bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Systematic Review on Internet of Things in Language Practice
Authors: Kew S N , Koh T W , Tasir Z , Jumaat N F , Abd Halim N D
Published: March 2021

Language is a necessary component in our life as we need it to communicate with each other. It is important to provide more alternatives and resources to the language learners to effectively learn and master the language well. In fact, the growth of technology has made impact on the educational aspects over the years. Particularly, researchers are exploring the potential for the Internet of Things to help learners in language learning. Even though different learning and teaching applications on various types of learning devices have been developed to enhance language learning and teaching practices; nonetheless, the systematic review studies on the Internet of Things in language practice are still limited. Therefore, this paper aims to fill in this research gap by presenting a systematic review of the Internet of Things in language practice with the purpose to provide an overview of how Internet of Things has been utilised in language learning in the educational institution. By searching the key words via numerous electronic databases, a total of 288 papers was found. After eliminating articles that did not fulfil the requirements, only 17 articles were chosen and analysed in this paper. This paper analysed these selected articles for the types of languages being focused on, the types of technology used in language learning, its purpose, effects and examples. Based on the analysis of the results, most of the studies have designed new technology tools that are used to enhance learners’ language competency, including children, primary school students and university students. The findings also found these technology tools focus on different types of languages. Among these languages, English language is the most popular language that researches have studied. Moreover, most of the studies also reported that learners’ language competency was improved due to the implementation of Internet of Things. Lastly, it is suggested that more relevant future research should be conducted.
Structure Base Virtual Screening for Identifying Inflammatory Inhibitors
Authors: Tap Fatahiya Mohamed , Ahmad Khairudin Nurul Bahiyah , Mustafa Iswaibah
Published: March 2021

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is an enzyme that induces inflammation, making PLA2 activity an effective approach to reduce inflammation. Therefore, investigating natural compounds for this PLA2 inhibitory activity has important therapeutic potential. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential inhibitors for inflammatory diseases through a virtual screening approach. Out of 10,000 compounds from zinc database, only five compounds were selected based on the lowest free energy binding and further used for molecular interaction analysis. These five compounds were Metacetamol (-11.43 kcal/mol), 7-Methoxybenzofuran-2-carboxylic acid (-10.22 kcal/mol), 6-nitro-4H-1,3-benzodioxine-8-carbaldehyde (-10.08kcal/mol), 4-(2-Amino-1,3-thiazol-4-yl)benzene-1,3-diol (-9.86 kcal/mol), and 1-Ethyl-1H-indole-3-carbaldehyde (-9.53 kcal/mol). These findings also provide insight on valuable implications for the use of these five compounds in treating inflammation, and may help researchers develop more natural bioactive compounds in daily foods as anti-inflammatory agent.
Resilience Building among University Students: A Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Study
Authors: Shahirah Sha’ari N A , Amin M K M
Published: March 2021

National Health and Morbidity Survey 2017 stated that 1 in 5 adolescents in Malaysia are having depression while 2 in 5 are anxious and 1 in 10 adolescents are in a stress state. This statistic is worrying as adolescents will be the future leaders of our country. Due to this increasing mental health problems, heart rate variability biofeedback technologies are used to increase resilience among university students. A person who is low in resilience is easily gets stress and a higher tendency to be depressed. Based on previous research, there were many kinds of research that have been done to quantify resilience through psychometric tools for example questionnaires and surveys. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been little research before this in investigating how efficient heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) in improving resilience, especially among university students. The waveform of the HRV able to reflect either the person has low or high resilience. This study is a multidisciplinary field that includes electronics, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. The aim is to determine the impact of HRV in resilience building among university students through biofeedback training. 120 students from Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT) are selected to participate in responding to the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). BRS is used as psychometric tools to measure the level of resilience of the students. Based on the BRS score, the subjects were divided into 3 categories of resilience which are low resilience, normal resilience, and high resilience. The research used EmWave device and software of the HeartMath Institute to collect the variations of the heart rate data. Those who have low resilience took part in the biofeedback training for 5 sessions. The intervention used in the study is the slow breathing technique (6 breaths per min). Based on the HRV power spectrum, HRV data can be divided into 3 parts which are very low frequency (VLF), low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF). The result obtained after completed all biofeedback training sessions shows that the use of heart rate variability biofeedback helped to increase the level of resilience of the students.
Sodium Chloride Concentration Measurement via Optical Fiber Tip Sensor
Authors: Ja’afar P N S S , Razali N M , Ambran S , Ahmad F
Published: March 2021

