bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of nanoclay loadings and reprocessing on dynamic mechanical thermal properties of polypropylene/nanoclay composites
Authors: Chafidz A , Ma’mun S , Megawati  , Indah N , Tamzysi C
Published: November 2019

In the present work, polypropylene (PP)/nanoclay composites were fabricated by melt compounding nanoclay based masterbatch and PP pellets using a twin screw extruder (TSE). The compounding process was carried out at four different nanoclay loadings (i.e. 0, 5, 10, and 15 wt%) and two times processing i.e. 1st cycle and 2nd cycle. The fabricated nanocomposites were then characterized by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and oscillatory rheometer. The SEM images showed that the nanoclay materials were well distributed in the PP matrix, which were indicated by the white needle-like appearance. Additionally, the dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) results showed that the storage modulus of all the nanocomposites both 1st and 2nd cycles were higher than that of the neat PP, and increased with increasing nanoclay loadings. The improvement of storage modulus of the nanocomposites as compared to the neat PP (at temperature of 60°C) were approximately 56%, 84.3%, and 138% for NC-5-I, NC-10-I, and NC-15-I, respectively; and 62%, 89.6%, and 128% for NC-5-II, NC-10-II, and NC-15-II, respectively. While, tstorage modulus of all samples decreased with increasing temperature, which indicates than the nanocomposites simply behaved as polymeric material. Additionally, the relationship between the storage modulus, nanoclay loading (wt%), and temperature (°C) was successfully modeled by using Equation (1): G’ = Ae
B(T)
and Equation (2): A = 4.91E7 x (wt%) + 7.47E8, while B constant value was -0.0221.
Isolation of lignin from rice husk at low temperature
Authors: Ma’ruf A , Pramudono B , Aryanti N , Usriyati A
Published: November 2019

Isolation of lignin commonly was conducted at a high temperature. This paper studies the isolation of lignin from rice husk at low temperature (30 °C) using alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP). Optimization of processes variables such as the volume of solvent to the weight of rice husk ratio, H2O2 concentration and pH were done using response surface methodology (RSM) with the central composite design. Characteristic of lignin obtained was analyzed by FT-IR (Fourier Transform Infrared). The results show that the main factor affecting the process isolation is pH both in linear and quadratic. The are several differences characteristics of rice husk lignin isolated at low temperature compared with rice husk lignin isolated at high temperature.
Gas permeation properties and preparation of carbon membrane by PECVD method using indene as precursor
Authors: Kyaw M , Dugos N P. , Mori S , Roces S A. , Beltran A B.
Published: November 2019

This work could demonstrate a new approach to the fabrication of gas separation membrane using indene as polymeric precursor for low pressure PECVD system. Membrane characterization was done by taking Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and FTIR measurements. For membrane performance testing, permeability and selectivity of the membrane were evaluated with pure gases of H2, N2, and CO2 using a differential permeation technique. PECVD-derived polyindene membrane showed selectivities of 8.2 and 4.0 for H2/CO2 and H2/N2, respectively, at room temperature. Polyindene (PIn) membrane was successfully fabricated onto a zeolite 5A substrate via radio frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) at room temperature.
Effect of iron and manganese concentration on the sulfate reducing process in acid mine drainage
Authors: Sudarno S , Hardyanti N , Serafina K , Oktaviana A
Published: November 2019

Mining activities produce acid mine drainage that can be treated with microorganisms, and in this case, sulfate reducing bacteria. Iron and manganese effect on the sulfate reduction process can be investigated using anaerobic batch and continuous reactors with various iron and manganese concentrations. For batch reactors, the highest efficiency of sulfate reduction and sulfate reduction rate was obtained by 0 mg Mn/l reactor. Both efficiency and rate continued to decline with the increasing of iron and manganese concentration. The temperature for all reactors remained stable. The sediment color in 0 mg Fe/l and 0 mg Mn/l reactors were remain black, while the sediment color in the rest of the reactors changed from black to brown. The COD concentration for all the reactors decreased and the highest efficiency was 35,50% which was obtained by 0 mg Fe/l reactors. The highest efficiency of iron reduction was 99,23% and was achieved by 60 mg Fe Mn/l reactor. The effect for continuous and batch reactors are quite identical.
Scale-up simulation and economic evaluation of encapsulated eugenol with casein micelle using spray drying method
Authors: Wicaksono A B , Hermasnyah H , Wijanarko A , Sahlan M
Published: November 2019

Clove or Syzygium Aromaticum is one of Indonesia herbs and spices that have a variety of uses; its oil contained >80% eugenol and was reportedly able to act as anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory. Encapsulation was done to protect clove oil from oxidation. Eugenol encapsulation has been studied with casein micelle as its encapsulator. Production of encapsulated eugenol uses 8 unit procedure, with a spray dryer to form a solid product. The economic evaluation shows that the project capital investment is $1,249,000 with the annual operating cost of $1,448,000. Annual production capacity is 6972 kg/year, generating a revenue of $1,634,000 with product price $234.32/kg. Payback period estimated is 6.63 years with IRR 14.30% and NPV $334,000. Sensitivity analysis is conducted using three parameters of payback period, NPV and IRR show that product price fluctuation is the most sensitive variable, followed by capital investment and clove oil price.
Effect of Modification Processes on Cassava Starch: Physichochemical Properties and Expansion Ability of Coated Penute
Authors: Sumardiono S , Putri A W Z , Jos B , Pudjihastuti I
Published: November 2019

