bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multiscale modeling of structure formation of C60 on insulating CaF2 substrates
Authors: Janke William , Speck Thomas
Published: June 2021

Morphologies of adsorbed molecular films are of interest in a wide range of applications. To study the epitaxial growth of these systems in computer simulations requires access to long time and length scales, and one typically resorts to kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations. However, KMC simulations require as input transition rates and their dependence on external parameters (such as temperature). Experimental data allow only limited and indirect access to these rates, and models are often oversimplified. Here, we follow a bottom-up approach and aim at systematically constructing all relevant rates for an example system that has shown interesting properties in experiments, buckminsterfullerene on a calcium fluoride substrate. We develop classical force fields (both atomistic and coarse-grained) and perform molecular dynamics simulations of the elementary transitions in order to derive explicit expressions for the transition rates with a minimal number of free parameters.
Tuning thermoelectric efficiency of monolayer indium nitride by mechanical strain
Authors: Cicek M. M. , Demirtas M. , Durgun E.
Published: June 2021

Tuning the thermoelectric efficiency of a material is a complicated task as it requires the control of interrelated parameters. In this respect, various methods have been suggested to enhance the figure of merit (ZT), including the utilization of low-dimensional systems. Motivated by the effect of strain on intrinsic properties of two-dimensional materials, we examine the thermoelectric response of monolayer indium nitride (h-InN) under low biaxial strain (±1%) by using ab initio methods together with solving Boltzmann transport equations for electrons and phonons. Our results indicate that among the critical parameters, while the Seebeck coefficient is not affected prominently, electrical conductivity can increase up to three times, and lattice thermal conductivity can decrease to half at −1% strain where valence band convergence is achieved. This results in significant enhancement of ZT, especially for p-type h-InN, and it reaches 0.50 with achievable carrier concentrations (∼1013 cm−2) at room temperature. Thermoelectric efficiency further increases with elevated temperatures and rises up to 1.32 at 700 K, where the system remains to be dynamically stable, suggesting h-InN as a promising material for high-temperature thermoelectric applications.
Dichotomous flow with thermal diffusion and stochastic resetting
Authors: Capała Karol , Dybiec Bartłomiej , Gudowska-Nowak Ewa
Published: June 2021

We consider properties of one-dimensional diffusive dichotomous flow and discuss effects of stochastic resonant activation (SRA) in the presence of a statistically independent random resetting mechanism. Resonant activation and stochastic resetting are two similar effects, as both of them can optimize the noise-induced escape. Our studies show completely different origins of optimization in adapted setups. Efficiency of stochastic resetting relies on elimination of suboptimal trajectories, while SRA is associated with matching of time scales in the dynamic environment. Consequently, both effects can be easily tracked by studying their asymptotic properties. Finally, we show that stochastic resetting cannot be easily used to further optimize the SRA in symmetric setups.
Finite-size shifts in simulated protein droplet phase diagrams
Authors: Nilsson Daniel , Irbäck Anders
Published: June 2021

Computer simulation can provide valuable insight into the forces driving biomolecular liquid–liquid phase separation. However, the simulated systems have a limited size, which makes it important to minimize and control finite-size effects. Here, using a phenomenological free-energy ansatz, we investigate how the single-phase densities observed in a canonical system under coexistence conditions depend on the system size and the total density. We compare the theoretical expectations with results from Monte Carlo simulations based on a simple hydrophobic/polar protein model. We consider both cubic systems with spherical droplets and elongated systems with slab-like droplets. The results presented suggest that the slab simulation method greatly facilitates the estimation of the coexistence densities in the large-system limit.
Maximum spreading of an impacting air-in-liquid compound drop
Authors: Wei Yu , Thoraval Marie-Jean
Published: June 2021

We study numerically the dynamics of an air-in-liquid compound drop impacting onto a solid surface. We demonstrate that the addition of a bubble in the drop decreases its maximum spreading. This decrease is explained by the lower kinetic energy of the drop, but also amplified by the formation of a vertical jet emerging from its center, and a relative increase in the viscous dissipation. We propose a new theory describing the maximum spreading of an air-in-liquid compound drop by including these effects into modified Weber and Reynolds numbers. Finally, we demonstrate that the eventual bursting of the bubble does not significantly affect the maximum spreading diameter, by characterizing the bubble bursting and performing additional simulations where the bursting of the bubble is prevented.
Simulation of high pressure, direct injection processes of gaseous fuels by a density-based OpenFOAM solver
Authors: Duronio Francesco , Ranieri Stefano , Mascio Andrea Di , Vita Angelo De
Published: June 2021