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is an essential compound that human needs mainly to regulate the amount of water in body. However, the level intake of NaCl daily consumption should wisely be regulated. Previously, various techniques have been employed to measure NaCl concentrations but high cost and complex fabrication become one of the limitations that need to be overcome. Thus, this paper demonstrates a sodium chloride (NaCl) concentration measurement using an optical fiber tip sensor. The flat end facet of single – mode fiber was used to emit the broadband light at near infrared wavelength region to detect NaCl at different concentration ranging from 0% – 4%. The optical power reading was recorded at every increment of 0.5% of NaCl concentration. When the aqueous NaCl was dropped onto the sensing region, the optical power decreases as the NaCl concentration increases. This experiment has shown that the sensitivity achieved by this sensor was 0.1239 dBm/% with regression value up to 0.999.
Dual-band substrate integrate waveguide slot antenna for 5G applications
Authors: Hamid N , Omran A H
Published: March 2021

The current fifth generation (5G) and millimeterwave technologies are urgently needed to provide huge bandwidth, dual-bands, multi bands, high gain and high directivity radiation pattern beams antennas. However, antennas at millimeterwave suffer from radiation loss and component loss with narrow bandwidth, especially when it is implemented using microstrip structures. Different transmission lines such as waveguide and substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) are studied and introduced for realizing antennas at millimeterwave bands. SIW structures are good candidate for implementation of antenna due to its property of low loss transmission line comprises the properties of microstrip and waveguide technology. However, SIW antennas and structures at millimeterwave have unwanted radiation losses comes from the vias holes. In addition, the vias separation distance is depended on waveguide size, which leads to a bigger size for massive antenna array network at proposed 26 GHz and 28 GHz. Hence, this paper proposed a dual band, compact size, and optimal SIW antenna structure to reduce the vias losses and provides higher bandwidth and gain at 26 GHz and 28 GHz. The proposed design is implemented using three slots to achieve the dual band property and increases the return loss. The proposed design is simulated and studied using CST software. The outcomes of dual-band response at 26 GHz and 28 GHz with a return loss more than 10 dB and a fractional bandwidth of 15% are achieved. A good gain around 8 dB is achieved. These results give a promising solution for realizing a full antenna array based on SIW technology at millimeterwave and 5G technology.
Compact wide band antenna for millimetric communications
Authors: Elsayed Mohamed S. , AboSree Mohamed F. , AbdElazem Mohamed H.
Published: March 2021

A single-layer ultra-wideband microstrip patch antenna loaded with an asymmetrical U-shaped slot for millimetre wave application is presented in this paper. The antenna is coaxial fed, and it is implemented on a Roger 5880 substrate with a relative dielectric constant of 2.2, thickness 3.15 mm, and loss tangent 0.0009. It operates over the frequency in the Ka-band from 31 to 37 GHz in the microwave spectrum. The results of the simulated reflection coefficient, radiation pattern, and maximum gain of the antenna are in fair agreement with the measured ones. Moreover, the measured reflection coefficient is carried out in the labs. The gain of The peak value of 7.4 dB is obtained at 34 GHz.
Recent Trends of the In-Pipe Inspection Robotic System from Academia and Industry Perspectives
Authors: Rashid M Z A , Yakub F , Salim S A S , Roslan S A , Shah H N M , Yeshmukhametov A , Yamamoto Y
Published: March 2021

This paper presents the recent designs of the in-pipe inspection robotic system from the researchers in the academia and industrial fields. The scope of the paper will focus on the designs, locomotion of the systems and the actuator that will actuate or provide force to drive the in-pipe robot forward. The study covers the trends of the research from recent years to date. It is observable that most of the researches conducted by academic researchers focused on the designs and locomotion of the robots which commonly used wheel drive, screw drive and modular locomotion method. The screw drive in-pipe robotic system has a set of wheels located at certain distance apart from the centre of the body with a certain angle so that the system rotates like a screw when it is actuated. On the contrary, the in-pipe robotic system from the industry like oil and gas industry uses wheel type robot combined with other parts like disc, cups, scraper and attached with the sensory system to conduct the inspection.
Post-buckling of bamboo reinforced composite plates
Authors: Mat Kasim F A , Roslan S A H , Rasid Z A , Yakub F , Hassan M Z , Yahaya H
Published: March 2021

Composite materials are preferred as today’s material for aerospace structural applications largely because composites provide high specific strength and stiffness. To their advantages, natural fibers such as bamboo, kenaf, jute and flax have been researched significantly for having high effective strength and stiffness and environmental friendly advantages in being renewable, biodegradable and sustainable. While many structures used in aerospace applications are thin and as such susceptible to buckling problem, this paper presents the study on the buckling and post-buckling of bamboo reinforced composite plates (BRCPs), applying the finite element method software of ANSYS APDL. A compressive load was given to the BFRC and linear buckling analysis was conducted first. The determined critical load from this analysis was then used in the non-linear post-buckling analysis to give the post-buckling path of the BRFC. In both linear and non-linear analysis, the effect of BRFC thickness was considered while both angle-ply and cross-ply orientations were used. The results of deflection of a composite plate showed an excellent agreement with past results. The study shows that as the length to thickness ratio (l/t) was increased, critical loads increased as well. Further, the critical loads for the angle-ply BFRCs were higher than the cross-ply counterparts of the same thickness. Similar pattern of behaviour can be seen for the post-buckling paths of the BFRCs.
Accelerated Non-Coaxial Rotating Flow of MHD Viscous Fluid with Heat and Mass Transfer
Authors: Noranuar W N N , Qushairi Mohamad A , Shafie S , Khan I
Published: March 2021

