the suspension Macpherson strut were derived into three axes which were vertical, lateral and longitudinal. The lateral and longitudinal side forces on the strut were highest during the pothole striking event which achieved 11052 N. The extracted force provided useful information for suspension linkages design and damper friction analysis to prevent failure.
RELIABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR AN AUTOMOBILE CRANKSHAFT UNDER RANDOM LOADING
Authors: Singh S.S.K. , Abdullah S. , Mohamed N.A.N.
Published: October 2019

This paper presents the stochastic process for reliability  assessment based on the fatigue life data under random loading for structural health monitoring of an automobile crankshaft due tofatigue failure. This is based on reported failure of the component due to the effect of the random loads that acts on the component during its operating condition over a given period of time. Since there are significant limitations of the experimental analysis in terms of actual loading history, therefore, the reliability assessment is considered to be less accurate. Hence, the reliability assessment based on fatigue life data using the Markov process by incorporating loading data to synthetically generate loading history has been proposed in this study. The Markov process has the capability of continuously updating the loading history data to reduce the intervals between each data point for reliability assessment based on the fatigue life data. The accuracy of the proposed monitoring system for reliability assessment was validated through its statistical method. The reliability assessment from the Markov process corresponded well by providing an accuracy of more than 95% when compared towards the actual sampling data. The reliability of the crankshaft based on the fatigue life assessment provides a highly accurate  for the improvement and control of risk factors in terms of structural health monitoring by overcoming the extensive time and cost required for fatigue testing
THE HIGH PERFORMANCE LINPACK (HPL) BENCHMARK EVALUATION ON UTP HIGH PERFORMANCE CLUSTER COMPUTING
Authors: Chun Shiang Wong , Abdul Aziz Izzatdin , Haron Nazleeni Samiha , Jaafar Jafreezal , Ismail Norzatul Natrah , Mehat Mazlina
Published: October 2019

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) has formed a high performance computing cluster (HPCC) inside the campus by utilizing most of the campus’ existing resources as the computing resources. All the resources are interconnected within a same network, enabling it to be accessed by users anywhere anytime within and outside the campus. The UTP HPCC is used by researchers, including lecturers and students from UTP also from external parties to compute intensive applications. However, the UTP HPCC has never been benchmarked before, hence the performance and the ability of UTP HPCC are still unverified. The benchmarking is imperative in order to measure the true performance and the ability of UTP HPCC. This paper aims to evaluate the performance of UTP HPCC using a suitable benchmarking tool as well as to determine the optimal parameters configuration of the selected benchmarking tool. A comparative study has been done in order to select the best benchmarking tool between High performance LINPACK (HPL) and the NAS Parallel. The results show that HPL is a more suitable benchmarking tool for UTP HPCC compared to NAS Parallel. A series of experiments were carried out to select the optimum parameter of HPL configuration for UTP HPCC. The results from benchmarking show that the peak performance is achievable under the test conditions.
DESIGNING A VEHICLE ALARM NOTIFICATION SYSTEM USING GSM NETWORK
Authors: Azrina Azizan Sofea , Abdul Aziz Izzatdin , Haron Nazleeni Samiha , Jaafar Jafreezal , Abdul Aziz Izzatdin , Ismail Norzatul Natrah , Mehat Mazlina
Published: October 2019

This paper focuses on studying and designing of vehicle alarm by using GSM network as well as to provide the user with information via SMS on whether an intrusion or some other possible factors have triggered the alarm. Nowadays, all vehicles are equipped with an alarm system that will alert the vehicle owner if there is any intrusion detected. However, when the vehicle alarm is triggered, the vehicle owner is unaware of the siren. They might be somewhere far away from their vehicle parking and sometimes there is no intrusion instead there is a false alarm. Alarm trigger for a long time will cause the vehicle’s battery to decrease and will annoy the passers-by. This paper is subdivided into two phases. First, the study on how to integrate GSM devices to send SMS to the vehicle owner's mobile phone. The second phase of this paper is to design and develop a mechanism that can alert the vehicle owner from a remote location by using GSM. As a proof of concept, the proposed mechanism is then validated through a lab scale experiment. This paper is expected to enhance the existing alarm system to benefit all users in order to protect their vehicle.
Interplay between electronic and structural transitions in VO2 revealed by ellipsometry
Authors: Voloshenko Ievgen , Gompf Bruno , Berrier Audrey , Schnoering Gabriel , Kuhl Florian , Polity Angelika , Dressel Martin
Published: October 2019