The direct injection of a gaseous fuel in internal combustion engines involves under-expanded supersonic jets and complex air/fuel fluid-dynamics. Furthermore, with the high pressure ratios between the injector and the cylinder, the gaseous flow usually becomes choked even inside the injector. Knowledge of all these phenomena is essential to achieve a deeper understanding of the air–fuel mixing process that follows, influencing combustion and pollutant formation. In this framework, this study deals with the development and validation of a fully explicit, density-based solver for supersonic compressible flows, using the OpenFOAM library and featuring Runge–kutta fourth order time discretization and the Kurganov central flux splitting scheme. This methodology was applied to analyze the inner and the external flow of an innovative, multi-hole, high pressure injector for heavy-duty vehicle applications. The adoption of multi-hole patterned injectors in gaseous fuel combustion systems is believed to be an efficient way of achieving a better air/fuel mixture and, therefore, improving the combustion reaction. The present work aims to evaluate the reliability of the aforementioned mathematical approach for such kinds of complex flows and, especially, provide a comprehensive characterization of the multi-jet spray. It was found that shock waves in the internal-nozzle deeply modify the flow development and the external Mach disk as shock cells move the mixing activity on a lateral shear layer. It was also observed that a methane cloud grows downstream and, although flammable conditions are present, it later inhibits air recirculation toward the near nozzle zone.
Effect of remote signal propagation in an empirical brain network
Authors: Wang Zhenhua , Liu Zonghua
Published: June 2021

Increasing evidence has shown that brain functions are seriously influenced by the heterogeneous structure of a brain network, but little attention has been paid to the aspect of signal propagation. We here study how a signal is propagated from a source node to other nodes on an empirical brain network by a model of bistable oscillators. We find that the unique structure of the brain network favors signal propagation in contrast to other heterogeneous networks and homogeneous random networks. Surprisingly, we find an effect of remote propagation where a signal is not successfully propagated to the neighbors of the source node but to its neighbors’ neighbors. To reveal its underlying mechanism, we simplify the heterogeneous brain network into a heterogeneous chain model and find that the accumulation of weak signals from multiple channels makes a strong input signal to the next node, resulting in remote propagation. Furthermore, a theoretical analysis is presented to explain these findings.
A study on free-standing 3C-SiC bipolar power diodes
Authors: Li Fan , Renz Arne Benjamin , Pérez-Tomás Amador , Shah Vishal , Gammon Peter , Via Francesco La , Jennings Mike , Mawby Phil
Published: June 2021

A low p–n built-in potential (1.75 V) makes 3C-SiC an attractive choice for medium voltage bipolar or charge balanced devices. Until recently, most 3C-SiC had been grown on Si, and power device fabrication had, therefore, been hindered by issues, such as high defect density and limited processing temperature, while devices were necessarily limited to lateral structures. In this work, we present the fabrication and characterization of a vertical PiN diode using bulk 3C-SiC material. A p-type ohmic contact was obtained on Al implanted regions with a specific contact resistance ∼10−3 Ω cm2. The fabricated PiN diode has a low forward voltage drop of 2.7 V at 1000 A/cm2, and the on–off ratio at ±3 V is as high as 109. An ideality factor of 1.83–1.99 was achieved, and a blocking voltage of ∼110 V was observed using a single-zone junction termination design.
Optical isolator based on chiral light-matter interactions in a ring resonator integrating a dichroic magneto-optical material
Authors: Kawaguchi Yuma , Li Mengyao , Chen Kai , Menon Vinod , Alù Andrea , Khanikaev Alexander B.
Published: June 2021

Nonreciprocal optical devices based on magneto-optical ferrites in their low-loss regimes have been widely investigated as a promising platform for integrated photonics. Nonreciprocity in such devices originates from circular birefringence, leading to frequency splitting of forward and backward modes and, as a result, nonreciprocal transmission. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach to realize nonreciprocal devices based on magneto-optical circular dichroism and relying on the very presence of optical absorption. Our approach relies on the phenomenon of spin-Hall effect of light, which gives rise to chiral near field interactions of light carrying transverse angular momentum with matter, which, in lossy regimes, yields a disparate absorption for forward and backward optical modes. As an example of practical application, we design an optical isolator based on ring resonator integrating Ce:YIG ferrite, and we demonstrate isolation near 880 nm absorption line due to the ionic electric dipole transition. A Ce:YIG film asymmetrically placed on the inner side of the ring yields different critical coupling conditions due to the chiral nature of evanescent light for forward and backward waves, leading to nonreciprocal absorption and transmission. The proposed approach to nonreciprocity may significantly broaden the possible choice of magneto-optical materials for nonreciprocal devices, enabling operation even in lossy regimes.
Vaginal microbial profiling in a preterm birth high-risk cohort using shallow shotgun metagenomics
Authors: Ali Alishum , Christophersen Claus T , Keelan Jeffrey A
Published: June 2021