One of popular peanut-based food product in Indonesia is coated peanuts. Coated nuts are peanuts wrapped in a flour batter and then fried until it dry. Coated peanut quality is influenced by the nature and characteristics of the flour used. Tapioca starch used as a coating on coated peanut products are expected to have a crispness and a good baking expansion. Natural starch has some lack, which it requires a long cooking time and pasta is formed loud and unclear. To improve the performance of the starch used, native starch is modified by physical, chemical or enzymatic process into diversified products with better functionality. In this work, modified starch is obtained by three different modification process, namely process of fermentation using Lactic Acid Bacteria, process of hydrolysis using lactic acid and process of esterification using lactid acid and ethanol. The analysis include the analysis of swelling power, solubility, determination of amylose content, crispness and level of dough development. Modified starch is expected to have optimal crispness and optimal baking expansion. From the result shown modification by hydrolysis give better characteristic of modified starch than the result of esterification and fermentation. Adding UV rays during modification give significant impact for starch. After modification is complete, drying under sunlight or drying with oven has their own strenght and weakness. The optimum variable from this research is wet tapioca starch which modified by esterification with adding UV rays and drying using direct sunlight which have swelling power 21,74 g/g, solubility 18,30%, expansion ability 1457,7%, and crispy starch value 345,8 gf.
Synthesis of 4,7-Di(2-thienyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole via Direct Arylation
Authors: Wong X L , Sarjadi M S
Published: November 2019

Owing to its unique electrical and optical properties, 4,7-di(2-thienyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (DTBT) moiety has became one of the most important building block for the synthesis of high-performance conjugated polymers. DTBT is commonly synthesized by Stille or Suzuki coupling reactions which are costly and time-consuming. In this work, DTBT moiety was prepared via an operationally simple method namely direct arylation. This coupling was performed under mild condition, giving the product in good yield.
Chemical composition of the fillet, fins, bones and viscera of hybrid grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus x Epinephelus fuscoguttatus)
Authors: Chan P T , Matanjun P , Shapawi R , Budiman C , Lee J Shya
Published: November 2019

Fish provides a rich source of protein, fatty acids and minerals. Being the world’s first hybridised grouper (TGGG) as a result of cross-breeding the giant grouper and tiger grouper, TGGG has proven to be more disease-resistant as compared to both of its parent species. It is important to determine the nutrients compositions of all parts of the fish as a means of widening its scope of usage. The objective of this study is to determine the chemical compositions from the fillet, fins, bones and viscera of TGGG. The results showed that the fins and fillet contained high levels of protein (fins: 68.12%; fillet: 78.63%) and low Na/K ratios (fins: 0.4; fillet: 0.1). Essential amino acids (EAA) in the fillet were comparable to FAO/WHO requirements. The lipid from viscera contained SFA as the major component, whereas other fish parts were rich in unsaturated FA. Both the fillet and fins had the same PUFA/SFA ratio (0.43) and was higher than bones (0.31) and viscera (0.25). Glycine and proline were the most abundant AA, while calcium was the major mineral in the bones. In summary, each part of the fish could be potential new sources of specific nutrient components.
Histological investigation on gonad maturation of cultured short fin eel, Anguilla bicolor (mcclelland, 1844) in captivity.
Authors: Ching F F , Masli A , Senoo S
Published: November 2019

Anguilla bicolor or commonly known as a shortfin eel is a subspecies of eel in the genus of Anguilla and widely distributed in South East Asia. Present study reveals the first report of the early gonad development of cultured A. bicolor in captivity via histological analysis. The total length and body weight of A. bicolor were 511 to 614 mm and 209 to 420 g respectively. The result showed all specimens were female with no sign of male or intersexual stage. Through histological analysis, identified female were classified in 1) immature (n=3) by the presence of oogonia (O) and primary germ cell (PG) and also 2) developing stages (n=11) by the presence of previtellogemic-stages oocyte (PVO), oogonia (O) and cortical alveolar oocyte (CAO). Meanwhile, the fin difference index (FDI) and eye index (EI %) ranged from 0.55 to 3.89 % and 1.64 to 4.56% respectively. This study concludes smaller size (511 to 614 mm) of cultured A. bicolor is immature, while gonad maturation was already in developing stage for larger size (565-614 mm), hence these range of A. bicolor are still unable to be used as broodstock.
Genotypes of the dengue virus in patients with dengue infection from Sabah, Malaysia
Authors: Najri N I , Mazlan Z , Jaimin J J , Mohammad R , Yusuf N H Md , Kumar V S. , Hoque M Z
Published: November 2019