Temperature-dependent spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements, combined with AFM investigations, have been performed to reveal the interplay between the structural and electronic phase transitions during the insulator-to-metal transition in VO2 thin films with different thicknesses. A comprehensive analysis of the macroscopic optical response in the framework of an anisotropic Bruggeman effective medium approximation yields the hysteretic shape evolution of the metallic inclusions and the changes in film roughness due to the structural transitions during a temperature cycle. The authors show that the structural modifications in the material across the transition affect the metallic cluster shape in the vicinity of the percolation threshold, leading to an altered absorption by the localized plasmon resonances. The structural changes are supported by AFM measurements and can be explained by the particular strain present in different films.
Patterning of high-aspect-ratio nanogratings using phase-locked two-beam fiber-optic interference lithography
Authors: Gan Zhuofei , Cai Jingxuan , Liang Chuwei , Chen Liyang , Min Siyi , Cheng Xing , Cui Dehu , Li Wen-Di
Published: October 2019

Patterning high-aspect-ratio gratings by the phase-locked two-beam fiber-optic interference lithography (2-FOIL) is numerically and experimentally investigated in this paper. The Dill model is applied in the numerical simulation to understand the effects of an exposure dose and pattern contrast on the exposed photoresist grating profiles. Exposure experiments on the authors’ home-built 2-FOIL setup are conducted to demonstrate the suitability for manipulating the linewidth of photoresist gratings by tuning the exposure dose to achieve high aspect ratios over 6 at high pattern contrast thanks to the phase-locking mechanism. The high-aspect-ratio photoresist gratings serve as an excellent etching mask for the subsequent pattern transfer into underlying silicon substrates for high-aspect-ratio silicon gratings. Using these high-aspect-ratio silicon gratings as the nanoimprint mold, a square nanomesh is demonstrated by means of the multiple-step nanoimprint lithography. The authors’ work demonstrates that the proposed phase-locked 2-FOIL system enables high pattern contrast under long exposure duration, making it a suitable tool for fabricating high-aspect-ratio grating structures.
Influence of pluvial lake cycles on earthquake recurrence in the northwestern Basin and Range, USA
Authors: Egger Anne E. , Ibarra Daniel E. , Weldon Ray , Langridge Robert M. , Marion* Brian , Hall† Jennifer
Published: October 2019

The Basin and Range hosted large pluvial lakes during the Pleistocene, which generally reached highstands following the Last Glacial Maximum and then regressed rapidly to near-modern levels. These lakes were large and deep enough to profoundly affect the crust through flexure; they filled basins formed by faults, and they locally modified pore pressure and groundwater conditions. A compilation of geochronologic constraints on paleoshorelines and paleoseismicity suggests temporal correlations between lake level and earthquake recurrence, with changes in earthquake rates as lakes regressed. In the northwestern Basin and Range, climatic and tectonic conditions differ from the rest of the province: The modern and glacial climate is/was cooler and wetter, glacial lakes were proportionally larger, and the crustal strain rate is lower. Numerous valleys host late Pleistocene and Holocene fault scarps and evidence of >Mw 7 earthquakes in the last 15,000 yr. We compiled detailed lake hydrographs, timing of earthquakes and slip on faults, and other climatic and crustal data from Surprise Valley, Summer Lake, and the Fort Rock basin, along with additional data from other basins in the northwestern Basin and Range. We also present new mapping and topographic analysis of fault scarps that provides relative age constraints on the timing of slip events. Our results confirm temporal correlations, but the limited length of the paleoseismic record prevents definitive causation on the scale of the individual fault or lake basin. Taken together, however, data from all basins suggest that the faults in the northwestern Basin and Range could be acting as a system, with pluvial lake cycles affecting elastic strain accumulation and release across the region.
Prevalence of major cardiovascular disease risk factors among a group of sub-Saharan African young adults: a population-based cross-sectional study in Yaoundé, Cameroon
Authors: Nansseu Jobert Richie , Kameni Bibiane Siaheu , Assah Felix Kembe , Bigna Jean Joel , Petnga Saint-Just , Tounouga Dahlia Noelle , Tchokfe Ndoula Shalom , Noubiap Jean Jacques , Kamgno Joseph
Published: October 2019

Objective

To determine the prevalence estimates of some major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a young adult-aged population living in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Design

A cross-sectional study held from May to July 2017.

Setting

Participants

Students aged 18–35 years, with no known history of CVD, found at the campus during recruitment and who voluntarily agreed to be included in the study.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Data were collected on personal and family history as well as lifestyle and nutritional habits; anthropometric parameters and blood pressure were also measured. Prevalence rates were calculated with their respective 95% CI.