Preterm birth (PTB) is a significant health problem globally, with an estimate of 15 million cases annually. Approximately 10% of neonates born early will die prematurely, while a subset will develop severe life-long morbidities. Unfortunately, preterm birth’s syndromic nature has evaded prevention strategies, and it continues to impose a high burden on healthcare systems and families. The role of vaginal bacteria in triggering biomolecular causes of PTB has been recognised for years. However, translating this knowledge to practical diagnostic and therapeutic strategies has remained elusive. New techniques in high-throughput sequencing have improved our understanding of the nature and role of the vaginal microbiome during pregnancy. Several multi-ethnic and multi-geographical studies into the vaginal microbiome have identified five distinct bacterial profiles termed community state types (CSTs), one of which is positively associated with dysbiosis and increased risk of PTB. In a small pilot study of first-trimester vaginal microbial DNA obtained from pregnant women at high-risk of PTB, we compared the CST profiles generated using standard 16S amplicon sequencing with shallow shotgun metagenomics (SSM). Both methods identified the presence of the five CSTs as has been reported previously, although the metagenomic data showed greater taxonomic resolution and more accurate CST assignation. These findings suggest that SSM is a cost-effective and potentially superior alternative to 16S sequencing for vaginal microbiome analysis.
KdV solves BKP
Authors: Alexandrov Alexander
Published: June 2021

Significance

Integrable systems constitute an essential part of modern mathematics and theoretical physics. Interrelations between different integrable systems allow us to uncover unexpected relations between various mathematical and physical problems and eventually, to solve them. This paper provides a simple and surprising relationship between two classical integrable systems—the Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) and type B Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (BKP) hierarchies.
Agenda selfying and agendamelding
Authors: Bantimaroudis Philemon
Published: June 2021

This essay examines the notion of personal salience, introducing individual online media users as ‘objects’ in the
context of agenda setting theory. The salience of the self has been investigated by scholars in various interdisciplinary
explorations. In this project, the notion of personal salience is revisited from an agendamelding perspective. Along with
political and civic agendas of individuals that meld in online community environments, individuals promote themselves as agendas
that deserve public attention. Examining personal agendas raises new questions about perceptional and behavioral influences as
ordinary individuals strive to establish their mediated presence.
Influence of long-term aging on microstructural stability and performance of DD6 superalloy
Authors: Kang Maodong , Sridar Soumya , Xiong Wei , Wang Jun , Yu Junwei , Sun Baode
Published: June 2021

In order to investigate the deterioration of microstructure in service, the intrinsic microstructural stability and performance of DD6 during long-term aging without an external load are investigated. During aging at 980°C, γ′ rafting in 〈100〉 and 〈010〉 directions show no anisotropy due to small driving forces. γ′ coarsening and rafting lead to a monotonic decrease in hardness between 200 and 1000 h. However, precipitation of topologically close-packed (TCP) phases occurs significantly during aging at 1050°C. The amount of TCP phases increases initially, and then almost saturates, which results in a decrease in hardness. However, owing to the reduction in the growth of the TCP phases and coarsening of γ′, the hardness saturates for an aging time greater than 500 h.
Uncategorized Indians in Vietnam and questions for diaspora studies
Authors: Pham Chi P.
Published: June 2021

This research report describes individual Indian descendants in Ho Chi Minh city in the aim of raising research questions for the scholarship of Indian diaspora studies. I focus on the Indian diasporic members who are largely descendants of those who, in the second half of the nineteenth century and before, migrated from French–British India to Vietnam. They are economically and culturally different from the current Indian expats, the members of the capitalized ’Cộng Đồng Người Ấn Độ’ (Indian Community) in Vietnam. The current Indian immigrants largely work in Indian companies and multinational groups. In other words, the Indians in Vietnam are not classified either as children of ’Kinh paternalism’ or of Vietnamese ’state paternalism’ (Salemink, The Ethnography of Vietnam’s Central Highlanders: A Historical Contextualization, 1850–1900. London: Routledge Curzon, 2003, 258, 287). Nor, are they perceptually overseas daughters and sons of ’Hindu paternalism’ (Omvedt, Reinventing Revolution: New Social Movements and the Socialist Tradition in India. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, 1993, 31). The Indian descendants in Vietnam belong nowhere politically. The ambiguity of the Indian descendants in Vietnamese history and society does not suggest that they would be a research subject of the Indian or South Asian diasporas in the field of diaspora studies. Indeed, exploring the Indian diaspora in the dynamic contexts of Vietnamese nationalism offers a new direction in the diaspora studies in general and South Asian diasporas in particular. The report is based on my ethnographic research in Ho Chi Minh City in 2012–2014 at Indian individuals’ houses and at cultural centres.
Inflammatory signaling regulates hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell development and homeostasis
Authors: Collins Amélie , Mitchell Carl A. , Passegué Emmanuelle
Published: June 2021