Dengue fever is an arthropod-borne viral disease caused by the Dengue virus (genus Falvivirus, family Flaviviridae). It has rapidly spread all over the world affecting approximately 400 million people annually. Human dengue infection is caused by four types of closely related viruses (also called serotypes) namely DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4, all of which can be all found in Sabah, Malaysia. Each serotype can then be divided into unique groups based on its genotypes. In Malaysia, dengue has been reported as the most prevalent disease of the country with a ratio of 328.3 cases per 100,000 populations. Exacerbating this further, it was also recently reported in 2017 of the emergence of a newly identified Asian lineage dengue virus i.e. type 3 genotype II (D3GII) in Malaysia. We have aimed, through this study, to examine the serotypes and the genotypes of dengue virus circulating in Sabah. This study was conducted for a period of 8 months i.e. from January to August 2017. A total of 52 NS1 (50.9% were males and 49.1% were females) positive dengue patient serum samples were genotyped. Viral RNA was extracted from serum using QIAamp viral RNA mini kit and DNA sequencing was done on Applied Biosystems 3730xl DNA analyzer. The results showed that serotype DENV-3 was the most predominant dengue circulating virus in Sabah with 23 cases detected. These were further grouped under three genotypes namely D3GI (1 case), D3GII (14 cases) and D3GIII (8 cases). Serotype DENV-1 was the second most common circulating virus in Sabah with 17 cases and grouped under two genotypes, D1Gia (15 cases) and D1Gic (2 cases), respectively. On the other hand, only one genotype (D4GII) was detected for DENV-4 (9 cases), and two genotypes (D2 Cosmopolitan Clade I and D2 Cosmopolitan Clade Ib) for DENV-2, each with one case per genotype, respectively. Understanding of genotype diversity will be useful in designing strategies for dengue management in epidemiological surveillance and vaccine design.
Inhibitory effect of semi-purified extracts obtained from Potato Tree (Solanum erianthum) against protein kinase and phosphatases.
Authors: Azlinah M , Ain I Nurul , Lee P C , How S E , Latifah S Y , Jualang A G
Published: November 2019

Kinase and phosphatase are two types of protein which copiously involved in the signal transduction cascade. Misleading of these signaling processes will cause cancer development and other related diseases in human. Therefore, over expression of these signaling proteins might be decreased by the presence of potential inhibitor. In the present study, an attempt was made to verify the potential of Solanum erianthum collected from Sabah, Malaysia against proteins in signal transduction involved in cancer pathway. Leaves of S. erianthum were extracted using methanol. Extracts were tested against protein phosphatase type 1 (PP1), MAPK kinase (MKK1) and MAPK kinase phosphatase (MSG5); which using PAY704-1 and PAY700-4, MKK1P386 and MKK1P386-MSG5 yeast strains, respectively. The results revealed that methanolic extracts of S. erianthum exhibited toxic activities against all assays. Bioassay-guided fractionation of S. erianthum showed positive activities from CHCl3 fraction (CE) against PP1 protein. Chromatographic separation later confirmed column fractions F1 and F2 of S. erianthum as PP1 inhibitor. In-vitro cell growth inhibition assay of this plant sample showed moderate activities against HeLa, CaOV3 and MCF7 cell lines.
Potential DNA Barcoding of Local Stingless Honeybee (Tantadan) From Kiulu, Sabah using 28S Ribosomal DNA
Authors: Abu Bakar A M S , Faik A A M , Rajendraan G , Gansau J A , Abdulla R
Published: November 2019

This study aims to use DNA sequence and perform classification of eight Tantadan honey bees species from Sabah that were morphologically identified through Pictorial Identification Guide and Composite Algorithm. The species involved were Tetragonula fuscobalteata, Tetragonula laeviceps, Tetragonula drescheri, Lepidotrigona cf. ventralis, Lepidotrigona terminata, Heterotrigona itama and Tetragonula melanocephala. Normally, coI gene is used as it has elevated evolutionary rates higher than nuclear genes and is more specific in discriminating between closely related taxa. However, in this study, the nuclear gene was used as only this region could be amplified from this species. DNA barcoding is a method used for identifying unknown species and taxonomic classification at the molecular level using DNA fragments found in the genome of a species that is unique for the purpose of identification. However, morphological identification is also crucial as it provides the means of observing the differences between species based on the naked eyes. The methods used were DNA extraction, amplification of 28S nuclear DNA by PCR method, DNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of DNA to complete the identification process of these species based on their genetic material. Homology search of the 28S partial gene sequences revealed only three out of eight species were in agreement with taxonomic classification but five out of eight were not. Those five species are as follows; Tetragonula laeviceps identified as Tetragonula carbonaria, Tetragonula drescheri identified as Lepidotrigona terminata, Lepidotrigona cf. ventralis identified as Tetragonula carbonaria, Heterotrigona itama identified as Heterotrigona bakeri and Tetragonula melanocephala identified as Tetragonula carbonaria. The study revealed that 28S fragment of nuclear DNA is a suitable candidate to identify Tantadan honey bees species but it was not distinct enough for specific species identification, thus the result obtained here can be used for further study with primers targeting amplification of coI gene. In a nutshell, this study successfully demonstrated the use of DNA barcode using 28S rDNA in differentiating closely related species.
Expert-Based Approach on Mapping Ecosystem Services Potential Supply Incircling a Protected Areas by Integrating Matrix Model Assessment
Authors: Kamlun Kamlisa Uni , Arndt Renate Bürger
Published: November 2019