Results

Overall, 931 participants (53.8% males) were included, with a median age of 23 years (IQR 21–25). The prevalence estimates for some major CVD risk factors were: 3.1% (95% CI 2.0 to 4.2) for family history of heart attack, 6.3% (95% CI 4.7 to 7.9) for family history of stroke, 26.7% (95% CI 23.9 to 29.5) for hazardous alcohol consumption, 0.9% (95% 0.3 to 1.5) for current tobacco smoking, 27.6% (95% CI 24.7 to 30.5) for secondhand smoking, 88.9% (95% CI 86.9 to 90.9) for physical inactivity, 99.0% (95% CI 98.4 to 99.6) for inadequate fruits and/or vegetables consumption, 39.8% (95% CI 36.7 to 42.9) for self-reported anxiety, 49.2% (95% CI 46.0 to 52.4) for self-reported depression, 22.1% (95% CI 19.4 to 24.8) for overweight, 3.9% (95% CI 2.7 to 5.1) for obesity, 14.4% (95% CI 12.1 to 16.7) for abdominal obesity, 14.5% (95% CI 12.2 to 16.8) for excess body fat mass, 30.0% (95% CI 27.1 to 32.9) for suspected prehypertension and 2.8% (95% CI 1.7 to 3.9) for suspected hypertension.

Conclusion

The prevalence of some major CVD risk factors is high among young adults living in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Therefore, specific actions should be undertaken in this population to mitigate the upcoming burden of CVD. Accordingly, younger-aged adult populations should be encouraged and accompanied to practice physical activity, eat healthily, and stop or avoid smoking and/or hazardous alcohol consumption.
Providing person-centred care for people with multiple chronic conditions: protocol for a qualitative study incorporating client and staff perspectives
Authors: Peart Annette , Lewis Virginia , Barton Christopher , Brown Ted , White Julie , Gascard Debra , Russell Grant
Published: October 2019

Introduction

Chronic conditions are associated with over one-third of potentially avoidable hospitalisations. Integrated care programmes aim to help people with chronic conditions to self-manage their health, thus avoiding hospital admissions. While founded on principles of person-centred care, the experiences of people with multiple chronic conditions in integrated care programmes are not widely known. Our study will explore how person-centred care is incorporated into an integrated care programme for people with multiple chronic conditions.

Methods and analysis

This is a qualitative phenomenological study being conducted from March 2018 to June 2019, in a large metropolitan health service in Melbourne, Australia. Participants will be programme clients (and/or their carers) and staff working in the programme. We will interview staff about their experiences of the programme. Recruited staff will assist with recruitment of clients who recently completed an episode of care, to participate in a semistructured interview in their home. We will also analyse the medical records of interviewed clients, and observe outpatient clinics connected to the programme, based on the findings of the interviews. We will analyse all data using thematic analysis, with overarching themes representing staff and client perspectives of person-centred care.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval was granted by Monash Health (HREC/18/MonH/33) and Monash University (12260) Human Research Ethics Committees. Our study will provide a comprehensive exploration of person-centred care in an integrated care programme. It will add information to person-centred care literature on participants’ perceptions of what works and why, including barriers and enablers to person-centred care in a complex environment. Findings of this study will be disseminated via publications, conferences and presentations to the health service participants.
Exposure to asbestos and the risk of colorectal cancer mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Kwak Kyeongmin , Paek Domyung , Zoh Kyung Ehi
Published: October 2019

Asbestos exposure is associated with mesothelioma and cancer of the lung, larynx and ovary. However, the association between asbestos exposure and colorectal cancer is controversial despite several systematic reviews of the literature, including a number of meta-analyses. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate quantitatively the association between exposure to asbestos and colorectal cancer. We searched for articles on occupational asbestos exposure and colorectal cancer in PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science published before April 2018. In total, 44 articles were selected and 46 cohort studies were analysed. The overall pooled risk estimates and corresponding 95% CIs of the association between occupational asbestos exposure and colorectal cancer were calculated using a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity tests were also performed. There was a significantly increased risk of colorectal cancer mortality among workers exposed to asbestos occupationally, with an overall pooled SMR of 1.16 (95% CI: 1.05 to 1.29). The pooled SMR for colorectal cancer was elevated in studies in which the asbestos-associated risk of lung cancer was also elevated (1.43; 95% CI: 1.30 to 1.56). This implies that the risk of colorectal cancer mortality increases as the level of asbestos exposure rises. A sensitivity analysis showed robust results and there was no publication bias. Although the effect size was small and the heterogeneity among studies was large, our findings indicate that occupational exposure to asbestos is a risk factor for colorectal cancer.
Anisotropic neutron stars by gravitational decoupling
Authors: Torres-Sánchez V. A. , Contreras E.
Published: October 2019

In this work we obtain an anisotropic neutron star solution by gravitational decoupling starting from a perfect fluid configuration which has been used to model the compact object PSR J0348+0432. Additionally, we consider the same solution to model the Binary Pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 and X-ray Binaries Her X-1 and Cen X-3 ones. We study the acceptability conditions and obtain that the MGD-deformed solution obey the same physical requirements as its isotropic counterpart. Finally, we conclude that the most stable solutions, according to the adiabatic index and gravitational cracking criterion, are those with the smallest compactness parameters, namely SAX J1808.4-3658 and Her X-1.