Inflammation exerts multiple effects on the early hematopoietic compartment. Best studied is the role of proinflammatory cytokines in activating adult hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells to dynamically replenish myeloid lineage cells in a process known as emergency myelopoiesis. However, it is increasingly appreciated that the same proinflammatory signaling pathways are used in diverse hematopoietic scenarios. This review focuses on inflammatory signaling in the emergence of the definitive hematopoietic compartment during embryonic life, and tonic inflammatory signals derived from commensal microbiota in shaping the adult hematopoietic compartment in the absence of pathogenic insults. Insights into the unique and shared aspects of inflammatory signaling that regulate hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell function across the lifespan and health span of an individual will enable better diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to hematopoietic dysregulation and malignancies.
Analyzing signaling activity and function in hematopoietic cells
Authors: Kull Tobias , Schroeder Timm
Published: June 2021

Cells constantly sense their environment, allowing the adaption of cell behavior to changing needs. Fine-tuned responses to complex inputs are computed by signaling pathways, which are wired in complex connected networks. Their activity is highly context-dependent, dynamic, and heterogeneous even between closely related individual cells. Despite lots of progress, our understanding of the precise implementation, relevance, and possible manipulation of cellular signaling in health and disease therefore remains limited. Here, we discuss the requirements, potential, and limitations of the different current technologies for the analysis of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell signaling and its effect on cell fates.
VAMANA: modeling binary black hole population with minimal assumptions
Authors: Tiwari Vaibhav
Published: June 2021

The population analysis of compact binaries involves the reconstruction of some of the gravitational wave (GW) signal parameters, such as, the mass and the spin distribution, that gave rise to the observed data. This article introduces VAMANA, which reconstructs the binary black hole population using a mixture model and facilitates excellent density measurement as informed by the data. VAMANA uses a mixture of weighted Gaussians to reconstruct the chirp mass distribution. We expect Gaussian mixtures to provide flexibility in modeling complex distributions and enable us in capturing details in the astrophysical chirp mass distribution. Each of the Gaussian in the mixture is combined with another Gaussian and a power-law to simultaneously model the spin component aligned with the orbital angular momentum and the mass ratio distribution, thus also wing us to capture their variation with the chirp mass. Additionally, we can also introduce broadband smoothing by restricting the Gaussian mixture to lie within a threshold distance of a predefined reference chirp mass distribution. Using simulated data we show the robustness of our method in reconstructing complex populations for a large number of observations. We also apply our method to the publicly available catalog of GW observations made during LIGO’s and Virgo’s first and second observation runs and present the reconstructed mass, spin distribution, and the estimated merger rate of binary black holes.
Comprehensive understanding of the ignition process of a pulsed capacitively coupled radio frequency discharge: the effect of power-off duration
Authors: Wang Xiang-Yu , Liu Jia-Rui , Liu Yong-Xin , Donkó Zoltan , Zhang Quan-Zhi , Zhao Kai , Schulze Julian , Wang You-Nian
Published: June 2021

The effect of the pulse-off duration on the time evolution of the plasma and electrical parameters during the ignition phase in a pulsed capacitively coupled radio frequency argon discharge operated at 450 mTorr and 12.5 MHz is investigated synergistically by multifold experimental diagnostics, particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision simulations and an analytical model. In the experiment, the electron density is measured time-resolved by a hairpin probe, the spatio-temporal distribution of the electron impact excitation dynamics is studied by phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy, and the amplitudes and the relative phase, φ
vi, of the discharge voltage and current are determined based on the waveforms measured by a voltage and a current probe. The experimental results show that the plasma and electrical parameters during the ignition process depend strongly on the duration of the afterglow period, T
off, primarily because of the dependence of the remaining charge density on this parameter. Computed values of φ
vi show a similar time-dependence compared to the experiment, if the simulations are initialized with specific initial charged particle densities, n
ini. This allows us to further understand the time evolution of φ
vi for different values of T
off based on the simulation results together with an analytical model. In particular, the optical emission intensity is found to change with time in the same fashion as the power deposition into the system at T
off ⩾ 100 μs, suggesting that the power is primarily absorbed by the electrons, which dissipate their energy via inelastic collisions. The system goes through different mode transitions of electron power absorption during the ignition phase depending on T
off. Specifically, for short T
off (high n
ini), the α mode dominates during the entire ignition process, as the electric field is largely shielded by the abundant charge located in the interelectrode space. For intermediate values of T
off (moderate n
ini), another excitation pattern caused by an enhanced drift electric field at the center of the gap is observed, since a large fraction of the externally applied potential can penetrate into the central region in the absence of high charged particle densities. For longer T
off (very low n
ini), the ignition of the pulsed plasma behaves like a gas breakdown.
Tracking System Using Artificial Neural Network for FPGA Cart Follower
Authors: Ahmad M F , Alhady S S N , Moi C C , Wahab A A A , Othman W A F W , Zahir A A M , Bakar E A
Published: June 2021