An exact analysis on heat and mass transfer of mixed convection MHD viscous fluid flow due to accelerated non-coaxial rotation is analyzed. This analysis is considered through a porous medium. The rotation and buoyancy forces involved in this problem give effects on the fluid motion. Dimensional momentum, energy and concentration equations are presented in partial differential equations with initial and boundary conditions which then are reduced into non-dimensional form by introducing non-dimensional variables. This problem is analytically solved by using Laplace transform method and the exact solution obtained for velocity, temperature and concentration profile are graphically plotted in order to investigate the impact of Grashof number Gr, modified Grashof number Gm, Prandtl number Pr and Schmidt number Sc as well as accelerated, magnetic and porosity parameter on its behavior. The results show that the increasing acceleration parameter raises the velocity profile while increasing of Prandtl number and Schmidt number leads to a fall in velocity profile. A verification of obtained solution is conducted by comparing present results with published results and it was found to be in a good agreement.
Debris Flow Numerical Simulation Model Comparison with Field Events in Kuala Kubu Baru and Lentang, Malaysia
Authors: Kasim N , Taib K Abu , Maturidi A M A M , Wan Azahar W N A , Masjuki S A
Published: March 2021

Debris flow is one of Malaysia’s natural disasters which could cause casualties and serious infrastructure damage. Precisely predicting the factors associated with the occurrence of debris flow such as the run-out lengths, velocities and thickness of alluvial deposits can greatly mitigate damage, minimize or even avoid the aftermaths of the occurrence. Applying numerical simulation models explaining debris flow deposition would be a valuable tool in forecasting potential debris flow activity and providing criteria for designing protective measures. Comprehensive studies of available records of past debris flow events from relevant sources and site investigations have been carried out in order to assemble field information for the particular debris flow event in Malaysia. A number of calamitous debris flow events occurred in Malaysia have been closely observed and studied. The well-documented events, i.e. Lentang and Kuala Kubu Baru debris flow disasters occurred on 2nd November 2004 and 10th November 2003, respectively were simulated using the Kanako 2D (Ver.2.04) simulation model software. The results obtained from the numerical simulation model were compared with the real events in order to evaluate their predictive capabilities. The results showed an accuracy of more than 93% was obtained from the simulation model as compared to the real in-situ measurements. A positive simulation result will become a valuable method to predict potential debris flow hazard behavior of the same type and characteristics.
Solution for Sand Production Problem in Oil and Gas well
Authors: Subbiah S K , Mohamad-Hussein A , Samsuri A , Jaafar M Z , Chen Y R , Pearce A , Paramanathan R N , Kumar R R
Published: March 2021

Sandstone reservoir rock failure due to hydrocarbon extraction and pore pressure reduction can induce phenomenon called sand production. Even though sand production may increase the overall productivity especially in heavy oil, it also may cause other negative impact such as equipment erosion which can lead to loss of integrity that can eventually induce hydrocarbon leakage. Thus, safety factors need to be considered before deciding if sand production can be allowed in the well. Operators must be prepared for any additional cost for special well completion plan if their well is sanding candidate. Therefore, predicting the sand production ahead of field development plan is smarter exercise for better return of investment. Estimating where and when sand production will occur can be achieved by conducting fit for purpose geomechanical modelling for the specific reservoir. Summary of the methodology is discussed in the paper which can help completion engineer to make decision in selecting best completion. Data from a gas field and well are used in this paper adopting the suggested methodology. The results from the study can predict when and where sand production will occur and the level of severity. The study also recommends simple solution to avoid any sand production by optimising perforation phasing and its geometry.
The Effect of Flight and Design Parameters of a Turbofan Engine on Global Warming Potential
Authors: Dinc A
Published: March 2021