The concept of ecosystem services was introduced into global policy to consolidate both conservation and development to interconnect the discourse between biodiversity and sustainable development for the benefit of human well-being; this encourages conservation and land use planners to achieve both ecological and social goals. Mapping the potential supply of ecosystem services is necessary for continuous monitoring of such services to ensure the sustainable management of natural resources to support decision-making. Therefore, this study presents a multifaceted methodological framework for mapping ecosystem services potential supply surrounding a protected area. We integrate a non-monetary ‘Matrix Model’ assessment with an expert-driven approach to assess the potential supply from a holistic perspective. Experts and stakeholders dealt with Likert scales to weigh multiple land cover supply of ecosystem services. Our study shows that using an integrated approach to map ecosystem services not only minimizes uncertainties but is also important for the evaluation of ecosystem services. The integration process can also be an interactive approach between scientists and stakeholders to improve mutual understanding regarding resource management. The selected services and land cover data can be an effective medium to visually exhibit forest function and the services of a protected area; these can work as scheming tools that can contribute to an effective policy measurement for the sustainable conservation of protected areas.
Properties of Nitrocellulose from Acacia mangium
Authors: Jesuet Melissa Sharmah Gilbert , Musa Nurfilzati Munirah , Idris Nurdiana Mohd , Musa Dayang Nur Sakinah , Bakansing Shirley Marylinda
Published: November 2019

Alternatives for petroleum-based products are much needed now due to the depletion of resources and the negative impact of its usage. Amongst the many renewable alternatives of cellulose-based products, nitrocellulose is the oldest and longest thriving derivatives in the world, obtaining a long line of utilization such as biodegradable plastics and film, wood coatings, nail lacquer, automotive paints, and leather finishes. The inexhaustible selection of raw materials for nitrocellulose production are easily obtainable from the copious lignocellulose materials, primarily from cotton and wood pulp. In this study, the Acacia mangium, which is a timber species that heavily populates the plantation of Sabah, in pulp form are used to produce nitrocellulose. The objectives of this research was to determine the physical and chemical attributes of the nitrocellulose from two different sizes of A. mangium particles (75 and 150 μm), such as its degree of substitution, nitrogen content, rate of efficiency and weight percentage gained. The production method of nitrocellulose includes the nitration process of the A. mangium pulp with nitric and sulphuric acid, followed by repeated stabilizing procedures using hot water, and finally the extraction process. Among the different sizes, the 75 μm sample showed a lower degree of substitution and nitrogen content compared to the other, but however showed higher rate of efficiency and weight percentage gained. This is due to the higher surface area per volume for the 75 μm samples but which contradicts in DS value due its higher affinity towards absorbing other materials more than the nitrate itself. This was further proven by the infrared and EDX spectra, where the 75 μm sized sample was absorbing more elements but at a lower concentration than the other. This goes to show that samples with a higher surface area per volume does not guarantee a better substitution of nitrate in nitrocellulose production due to the non-specific preference of cellulose absorption.
Synthesis and Characterisation of New Water-Based Polyurethane Dispersion via Solvent-Free Prepolymer Mixing Process
Authors: Kuok A M E , Sipaut C S , Sundang M
Published: November 2019

A new type of water-based polyurethane dispersion (NWPUD) was synthesised from isophorone diisocyanate, polyethylene glycol (Mw = 400 g/mol and 1000 g/mol), dimethylol propionic acid, and 1,4-butanediol using the prepolymer mixing process and without the incorporation of any volatile organic solvent. The hard-/soft-segment molar ratio of NWPUD formulations was varied with higher values (i.e. 5 to 11) allowing excess diisocyanate to reduce the prepolymer viscosity. The formulation using polyethylene glycol 400 g/mol with a hard-/soft-segment molar ratio of 5 failed by solidifying upon dispersion in water. Using polyethylene glycol 1000 g/mol and varying hard segment content, successful NWPUD formulations were obtained, all with pH between 6 and 7. FT-IR spectroscopy was used for the identification of chemical structures and functional groups. The colloidal properties of NWPUD formulations such as particle size, zeta potential, and dispersion stability were investigated to demonstrate feasibility for application in industrial coatings. The size distribution of NWPUD formulations varied from heterogeneous to homogeneous when the hard-/soft-segment molar ratio was increased. It was found that formulations with hard-/soft-segment molar ratio between 7 and 11 exhibited the most desirable dispersion stability within the zeta potential range of -50 to -55 mV.
Fabrication of Stannate Perovskite Structure as Optoelectronics Material: An Overview
Authors: Rahman A B Abd , Sarjadi M S , Alias A , Ibrahim M A
Published: November 2019