Wheelchair users may have difficulty carrying their luggage while travelling. A proposed solution is introduced based on the problem stated. A tracking system for cart followers introduced to improve wheelchair mobility while transporting their luggage. The cart will track and follow the wheelchair at an appropriate distance. A Camera acts as input to enable the cart to track and follow the wheelchair. Pixy CMUcam5 is used to detect the predefined colour code (CC) in this project. The visual-based sensor gathered the information of the CC, which situated behind the wheelchair and translated the collected data into relative position information, such as distance and skew angle, which helps the cart in following the wheelchair. This translation is done in the Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The type of ANN used is a Multilayer perceptron (MLP) with the Levenberg-Marquardt training algorithm. Log sigmoid (Logsig) and Pure linear (Purelin) activation functions used in the hidden and output layer, respectively. The errors for distances and angles after computed with ANN are presented accordingly in Simulink. The MSE value obtained is 0.14007. The ANN implemented in the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The implementation of the ANN on the FPGA done through software and hardware configuration. The time taken for hardware implementation is faster than software due to parallel computations. The error value for output distance is less than 0.8000, and 0.3000 for the output angle during the simulation.
Improving Energy Efficiency at Palm Oil Mill Industries
Authors: Noranai Zamri , Joharudin Nurul Farahin Mohd , Redzwan Muhammad Aliff Asyraf , Latif Noradila Abdul , Hassan Nur Zaha
Published: June 2021

Palm oil production has become one of the essential economical in Malaysia, where it is one of the world’s largest oil palm producer and exporter. The rapid growth of the palm oil mill as the primary product dominating Malaysian agriculture industries leads to the increasing of energy usage. However, the efficiency of electrical energy usage has been recognized as one of the significant factors to reduce the cost of electrical energy consumption. This research aims to determine the energy consumption of palm oil mill process and proposed improvement to its potential energy consumption. This research is limited to the energy efficiency improvement in one of Malaysia palm oil industry. The palm oil mill selection and the palm oil mill processes have been identifying in the early phases. Four main palm oil processes which are fruit bunch reception, sterilizing, threshing and pressing have been investigating to improve the energy efficiency. From the calculation of processing palm oil processes, the monthly electrical consumption was near to 127MWh. The result found that 31.49% of energy consumption can be reduced in a month by the selected palm oil mill processes by replacing the current motor to high-efficiency motor.
Characterisation of Colloidal Nanosilica Modified Asphalt binder
Authors: Samsudin Mohamad Saifullah , Arshad Ahmad kamil , masri Khairil azman , Rawi Siti Norsita , Hassan Hasmawati Mat , Mustakim Nurakmal Hayati
Published: June 2021

Nanosilica (NS) has been used in this study as an asphalt binder modifier to improve the binder properties. Penetration grade 60/70 (PEN 60/70) asphalt binder was modified with NS in colloidal form with an average size of 10 to 15 nanometer (nm). The nanosilica modified asphalt binders (NSMB) were tested for different tests such as physical properties, atomic force microscopy (AFM), dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), multiples stress creep and recovery (MSCR) and asphalt pavement analyser (APA). The result obtained from physical properties shows that the additions of NS significantly improve the properties of base asphalt binder in terms of penetration, softening point and viscosity. It was also found that NSMB is stable during the high temperature storage period. SEM images showed that NS particles dispersed well in base asphalt binder and AFM images showed that the addition of nanosilica in asphalt binder improved its surface stiffness. In addition, NSMB significantly increases the G*/sinδ value, failure temperature, and percentage creep recovery while, decreased the non-recoverable creep compliance, which indicated higher elasticity and beneficial in increasing the rutting resistance as compared to the base asphalt. On the other hand, from APA test, it was found that NSMB reduced the rutting depth of asphalt mixture. It can be concluded from the analysis that a maximum of 2% NS be added into the base asphalt for optimum binder modification.
Web-Based System for Growth and Development Monitoring Early Childhood
Authors: Sudarmilah Endah , Saputra Diyan Bima , Arbain Adila Firdaus Binti , Murtiyasa Budi
Published: June 2021