Anthropogenic global warming is caused by human beings as a result of fuel combustion process used in energy production, transportation, residential heating etc. Fossil fuels after combustion generate gases such as CO2, H2O, NOx, SOx, CO etc. Those gases form a greenhouse effect and causes global warming. For a sustainable world there is a need to limit those greenhouse gases. Transportation vehicles also consume fossil fuels and aviation is a part of that. Aircraft engines emit exhaust gases during flight and ground operations. Turbofan engine is the most common type in commercial aviation today. Turboprop, turbojet and piston engines constitute a smaller percentage in the sector. In this study, in order to reduce the environmental impact of aviation, a turbofan engine related exhaust gas emission was calculated for different input parameters of design and operation. Global warming potential (GWP) parameter was analysed as a sensitivity study with respect to input parameters. A +/-5% change was considered for input parameters and effects on GWP were presented in the order of magnitude and importance. Results obtained in this study have practical implications for engine designers and operators to potentially reduce the GWP for a sustainable world.
Adsorption of Contaminants from Palm Oil Mill Effluent Using Agricultural Biomass Wastes as Adsorbents
Authors: Harimisa G E , Jusoh N W C , Tan L S , Ghafar N A , Masudi A
Published: March 2021

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) has become critical issue among the oil palm industries due to its high organic contents and other contaminants which results in dark colour, turbid and bad smell. POME that is not treated effectively will result in significant wastewater issues as it disposes to the environment. Adsorption is a promising technique to purify the wastewater and has a wide variety of potential adsorbents. It works by adhering the pollutants on the high porous of activated carbon. Therefore, activated carbon has been widely used due to the effectiveness to adsorb pollutants and easy to produce. Previous studies proved that adsorption using activated carbon has been an effective method for the treatment of POME. This paper presents the utilization of activated carbon from agricultural biomass wastes for POME treatment. The materials are renewable, low-cost and viable as precursors of the activated carbon. The adsorption efficiencies and mechanisms of the activated carbon are discussed and summarized for easy reference. Development of methods for synthesis may become great challenges in the future, as well as the regeneration of activated carbon.
CFD Study on MR-deDuster As a Fine Particle Emission Control
Authors: Hasyimah N , Rashid M , Hasrizam C M , Norelyza H , Hajar S
Published: March 2021

Reynolds stress model (RSM) is known to demonstrate the closest approximation with experimental data and appraised as the most reliable turbulent model for the flow field in a cyclone simulation against other models. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with RSM was used to simulate MR-deDuster, which is a newly developed multi-cyclone for fine particle emission control with axial inlet entry. The flow field characteristics of velocity contour and particle trajectories inside the cyclone were profiled while particle cut-diameter (dpc) of the unit was predicted based on fractional collection efficiency. Throughout the simulation, three different inlet velocities represented by their respective volumetric air flow rates (Q) ranging from 0.27 to 0.35 m3/s were applied and the results were plotted accordingly by referring to the value of these Qs. The velocity flows are almost identical for every unit of the cyclone in MR-deDuster system with the highest velocity of 33 m/s was found at the end of the vortex finder operated at 0.35 m3/s. This is crucial to ensure that each unit is operated in similar mode to get optimum performance of the system. Meanwhile, discrete phase model was used to estimate the particle trajectories in the flow. By releasing a certain number of inert particles at the cyclone’s inlet, fractional collection efficiency plot could be determined using the ratio of tracked particles trapped and released through the outlet. This study indicated that the predicted dpc of MR-deDuster was 1.85 and 2.05 μm for the highest and lowest Q respectively. The former represents the highest inlet velocity which is able to attract more of fine particle deep inside the bottom of the cyclone compared to the latter. Thus, the predicted fractional collection efficiency of 100% was achieved for particle larger and equal to 10 μm in size at the highest volumetric air flow rate or inlet velocity. The importance of inlet velocity in reducing the dpc which simultaneously increase the performance of a cyclone is illustrated in this study as successfully demonstrated by the CFD software.
Field study of the Occupant’s Thermal Preferences for Cooling in Living Rooms Based on Different Set Point Temperatures
Authors: Kamaruddin N I , Zaki S A , Rijal H B , Hagishima A , Khalid W , Atikha N , Yakub F , Redzuan F L M
Published: March 2021

The use of an air conditioner (AC) becomes essential in residential buildings, particularly in a hot and humid climate to optimize indoor thermal comfort. To accelerate the process of space cooling, occupants tend to use the lowest set point of the AC thermostat setting to achieve the desired thermal comfort in the indoor environment. A field study was conducted to investigate the occupants’ thermal preferences in experimental living rooms at four AC set point temperatures (16°C, 20°C, 24°C, and 28°C). The indoor thermal environmental measurement and questionnaire survey were conducted on 63 respondents with 252 samples. The results of the thermal sensation vote (TSV) revealed that at the AC set point temperatures of 16°C and 20°C, 38% and 62% of the respondents voted ‘cold’, respectively. Meanwhile, they voted ‘a bit warmer’ for their thermal preference (TP). At the set point temperature of 24°C, 41% of the respondents voted ‘neutral’ for TSV, while 54% voted ‘no change’ for TP. At the same time, for the set point temperature of 28°C, 38% of the respondents voted ‘slightly warm’ for TSV and ‘a bit cooler’ for TP. In short, the respondent might have different thermal preferences even though they were experiencing the same thermal condition. This finding also indicated that there is a limit to how much the AC can provide uniform thermal satisfaction among occupants in the same room with a single control of the set point temperature.
Docking study for assessment of wound healing potential of isosakuratenin isolated from Chromolaena odorata: An In-silico approach
Authors: Mokhtar N A , Tap F M , Talib S Z A , Khairudin N A
Published: March 2021