This paper presents a review of recent fabrication progress of perovskite-type material suited for the future optoelectronics applications. Wide varieties of optoelectronic devices include solar cell, liquid displays, transparent FETs, etc are becoming the mainstream for the future electronics global industry. In June 2015, the major breakthrough of perovskite structure in solar energy harvesting with PCE of 20.1% has achieved. Since then, numerous research has been conducted progressively to further enhance the performance of the perovskite structure as new alternative materials for optoelectronics applications. The perovskite-type oxide is having typical ABO3 crystallized structure. It is one of an important class of materials that have many exceptional physical properties such as superconductivity, colossal magnetoresistance, ferromagnetic, piezoelectric, high-transition-temperature superconductivity, ferroelectricity, piezoelectricity, and photoelectrochemical sensitivity. In this paper, we reviewed development progress one of the major classes of perovskite-type materials namely Stannate-based. Calculated data from simulation results such as DFT and first principle were excluded and only fabricated devices are covered in this paper.
Tuning Optical and Structural Properties of Composite Glass: Effect of Rice Husk Fibre
Authors: Piara S. N. H. , Awang A. , Dayou J.
Published: November 2019

Tuning optical and structural properties of composite glass due to the effect of rice husk fibre are examined. A series of glass with composition of 69.5TeO2-20ZnO-10Na2O-0.5Er2O3-(x)0.2RHF where x is rice husk fibre in weight percentage with three distinctive sizes of 63 μm, 125 μm and 250 μm are prepared following melt-quenching technique and characterized systematically. UV-Vis spectra displayed nine absorption bands centered at 380, 410, 445, 489, 520, 545, 650, 799 and 975 nm corresponding to the transitions of Er3+ originate from ground state to excited states. The direct and indirect band gap is found to lies in range of 3.296 to 3.410 eV and 2.958 to 3.174 eV, respectively. Urbach energy lies in the range of 0.145 to 0.181 eV. SEM images illustrates the fractures surface due to porosity of glass samples and elemental traces verify the appearance of C, O, Na, Zn, Te, Au, Al, Si, Er and Ca elements.
Correlation Study of Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO/PTAA Hybrid Heterojunction Layer
Authors: Rani Abdul Ismail Abdul , Kumar Ghosh Bablu , Mohamad Khairul Anuar , Osman Mohd Shahril , Chee Fuei Pien , Saad Ismail
Published: November 2019

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) thin films have been deposited onto an ITO glass by RF sputtering method in a controlled condition followed by a layer of Poly(triarylamine) as an electron acceptor to form a hybrid-heterojunction thin film. In this work, Poly(triarylamine) is deposited by using spin coating method at different spin rate ranging from 1000 RPM to 5000 RPM. The correlation between the structural and optical properties of this hybrid heterojunction were investigated. The crystallographic structure of ZnO and PTAA is analysed by obtaining its Full width half maximum and grain size value by using X-ray diffractometer. UV-Vis result strongly reveal that all the thin films exhibits high transparency (>80%) in visible region with wide band gap of 3.38 eV for ZnO and 3.1 eV for PTAA at 5000 RPM sintering. Surface morphology of the hybrid film is observed using an advance material microscope (HIROX) with 3 different lenses of low range, mid-range and high range. It is shown that, as the RPM speed is increasing the distribution of PTAA on the ZnO layer is smoother and uniform. The correlation value obtained for grain size and band gap is 0.9344 and 0.9136. Thus, concluded that grain size and bandgap of device is highly correlated.
Tuning Surface Plasmon Resonance Peak of Glass Containing Metallic Nanoparticles
Authors: Ferodolin I , Awang A
Published: November 2019

Recent development in various host glasses has a beneficial feature for its application in optical devices. This present work is done by incorporating TiO2 metallic nanoparticles (NPs) in glass matrix due to their surface roughness and plasmonic properties as well as to overcome the limitation of rare earth ions in stimulating emission. A series of tellurite glass is prepared with composition of (70-x-y)TeO2-2ÜZnO-9Na2O-1Er2O3-(x)TiO2, where x= 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mol% via melt-quenching method. In addition, glass batch without erbium content is prepared in order to identify the presence of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak of metallic nanoparticles. Glass samples are characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XRD pattern confirms the amorphous structure of glass. UV-VIS spectra of glass with erbium content shows the appearance of seven absorbance peaks represent the transitions of erbium ion from ground state to excited state. Glass sample without erbium content shows the appearance of plasmon peak in range of 554 nm to 555 nm due to contribution of titanium nanoparticles. TEM image confirmed the presence of titanium NPs with Gaussian distribution having mean aspect ratio of 1.5.
Structural and Optical Properties of Gamma Irradiated CuGaO2 Thin Film deposited by Radio Frequency (RF) Sputtering
Authors: Duinong M , Chee F P , Salleh S , Alias A , Salleh K A Mohd , Ibrahim S
Published: November 2019