The golden age and sensitive period in a child occurred at the age of zero to six years and it is the ages that children can quickly absorb knowledge around them. In this age, however, children are susceptible toward the arising deviation symptoms in their growth and development. Therefore, the deviation symptom in children should be detected as early as possible in order that it will not be permanent and the proper intervention and stimulation can be immediately administered. This study aimed to construct an information system based on the web in order to conduct either screening or detection for the children’s growth and development using Pre-screening Development Questionaire method. The method employed in this study is the one developing waterfall software. It consists of four steps, they are analysis, design, and test to the system. It is then the testing method using Black Box Testing and System Usability Scale (SUS). Based on the usability test on 30 child-caregiver respondents by employing SUS method, it was obtained score 78.33, meaning that the system can be accepted and included in the category of good-excellent.
LP Based Integration of Computer Network and Security in University College
Authors: Ali Iliana Mohd
Published: June 2021

There is a need on incorporating computing with network and security teaching in University College. In this paper, a framework is proposed for integrating computer network and security teaching using Logic Programming. Two 5-sessions incorporation modules on computer network and security for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year students were developed and implemented. Pre- and post- tests, class observations and interviews prove the framework viability in terms of 1) development and execution of the modules, and 2) the students’ learning outcomes on computer network and security content and Computational Thought, and the acceptance of the incorporation.
Extended Reality (XR) in Virtual Laboratories: A Review of Challenges and Future Training Directions
Authors: Alnagrat Ahmed Jamah Ahmed , Ismail Rizalafande Che , Idrus Syed Zulkarnain Syed
Published: June 2021

Laboratory laboratories are essential to the education process in all fields of engineering, technology has changed the scientific laboratory landscape. The role of using Extended Reality (XR) technology after the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented, the virus had affecting almost all countries concurrently, resulting in an economic crisis, the education sector was the most affected as students could not go to the laboratory to conduct experiments due to the containment of the disease. From this point on, the use of virtual laboratories became a great and effective role for students and the university, as it cost little in the budget compared to the real laboratory. In this paper, the role of virtual laboratories, using extended reality technology, and its impact on education and the future of virtual training in increasing students’ efficiency will be discussed in this paper.
Euler Root Mean Square (ERMS): A New Modified Euler Method to Improve Accuracy of Resistor-Inductor (RL) Circuit Equation
Authors: Samsudin Nooraida , Yusop Nurhafizah Moziyana Mohd , Nasir Akhyari , Sulaiman Noor Suhana , Zulkifli Nur Shahirah
Published: June 2021

Numerical method is a technique of obtaining the nearest approximation for the solution of various problems that can be described in the form of derivative equations. Engineering issues cannot be simply overcome using analytical concepts. This study aims to propose a new scheme from an enhanced Euler method for testing the resistor-inductor (RL) circuit equation. For this purpose, the paper proposes the Euler Root Mean Square (ERMS), a modified Euler method with improved accuracy. It will justify that the new scheme can be as accurate as possible in providing the exact solution by applying an average concept of using root mean square. It will focus on this accuracy by comparing the exact solution and actual solution between the new ERMS scheme and a modified Euler known as Euler Arithmetic. This study has demonstrated that the ERMS provided solutions that are similar to the exact solutions at t=0.5. It proves that an enhanced Euler method can be applied in various fields, especially in electrical engineering. In conclusion, the ERMS can be used as an alternative algorithm to solve RL circuit problems.
The suitability of Technology, Organization and Environment (TOE) and Socio Technical System (STS) for assessing IT Hardware Support Services (ITHS) Model.
Authors: Ahmad Azham bin , Othman Zainuddin bin , Abdullah Arshah Dr. Ruzaini , Kamaludin Dr. Adzhar
Published: June 2021

IT support services are the crucial part in daily business operation services in any organization. Special attention is needed, especially in managing users or client satisfaction when using the IT services to address the user’s problem or request IT hardware issues. Service quality (SQ) dimension is used to measure the effectiveness in delivering IT service support hardware to users. To strengthen the elements of the ITHS (IT Hardware Support Services), information system theories (IS) are used to harmonize the IT environment especially on the service support related to the IT hardware component. Two such theories taken from the IS environment are: Technology, Organization and Environment (TOE) and Social Technical System (STS). In this model, discussion is on the suitability of the above theories to assess ITHS, ability to achieve the service quality that reflect back to the users, client, and organization in achieving the service performance based on the SERVQUAL dimension.
A Review of Website Measurement for Website Usability Evaluation
Authors: Aziz Nur Sukinah , Sulaiman Noor Suhana , Hassan Wan Nur Idayu Tun Mohd , Zakaria Nur Liyana , Yaacob Azliza
Published: June 2021