Wound healing is a complex and well-orchestrated biological process in all multicellular organisms in which normal wound healing consists of four major phases that are haemostasis, inflammation, proliferations and reepithelization. Abnormal wound healing is always associated with inefficient or miscarried transition during inflammation to proliferation phase. Wound healing potential of various natural extracts have been studied progressively in recent years. In this present study, isosakuratenin, a phytoconstituent previously reported to be isolated from the extracts of Chromolaena odorata are aimed at targeting essential proteins involved in wound healing process. Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMP) is a protein essential in wound healing. Therefore, the present study is aimed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of isosakuratenin on MMP as a potential therapeutic target for wound therapy. Isosakuratenin from Chromolaena odorata were studied based on their ability to interact with the targeted protein via molecular docking approach. Isosakuratenin showed binding affinity to four different classes of MMPs. The binding energy of these MMPs with isosakuratenin are -7.7 kcal/mol (MMP2), -6.8 kcal/mol (MMP3), -9.0 kcal/mol (MMP8) and -9.7 kcal/mol (MMP12). Isosakuratenin forms stronger interaction with MMP12 in which it forms two bonding at the active site of the protein and shows the most stable dock conformation. This results suggested that, among these four MMPs, isosakuratenin are best interacted with MMP12 and hence, could be used to visualized the potential of isosakuratenin as MMP12 inhibitor during wound healing process. This recent work provides meaningful insights in regards to the molecular structure interaction and requirement of the phytoconstituents from Chromolaena odorata for subsequent pharmaceutical formulation in catering the wound healing products demand.
Development of new novel constitutive model for deep reservoir sandstone rock for sand production application
Authors: Subbiah S K , Mohamad-Hussein A , Samsuri A , Jaafar M Z , Chen Y R , Pearce A , Paramanathan R N
Published: March 2021

Sand production in oil or gas well can cause serious havoc leading to surface and downhole equipment erosion and induced unwanted cost to fix it. Thus, for the completion selection and optimisation, it requires a proper geomechanical analysis. During this process it is very important to use an appropriate failure constitutive model where it should be able to honour the onset failure of the geomaterial and the post failure as well. Currently most of existing failure criteria do not honour full spectrum of stress and strain evolution including post failure (softening). We developed a new elastoplastic constitutive model for weak geomaterial to fill the gap by using single equation to honour both hardening and softening of the geomaterial. Triaxial test has been conducted on rock sample under different confining pressure using a servo controller. The data from lab test has been used to develop the constitutive failure model followed by a validation using the Finite Element Method. Mohr Coulomb failure which is commonly used in the industry has been compared with the new constitutive model (known as ASA model). As the results the newly developed model was able to capture better the full elasto-plastic behaviour that includes softening or post failure of the geomaterial mechanical response compared to Mohr Coulomb criterion. This is quite critical for oil and gas applications, especially in the case of sand production. In conclusion, the new constitutive model was able to honour the full spectrum of nonlinear stress strain evolution using single equation and demonstrated superior compared to the commonly used failure criteria in the industry.
An optimization model for course scheduling in Undergraduate Industrial Engineering Program of Universitas Sebelas Maret
Authors: Pratiwi M , Rosyidi C N , Yuniaristanto
Published: March 2021

Course timetabling is a common problem in many universities. With different number of students enrolled in every course, the number of lecturers, and various size of room’s capacity, then it would be difficult for scheduler to assign courses manually. The assigning process must meet all of educational rules in order to satisfy students and lecturers for a better educational quality. There are sets of time slot, courses, and rooms. The room efficiency and the effectiveness needed due to limited available room. The problem is formulated in the form of binary integer linear programming. The objective function of the model is to maximise the room utility. The model also considers probability of a course taken by different student groups in order to avoid clash. The results show a significant difference between manual scheduling and optimization results can satifsy more constraints than manual scheduling.
Analysis of the eco-efficiency level in the dining table production process using life cycle assessment method to increase industry sustainability
Authors: Purwaningsih R , Susanto N , Adiaksa D A , Putri A A A
Published: March 2021