In space, semiconductor devices are vulnerable to various effect of high energy level of radiation causing single event upsets (SEU), damaging or altering the lattice structure. In this work, p-CuGaO2was selected due to its relatively wide bandgap and a visibility transmittance up to 80% as a potential semiconductor material capable of withstanding harsh radiation environment. p-CuGaO2thin films were deposited by RF powered sputtering on indium tin Oxide (ITO) substrates at 250°C deposition temperature and annealed at 300 °C. Structural morphology and optical properties of CuGaO2 thin film were investigated before and after irradiation. The samples were irradiated using Cobalt-60, gamma-ray with a dose ranging from 10 kGy-200 kGy. The structural properties reveal that the CuGaO2 films shows a diffraction peak at 20=38.051° (012) before irradiation. The optical properties of deposited CuGaO2 thin film, exhibits approximately 75% optical transmittance in the invisible region at pre-irradiation and post-irradiation results shows a decrease of optical transmittance of 55%. At a dose of 200 kGy, the band gap of CuGaO2 is 3.62 eV which indicates that it is still within the acceptable range of a semiconductor properties. Early results of CuGaO2 shows good mitigation towards irradiation thus indicating that CuGaO2 thin film is capable of withstanding harsh radiation environment while retaining its semiconductor properties.
Numerical Solutions of Unsteady Advection-Diffusion Equations by Using EG Iteration with Wave Variable Transformation
Authors: Ali Nur Afza Mat , Rahman Rostang , Sulaiman Jumat , Ghazali Khadizah
Published: November 2019

The primary goal of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of the 4-point Explicit Group (4-point EG) iterative method for solving one-dimensional unsteady advection-diffusion problems via similarity transform. By using this transformation approach, the proposed problem can be reduced into the corresponding two-point boundary volume problem. By imposing the second-order central finite difference discretization scheme, then the corresponding approximation equation can be derived to construct a system of linear equations. Having a large linear system, the 4-point EG iterative method has been used to solve the generated system of linear equations. The formulation of the 4-point EG method is also derived. Some numerical experiments are conducted that to verify the 4-point EG method is more effective than the Gauss-Seidel (GS) method.
Numerical Solution of Non-Linear Diffusion Equation in Image Blurring Using Two-Point EGSOR Iterative Method
Authors: Basran N A , Eng J H , Saudi A , Sulaiman J
Published: November 2019

The non-linear diffusion equation is known to be a significant application in solving image processing issues. The equations provided the image filtering techniques that blurring the image without degrade the edge information which is also one of crucial study in computer vision. Nonetheless, an intense amount of computations is needed in filtering the image as the sizes that keep getting bigger. Along these lines, this paper constructs an analysis to speed up the required computation in solving the developed linear system with the faster iterative method, i.e. two-point Explicit Group Successive Over-Relaxation or known as 2-EGSOR. For the performances comparison, the standard Gauss-Seidel (GS), Successive Over-Relaxation (SOR) and 2-EGSOR iterative method will be set to produce almost the similar quality image of Jacobi iterative method measured by using percentage error of the overall pixels difference. Subsequently, it is discovered the 2-EGSOR offers faster approach to blur the image compared the others iterative methods with the least iterations and computational time.
Block Iterative Method for the Solution of Fractional Two-Point Boundary Value Problems
Authors: Rahman Rostang , Mat Ali Nur Afza , Sulaiman Jumat , Anas Muhiddin Fatihah
Published: November 2019

The goal of this paper deals with 4-Point Explicit Group (4-EG) iterative method as solver to solve the linear system which is generated by using Caputo’s finite difference approximation equation. Actually, this approximation equation was been generated from the discretization process of the fractional two-point boundary value problems via finite difference scheme and Caputo’s fractional operator. The formulation and implementation for 4-EG method have been also included. To investigate the efficiency of 4-EG method, this paper considered three examples numerical experiment. Based on numerical results, the finding showed that the 4-EG method is more efficient as compared with GS method in good agreement.
Newton-SOR Iteration for Solving Large-Scale Unconstrained Optimization Problems with an Arrowhead Hessian Matrices
Authors: Ghazali K , Sulaiman J , Dasril Y , Gabda D
Published: November 2019

Solving unconstrained optimization problems using Newton method requires calculating Newton’s direction, which involves inverse Hessian matrices. Once the order of Hessian matrices is large, it may be impossible to store the inverse of the Hessian matrices using the direct method. To overcome this problem, we used a point iterative method as an inner iteration in finding Newton direction. Therefore in this paper, we proposed a combination between Newton method and successive overrelaxation (SOR) point iterative method for solving large scale unconstrained optimization problems in which the Hessian of the Newton direction is arrowhead matrices. To calculate and validate the performance of the proposed method, we used a combination of Newton method with Gauss-Seidel point iteration and Jacobi point iteration scheme as a reference method. The proposed method provides results that are more efficient compared to the reference methods in terms of execution time and a number of iteration.
Grünwald Implicit Solution for Solving One-Dimensional Time-Fractional Parabolic Equations Using SOR Iteration
Authors: Muhiddin F A , Sulaiman J , Sunarto A
Published: November 2019

The aim of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of Successive Over-Relaxation (SOR) iterative method for solving one-dimensional time-fractional parabolic equations. The Grünwald fractional derivative operator and implicit finite difference scheme have been used to discretize the proposed linear time-fractional equations to construct system of Grünwald implicit approximation equation. The basic formulation and application of the SOR iterative method are also presented. To investigate the effectiveness of the proposed iterative method, numerical experiments and comparison are made based on the iteration numbers, time execution, and maximum absolute error. Based on numerical results, the accuracy of Grünwald implicit solution obtained by proposed iterative method is in excellent agreement, and it can be concluded that the proposed iterative method requires less number of iterations and execution time as compared to the Gauss-Seidel (GS) iterative method.
A concept paper on the impacts of individual gamification elements on user’s intrinsic motivation and performance
Authors: Peter A , Salimun C , Seman E A A
Published: November 2019