There are many website usability measurement. Therefore, researcher that focus on usability measurement need to select the best method for usability evaluation to get the best result. This paper review website measurement that has classify to usability inspection, usability inquiry and usability testing. Some of usability measurement focus on experts only to measure the evaluation and some of measurement focus on real users. Each of website measurement have advantage and disadvantage. Researcher need to determine the scope, context and the reason when evaluate usability for website. This paper found that survey is common method that used by researcher because it save cost and can gather a population easily.
Determinant of users’ intention to adopt Pahang Mart on-line Portal in Malaysia: The role of perceived ease of use
Authors: Bakar Wan Hashridz Rizal bin Wan Abu , Misaridin Nur Aulia Fahada binti , Mokhtar Mohammad Zulfakhairi bin
Published: June 2021

Due to the various benefits offered by the information technology system, the government has taken the initiative to develop the Pahang Mart online portal system for the convenience of the people of Pahang. however if this technology is not used optimally then the government will incur losses due to the very large investments that have been made. therefore this study aims to identify the role of perceived ease of use in explaining the intention to use Pahang Mart online portal. This study was conducted in the state of Pahang with a total of 127 respondents. The sampling technique used is non-probability sampling. The findings of the study prove that perceived ease of use has a positive and significant relationship with the intention to use Pahang Mart online portal
The Optimization of Machining Parameters on Surface Roughness for AISI D3 Steel
Authors: Khalil Khair , Mohd A. , Mohamad C. O. C. , Faizul Y. , Zainal Ariffin S
Published: June 2021

Surface finish is one of the most important quality characteristics in manufacturing industries which influences the performance of mechanical parts. This research is focused on the optimization of machining parameters on surface roughness for parting or cut-off operation for the turning process. In machining operations, achieving desired surface quality features of the machined product are really a challenging job. These quality features are highly correlated and are expected to be influenced directly with the effect of process parameters used. Thus, the inputs of machining parameters such as cutting speed (v), feed rates (f) and depth of cut (d) have been selected and the experimental works were designed using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for machining AISI D3 steel. The results revealed that at a minimum cutting speed of 140m/min, a minimum feed rate of 0.01mm/rev and a minimum of depth of cut 1 mm give better surface finish. The study concludes that the surface roughness AISI D3 steel is greatly influenced by feed rate and cutting speed which is proven its reliability to obtain the desired level of surface roughness.
CodeToProtect©: C++ Programming Language Video Game for Teaching Higher Education Learners
Authors: Ariffin Mazeyanti Mohd , Aszemi Nurshazlyn Mohd , Mazlan Mohammad Syazran
Published: June 2021

As more and more media-based and game-based education (Edu-Game) is released each year to meet the increasing demands of this unique form of learning, the Edu-Game is increasingly developing the primary growing market in the education industry. The future of learning is indeed an educational video game, it has been said to suit the learning style of the new generation better than the previous generation. . This also suggests that the use of programming subjects has also expanded to Edu-Game as well as Classroom programming education has been reported to not be as effective as it used to be. . While several Edu-Game for programming are released today, there is a void that has yet to be occupied, which is a Edu-Game that teaches the language of C++ programming. Furthermore, the concern is the lack of C++ programming language for teaching higher education learners, as C++ has proved to be the most commonly used programming language in the education system in Malaysia. CodeToProtect is a proposed designed video game that will fill the void by providing Malaysia’s higher education learners with C++ programming language and education video game. The game is designed to help students understand the idea of programming by presenting visual representation and gamification to increase student concentration. By designing the game, more students would be able to benefit as C++ is commonly used in Malaysian education, thereby enhancing the overall standard of education programming here in Malaysia.
Drying Effect by Combination of Chemical and Microwave Treatment of Oil Palm Trunk
Authors: Zulkafli Norazmi , Mohd Amin M. A. , Azri Azmi M. A. , Bahiyah Baba N.
Published: June 2021

Oil palm plantation is one multibillion-dollar commodity crops in Malaysia. All part of palm tree is reusable which no parts will turn into waste. Oil palm trunk has cellulosic structure that is categorised as woody materials. Current issue is the drying process of the oil palm trunk is too long and it can be reduced by chemically and microwave treatment. The treatment densified and compacted the oil palm trunk into other woody elements. The experimental study investigated the chemical treatment by varying dipping time in methanol between 5 to 20 minutes and microwave power input ranges between 40% to 100%. The combination treatment of 80% microwave power and 15 minutes dipping in methanol give the highest moisture reduction. The morphological aspect of palm trunk was investigate using LEO Supra 50 Vp field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) with ultra-high resolution.
Characterization of Solid Polymer Electrolyte Based on Methylcellulose Doped Ammonium Bromide
Authors: Norul Azlin M.Z , Bahiyah Baba N.
Published: June 2021