This study aims to measure the environmental costs (eco-cost) and the level of eco-efficiency of the production of the dining table in the Jepara furniture industry and formulates recommendations to improve eco-efficiency. The measurement of eco-efficiency was performed using life cycle assessment (LCA) with the eco-cost method. The furniture manufacturer produces a waste of 30 % and the product reject 15 %. The result of the data processing shows that the eco-costs of IDR 134,000 per unit product and net value IDR 208,000. The eco-efficiency index or EEI is 1.55 which means that the products categorized as affordable and sustainable. The eco-efficiency level is 35% means that the environmental performance is low and the furniture production needs improvements in the production process. Strategy to improve the eco-efficiency of production is increasing the utilization of wood waste and increasing the capability of technicians and operators to reduce the product defect.
Understanding user feedback on learning management system of SIPEJAR by using text mining techniques
Authors: Rahmawati P , Larasati A , Farhan M , Hajji A M , Fanani N A
Published: March 2021

SIPEJAR (Sistem Pengelolaan Pembelajaran) as a learning management system can organize various activities in e-learning such as assignments, exams, learning materials, etc. This study aimed to use text mining techniques to extract information from the answers given by respondents toward questions about SIPEJAR. Text mining is one of the techniques used to extract and analyze useful information from the unstructured data. The data were collected using an online survey, and the total data collected is 10,456 but only 9,315 were used. The results show that course material, assignment, and search for information are the three most important factors that motivate students to access SIPEJAR. In the contrary, the factors that lead students to reluctant using SIPEJAR is bad quality network, difficulty to use, and frequently server down. In addition, the factors that need to be improved from SIPEJAR is a user interface, features, service, notification, and simplicity.
Utilization of facial expression analysis in the pricing strategy formulation
Authors: Sari H , Rahadian M S , Rizkiana A
Published: March 2021

Value-based pricing is one of the pricing strategies to determine the appropriate price plan based on the product’s value. This article examines how the facial expression of the customer can be used to measure intention to buy for the price plan developed by value-based pricing. The results of this study indicate that participants’ positive emotions were significantly higher than negative emotions for all the products displayed formulated using value-based pricing, consistent with the self-reported questionnaire result. In conclusion, facial expression measured by FaceReader can be used to validate the price plan formulated using value-based pricing.
Trends and future studies on policies to improve renewable energy share
Authors: Sulistio J , Wirjodirdjo B , Karningsih P D
Published: March 2021

Every country needs to set up robust policies to reach its future targets in renewable energy development. The objective of this article is to explore the trends and research opportunities in this subject area. Systematic Literature Review (SLR) is applied together with bibliometric analysis to satisfy the objective. The database used in this study is Scopus considering its size and wide acceptance by major publishers. This study applies structural literature review and bibliometric analysis within one of its stages. A simple meta-analysis is cooperated prior to other analyses in this study. Various models are exercised to analyse important aspects in renewable energy policies, namely Input-output models, CGE models, Theory-based evaluation, multi-criteria analysis, and hybrid approach. Nonetheless, renewable energy is considered as a complex system. Therefore, advanced simulation techniques such as the discrete event simulation model, the agent-based model, system dynamics, and mixed methods are considered. Due to its characteristics, the mixed method is the most comprehensive approach. However, because mix methods have not been supported by proper tools or simulation software, agent-based model and system dynamics are proposed individually. Future research also should consider other than a market-based approach to develop robust policies to reach the ideal renewable energy share.
Designing integrated testing for product development of prosthetic hand
Authors: Susanto N , Prastawa H , Meilaningrum A
Published: March 2021

In order to produce a standardized product, a series of product testing is needed from the beginning of the product design to the final product. The development of medical devices that is very rapid and demands excellent product quality needs to be accompanied by a very rigorous testing process because the use of the product is related to the user’s physical and mental health condition. This study aims to summarize the ongoing testing carried out during product design to the use of the product by the user. The product in this case study is prosthetic hand made by CBIOM3S Diponegoro University. The research method used is based on research and direct surveys of designers, users and experts as well as literature review confirmation. The results showed a variety of stages and standardized starting from design testing, material testing, failure analysis and simulation, prototype testing for both the bionic and mechanical hands, usability and psychological testing by respondents and ended with medical confirmation.
Determination of route for estimating number of truck needed in periodic distribution: A case study
Authors: Hartanto D , Wahyuningtyas R
Published: March 2021

Transportation is an important supply chain element. Lowering logistics costs can be effectively carried out by lowering transportation costs. PT. IAP is a distributor company that supplies fast-moving consumer goods products to more than 500 Modern Trade. There was 77% of delivery have been carried out by PT. IAP has achieved the targeted service level. The root cause of this problem is delivery which is triggered by purchase order (PO) from retailers. IAP plans to change the delivery procedure that has been triggered by the PO to periodic delivery based on historical data of each retailer’s demand. Therefore, this research aims to determine the route to estimate the number of trucks needed is periodic delivery. The distribution route will be developed using a saving matrix algorithm for clustering retailers in one route while the order of delivery is obtained by the Nearest Neighbor method. Based on the results of the saving matrix developed in visual basic for application (VBA), it is found that the number of vehicles needed by Colt Diesel Double (CDD) trucks is 23 units and Colt Diesel Engkel (CDE) trucks are 11 units. The reduction in the number of trucks needed is significant, before the study, the company needs 40 trucks CDD and 15 trucks CDE.
Engineering the electronic and optical properties of 2D porphyrin-paddlewheel metal-organic frameworks
Authors: Posligua Victor , Pandya Dimpy , Aziz Alex , Rivera Miguel , Crespo-Otero Rachel , Hamad Said , Grau-Crespo Ricardo
Published: March 2021