Gamification is a growing trend that has the potential to improve user’s motivation and performance in e-learning. However, it is still heavily debated as there is an ongoing discussion within the gamification community whether individual gamification elements may actually weaken or improve intrinsic motivation and performance. To date, research on individual gamification elements is still yet underexplored making it difficult to understand whether individual gamification elements may prove beneficial or harmful to user’s intrinsic motivation and performance. Therefore, this concept paper is intended to explore the effects of three commonly employed game elements namely points, leaderboard, and badges on intrinsic motivations and performances in a flow experience perspective. It is to hope that through this study, a clear understanding of individual gamification elements can be achieved and more in-depth work can be done in the future.
Effectiveness of innovative gamified learning among undergraduate medical students
Authors: Ohn M H , Ohn K M , Souza U D , Yusof S , Ariffin Z
Published: November 2019

In today’s world of technology, gamification has become increasingly popular in education. Previous studies have reported that gamified learning enables 21st century students to motivate and engage in academic fields. However, there is a paucity of information on empirical studies on effectiveness of gamified learning in various fields of medicine. This lack of empirical evidence is evident in the varying recommendations for the implementation of gamification in medical education. This research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of gamified learning among undergraduate medical students. This was an quasi-experimental study comparing digital online gamified learning with conventional electronic learning (e-learning) at undergraduate level in medicine. Modified Kirkpatrick evaluation was used to appraise the outcome of educational intervention. The change in pre and post-test score was used to measure cognitive gain. There were twenty-one knowledge and skill assessment questions (twenty multiple choice questions and one objective structured clinical examination question respectively) to assess the knowledge and skill acquisition. The findings from this study revealed that gamified learning is more effective than conventional e-learning in improving ECG diagnostic accuracy while gamified learning is as effective as conventional e-learning for improving ECG interpretation skill.
3D Model Visualization for Brain Tumour using MRI Images
Authors: Hamzah Norhafiza , Alias Norma , Abdul Wahab Syamshiyatul , Ali Omar Z
Published: November 2019

The inaccurate prediction of tumour is because of the 2D images do not present the complete natural tumour representation as in 3D visualization. In order to construct the 3D model, the contour of 2D MRI images must be merged together. In this work, the edge detection of brain tumour on 2D images is done using the Geodesic Active Contour (GAC) model based on Additive Operator Splitting (AOS), then 3D model is visualized using Image Manifold (IM) and Volume Estimation (VE) methods. The comparison of performance for both methods is calculated. In conclusion, the execution time for VE method is higher than IM method since more images are used in VE method to calculate the volume of the tumour accurately. In terms of iteration number, Volume Estimation has a higher number of iterations, but for error and root mean square error, both methods have roughly the same value.
Learning from Data: Cleft Lip and Palate Patients in the West Coast of Sabah
Authors: Omar Z A , Chin S N , Hamzah Norhafiza , Yassin Fouziah
Published: November 2019

Analysing data can be quite a challenge sometimes due to the nature of the data and the vast options of methods and techniques that can be used on the data. In this study, for example, a six years Cleft Lip and Palate dataset were gathered on these patients’ conditions in the quest to identify the contributing factors for a successful pre-graft orthodontic treatment. The challenges faced was in the small number of datasets and imbalance sample class. Therefore, this study had taken a step back and tried to approach the dataset with a combination of unsupervised and supervised learning methods to tackle the challenges by incorporating clustering - for testing records creation and; resampling - for balancing sample class. We also observed if the auto-created testing records are replaceable with the manually selected testing records by looking at the performances of the classification models. Based on the feature that was selected, k-Means and PAM were implemented as the clustering algorithm using the Euclidean formula as the distance measure. Resampling was done using SMOTE and Random Forest as the classification model. When the comparison was done on the models, the ones that were fed by resampled training records showed an increase in the AUC values and decrease in the OOB error. Comparable results were also achieved between the training records produced by PAM and by manual selection as both models, based on the AUC values, was classified as excellent classification models.
Geohazard Assessment in the Kota Kinabalu area, Sabah, Malaysia
Authors: Norhisham M N , Roslee R
Published: November 2019

This study focused on the Flood Susceptibility Analysis (FSA) and Landslide Susceptibility Analysis (LSA)of the Kota Kinabalu area, Sabah by using Multi Criteria Evaluation Model (MCE) for FSA and Deterministic Model for LSA. The study area had been affected by flood and landslide throughout the years. The aims of this study are to determine the flood susceptibility level and landslide susceptibility level of the study area and to identify the contributing factors that leads to the geohazards. Thus, a few mitigation measures can be recommended. The contributing factors that leads to the geohazards had been identified through desk studies and fieldwork. The data were obtained and digitized using ArcGIS software and the thematic maps were produced. The factors that contributing to the geohazards such as slope gradient, elevation, topographic curvature, flow accumulation and drainage distance were retrieved from the topographic database, whereas the land use, rainfall, soil types and soil properties were obtained from various agencies. Several areas are considered as susceptible, such as areas of Taman Kingfisher, Kg. Bantayan, Menggatal area, and Kg. Tebobon. To avoid or minimize the flood disasters, the Flood Susceptibility Level Map and the Landslide Susceptibility Map can be used in future development planning and a few structural controls can be implemented such as the land use planning of the area and hazard zoning. This study can be used as a resource for consulting, planning agencies and local governments in managing risk, land-use zoning and remediation efforts to mitigate risks.
Stability Assessment of Pinousuk Gravel Slopes from Mesilou, Kundasang, Sabah
Authors: Erfen H F W S , Musta B , Ahmad M S
Published: November 2019

The matrix of four slopes of Pinousuk Gravel from Mesilou, Kundasang, Sabah namely S1, S2, S3 and S4 were collected for physical and engineering analysis. The slope stability analysis is conducted by using Fellenius slicing method. Pinousuk gravels which originated from the glacial deposits of Mount Kinabalu during Pleistocene age consist of mixture of various sizes and types of rocks such as ultrabasic rocks and granodiorite. Engineering properties of slope’s matrixes show high to very high plasticity with the appearance of smectite and illite as clay minerals. Based on direct shear test, value of cohesion (c), friction angles (°) and shear strength (τ) of the slopes can be obtained. The results show the value of shear strength range from 7.5 kPa (S3) to 13 kPa (S2), while friction angles range from 11° (S3) to 22° (S2) and the cohesion values range from 2.1 kN (S2) to 3.1 kN (S1). Slope is considered stable if the value of factor of safety (FoS) is ≥ 1 and indicates unstable if it is less. Slope S1, S2 and S4 are considered as stable slopes with FoS value ranges from 1.09 to 1.45. S2 is the most stable slope due to its highest friction angle and shear strength of the matrixes among bigger size of ultrabasic fragments which increase the interlocking between particles. While S3 which is dominated by smaller ultrabasic fragments is considered as unstable with FoS value of 0.97 due to the lowest shear strength and friction angle which encourage the collision between particles for slope failure to occur.
A Network Topology Approach in Survival Analysis
Authors: Yusoff NurSyahidah , Muhammad Noryanti , Liang ChuanZun
Published: November 2019

Network topology can be used to simplify the complexity of the data sets. We are exploring its function in performing survival analysis to identify the most important factor that contributed to the survival time from diagnosis to death. This technique has the potential to illustrate easily some types of complex interactions in data set. Then, based on those interactions, the most important factor in survival analysis will be identified. In this paper, the interpretation of that network topology will be delivered by using centrality measures. A case study of the survival time for cervical cancer patients will be presented and discussed. Based on network topology, the most important factors that influence the survival of cervical cancer patients will be identified.
The framework of collision detection for deformable bodies in virtual environment
Authors: Yazid R , Sulaiman H A , Che Pee A N , Bade A , Sukormo N S , Abdullasim N
Published: November 2019

Collision detection is a collision between two or more object. Collision computing by detecting the intersection between the two objects. There are two types of collision detection in research, such as rigid bodies and deformable. Besides, the main issue of collision detection normally involves efficiency, speed, and effectiveness. Therefore, it is vital to research on collision detection. This research introduced the Hybrid Bounding Volume (HBV) framework for the deformable object. This framework proposes BVH with a Top-Down method. The Hybrid BV structures involving of BV to form the BVH. In conclusion, the proposed method is expected to create the fast and effective collision response between deformable object thus it would improve CD of the deformable object in the virtual environment.
The framework of collision detection for rigid bodies in the virtual environment
Authors: Sukormo N , Sulaiman H A , Pee A N , Bade A , Yazid R , Abdullasim N
Published: November 2019

Collision detection includes the detection of a collision between the object in the virtual environment especially to stop the moving object through each other. However, the collision detection refers to the detection of the intersection between two or more objects. There are two basic types of collision detection namely rigid bodies that refer to the hard object and constant distance between vertices, and the deformable object that refers to soft bodies like cloth may collide with themselves. Usually, the main problem of collision detection for rigid bodies that often studies involves the fast, effective and efficiency of the collision response. In this paper, the hierarchical representative bounding volume introduced to develop the new framework of collision detection and analyse which technique performance is fast and effective for collision detection for rigid bodies in the virtual environment. The bounding volume (BV) technique such as Axis-Aligned Bounding Box (AABB), Oriented Bounding Box (OBB), Sphere and Discrete Oriented Polytopes (k-DOPs) will be applied to construct the hierarchical representative bounding volume.
Analysis of the life cycle stage of prefabricated buildings
Authors: Lv Zheqi , Zhang Dan
Published: November 2019

With the development of China’s construction industry, the development of prefabricated buildings has become a national strategy to promote the transformation and upgrading of the construction industry. However, the promotion of prefabricated buildings still faces many obstacles. One of the reasons is the uncertainty of cost. Although existing research has some quantitative research on its economics, few scholars have conducted systematic research. This paper discusses this issue from the perspective of the whole life of the building. Through the literature review method, the whole life cycle of the prefabricated building is divided into seven stages, which lays a foundation for studying the variation factors of the prefabricated building cost.