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising photocatalytic materials due to their high surface area and tuneability of their electronic structure. We discuss here how to engineer the band structures and optical properties of a family of two-dimensional porphyrin-based MOFs, consisting of M-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin structures (M-TCPP, where M = Zn or Co) and metal (Co, Ni, Cu or Zn) paddlewheel clusters, with the aim of optimising their photocatalytic behaviour in solar fuel synthesis reactions (water-splitting and/or CO2 reduction). Based on density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT simulations with a hybrid functional, we studied three types of composition/structural modifications: (a) varying the metal centre at the paddlewheel or at the porphyrin centre to modify the band alignment; (b) partially reducing the porphyrin unit to chlorin, which leads to stronger absorption of visible light; and (c) substituting the benzene bridging between the porphyrin and paddlewheel, by ethyne or butadiyne bridges, with the aim of modifying the linker to metal charge transfer behaviour. Our work offers new insights on how to improve the photocatalytic behaviour of porphyrin- and paddlewheel-based MOFs.
Low growth rate synthesis of GaAs nanowires with uniform size
Authors: Mostafavi Kashani Seyed Mohammad
Published: March 2021

The growth of nanowires (NWs) with uniform sizes is crucial for future NW-based electronics. In this work, an efficient one-step process is introduced for the growth of uniform gallium arsenide NWs on the native oxide surface of Si, which could be even considered as an alternative for expensive and sophisticated patterning approaches. The proposed strategy considers a Ga pre-deposition step leading to the formation of droplets with homogeneous sizes. That is followed by controlled nucleation of gallium arsenide from those droplets only. Our key to controlling the nucleation of gallium arsenide is to perform the NW growth at temperatures above 580 ± 10 °C and low Ga fluxes. By this method, the statistical distribution of the length and diameter of the vertically grown NWs decreased to about 3%–6% of their averaged values. Moreover, 100% epitaxial growth was realized. Besides, the growth of undesired parasitic islands is addressed and accordingly suppressed. Our study focuses on NW low growth rates, which is so far not investigated in the literature and, could be of great interest e.g. for in situ growth studies.
Litigation Spending and Care under the English and American Rules: Experimental Evidence
Authors: Massenot Baptiste , Maraki Maria , Thöni Christian
Published: March 2021

We investigate the effects of fee-shifting in an experimental litigation game. In our setup, a defendant may cause harm to a plaintiff. The defendant can take precautions to lower the probability of harm at a personal cost. In case of harm, the parties go to court, where the winner is determined by a rent-seeking contest. We compare two fee-shifting rules: under the American rule each party bears its own litigation costs; under the English rule the loser has to reimburse the winner’s expenses. We test the hypothesis that the English rule leads to higher litigation spending but also to higher care compared to the American rule. The experimental results largely support the predictions: fee-shifting leads to higher litigation spending, which motivates higher levels of care. When the parties are offered the possibility to settle their dispute out of court, fee-shifting leads to even higher litigation spending in court, but it neither affects the settlement rate nor care.
Biomass-fuelled combined heat and power: integration in district heating and thermal-energy storage
Authors: Rezaei Masoud , Sameti Mohammad , Nasiri Fuzhan
Published: March 2021

Conventional approaches towards energy-system modelling and operation are based upon the system design and performance optimization. In system-design optimization, the thermal or mechanical characteristics of the systems providing for the heat or electricity demands were derived separately without integration with the energy source and without interaction with demand, which results in low-efficiency energy performance. This paper presents a key review on the integration of biomass-powered combined heat and power (BCHP) systems in district-heating systems as well as coupling with thermal-energy storage. In BCHP design, the appropriate sizing of the associated components as part of the district-heating system is very important to provide the optimal dispatch strategy as well as minimized cost and environmental impact while it co-operates with thermal-energy storage. Future strategies for the feasibility, evaluation and integration of biomass-powered energy systems in the context of district systems are also studied.
Is there a standardized practice for the development of international ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease treatment guidelines?
Authors: Goldowsky Alexander , Sen Rohan , Hoffman Gila , Feuerstein Joseph D
Published: March 2021

Background

Guidelines are published by international gastroenterology societies regarding the management of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) to help clinicians to provide high-quality patient care. We examined the guidelines for the quality and strength of evidence used to develop the recommendations, methods for grading evidence, differences in disease-specific recommendations, conflicts of interest, and plans for guideline updates.

Methods

A systematic search was performed on PubMed using “ulcerative colitis,” “Crohn’s disease,” and “guidelines” in April 2019. International gastroenterology society websites were searched for UC- and CD-specific guidelines. Guidelines from 12 societies were examined by two authors. Chi-squared tests were used for comparing evidence-level grades, strength of recommendations, and reported conflicts of interest. Linear-regression modeling was used to evaluate the relationship between the number of authors and the number of recommendations in a given guideline.

Results

Of 28 guidelines reviewed, 25 (89%) used a total of three different systems to grade the level of evidence and 2 (7%) used an unknown system. Three (11%) reviewed guidelines did not provide a conflict-of-interest statement, while three (11%) provided a timeline for guideline updates. Of 1,265 total statements examined, 246 (19%) reported no grade of evidence quality or explicitly stated that the recommendation was based on “expert opinion.” One hundred and thirty-five (22%) UC recommendations were noted to be “weak/conditional” and 95 (16%) did not have a recommendation strength. Two hundred and forty-two (37%) CD recommendations were noted to be “weak/conditional” and 151 (23%) did not have a recommendation strength.

Conclusion

The majority of UC and CD guidelines are based on a low/very low quality of evidence and are further weakened due to the lack of homogeneity in specific aspects of management recommendations as well as conflicts of interest.
Assessment of postoperative risk factors for EEG abnormalities in routine clinical management after paediatric cardiopulmonary bypass
Authors: Li Meng-Yao , Lou Xiao-Bin , Cui Yan-Qin , Lin Rou-Yi , Ning Shu-Yao , Li Li-Juan , Li Jian-Bin , Huang Guo-Dong , Zou Ming-Hui , Ma Li , Chen Xin-Xin , Li Jia
Published: March 2021

OBJECTIVES

The postoperative risk factors for electroencephalogram(EEG) abnormalities after paediatric cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) remain to be identified. We investigated the characteristics of EEG abnormalities and risk factors in routine clinical management post-CPB.

METHODS

EEG and cerebral oxygen saturation (ScO2) were monitored in 96 patients (aged 3 days, 37 months, median 5 months) for 72 h post-CPB. Clinical measurements included 4-hourly arterial and central venous pressure, arterial blood gases, doses of inotropic and vasoactive drugs, daily C-reactive protein (CRP) and NT-proB-type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP). Demographics, STAT categories and outcomes (duration of mechanical ventilation,CICU stay) were recorded. Un

RESULTS

Seizures occurred in 20 patients (20.8%) beginning at 0–48 hand lasting 10 min–31 h; background abnormalities occurred in 67 (69.8%) beginning at 0–8 h and lasting 4–48 h. Patients with EEG abnormalities had worse outcomes. In univariable regression, seizures positively correlated with STAT categories, CPB time, temperature, blood pressure, central venous pressure, NT-proBNP, CRP, lactate and epinephrine, negatively with ScO2 and PaCO2 (P < 0.001 for lactate and epinephrine, P < 0.1 for the remaining). The degree of background abnormalities positively correlated with STAT categories, CPB time, operative time, central venous pressure, milrinone, negatively with blood pressure (P = 0.0003–0.087); it negatively correlated with lower dose of epinephrine (P < 0.001) and positively with higher dose (P = 0.03l). In multivariable regression, seizures positively correlated with epinephrine, lactate and temperature; the background abnormality correlations remain significant except for milrinone and operative time (P < 0.001 for epinephrine, P < 0.05 for the remaining).

CONCLUSIONS

Numerous perioperative risk factors are associated with EEG abnormalities post-CPB. The most significant and consistent risk factor is epinephrine.
Bayesian models for prediction of the set-difference in volleyball
Authors: Ntzoufras Ioannis , Palaskas Vasilis , Drikos Sotiris
Published: March 2021

We study and develop Bayesian models for the analysis of volleyball match outcomes as recorded by the set-difference. Due to the peculiarity of the outcome variable (set-difference) which takes discrete values from $-3$ to $3$, we cannot consider standard models based on the usual Poisson or binomial assumptions used for other sports such as football/soccer. Hence, the first and foremost challenge was to build models appropriate for the set-difference of each volleyball match. Here we consider two major approaches: (a) an ordered multinomial logistic regression model and (b) a model based on a truncated version of the Skellam distribution. For the first model, we consider the set-difference as an ordinal response variable within the framework of multinomial logistic regression models. Concerning the second model, we adjust the Skellam distribution to account for the volleyball rules. We fit and compare both models with the same covariate structure as in Karlis & Ntzoufras (2003). Both models are fitted, illustrated and compared within Bayesian framework using data from both the regular season and the play-offs of the season 2016/17 of the Greek national men’s volleyball league A1.