A new biodegradable and low cost solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) membrane mainly from Methylcellulose (MC) blended with Ammonium Bromide (AB) to enhance the SPEs ionic conductivity. Casting method was used in this study in order to produce thin film. In this study, MC as a based doped with different weight percentage of AB (4%, 9%, 14%, 19%, 24% and 29%) to produce thin film for further study on polymer electrolytes. Two objectives were done in this study: prepare MC doped AB thin film via casting method and to determine and compare the conductivity of MC and AB with different weight percentage (wt.%) of AB. The result shows that different weight percentage of salt resulting different result of conductivities as ion conductivities is the major part in the battery system. Sample MCAB19 was found to have the maximum ionic conductivity value of 1.42 x 10−7Scm−1 at room temperature. The samples’ conductivity is very low comparing to the commercial used nowadays. However, it is proven that the combination of MC and AB has the prospective to be an alternative to a SPE in the battery.
Determination of New Biomaterials of Clams as An Active Ingredient in Sunscreen
Authors: Ghazali Saidatul Radhiah , Rosli Nur Hidayah , Hassan Lili Shakirah , Helmi Rozaini Mohd Zul , Hamzah Habibah
Published: June 2021

Sunscreen agents are widely used to protect the skin against sunburn and to prevent the degradation of cosmetics products by sunlight. The good sunscreen agents contain inorganic materials such as synthesized calcium as the active ingredients. Despite using these materials, we discovered the potential of clam shell powder as a new biomaterial product with high calcium, phosphate, chitin and protein that gives a great result in preventing UV light. The clams shell powder was treated in order to synthesis the active ingredients namely Hydroxyapatite (HAp). Hap is added into the formulation of emulsion as sunscreen lotion. The emulsion was analyzed using thermal, spectroscopy and being compared with the commercial products. The uses of this new material is an alternative for the safe, organic, less chemical and a good cosmetic products.
Development of Electrical Resistance Tomography Applying Vertical Metallic Column
Authors: Ridzuan Aw Suzanna binti , Rahim Ruzairi bin Hj Abd , Wahab Yasmin binti Abdul , Azimi Farah Hanan binti , Syafie Lia Safiyah binti , Aris Raja Siti Nur Adiimah binti Raja
Published: June 2021

Majority of industrial pipelines and process vessels are constructed from conducting composites. This paper focusing on the hardware and software development of laboratory test Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) measurement methods to obtain the cross-sectional image of the conductivity distribution of gas bubble phantom in a static vertical metallic column filled with water. The system with sixteen sensors implementation was investigated on a stainless steel vertical column of 100 mm inner diameter. The conducting boundary strategy was applied as the measurement strategy. Software for the current study was developed using Graphical User Interface (GUI) application program in MATLAB. The software contains many functions to ease user to get necessary information from the research done. The cross section image of the bubble phantom was reconstructed using Linear Back Projection (LBP) algorithm after the data collection process was completed. The system has been tested and can successfully generate the phantom under test.
Design and Development of SelamDrone Underwater ROV Manoeuvring Control
Authors: Zulkarnain O.W. , Redhwan A.A. M. , Bahiyah Baba N. , Fadhil M.N. , Rosni S.
Published: June 2021

The present study explores the underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) control named SelamDrone. The manoeuvring which include forward-reverse and rise-sink control is designed and developed. Beforehand, various factors in designing and fabricating first prototype of underwater ROV namely functionality, stability and motor efficiency need to be considered. The description of the SelamDrone ROV and its equipment, manoeuvring equipment control setup and controller algorithm design are presented. The developed algorithm controller for forward-reverse and rise-sink is presented and discussed. Manoeuvring investigation which include trial run and full test run show that the SelamDrone able to function and can be controlled by using joystick of radio controller. In order to overcome the lagging in rising, an introduction of ballast coupled with smaller wire for its umbilical is suggested for future work.
Towards a Method to Predict the Evaluation Result in a Microlearning Context
Authors: Sanchez Jose D. , Tabares Marta S. , Vallejo Paola
Published: June 2021

This paper presents a method for predicting the evaluation results of learners interacting with a context-aware microlearning system. We use ASUM-DM to guide different data analytics tasks, including applying a genetic algorithm that selects the prediction’s highest weight features. Then, we apply Machine Learning models like Random Forest, Gradient Boosting Tree, Decision Tree, SVM, and Neural Networks to train data and evaluate the context’s effects, either success or failure of the learner’s evaluation. We are interested in finding the model of significant context-influence to the learner’s evaluation results. The Random Forest model provided an accuracy of 94%, which was calculated with the cross-validation technique. Thus, it is possible to conclude that the model can accurately predict the evaluation result and relate it to the learner context. The model result is a useful insight for sending notifications to the learners to improve the learning process. We want to provide recommendations about learner behavior and context and adapt the microlearning content in the future.
Research on the Application of DNA Database in the Investigation of Combined Cases
Authors: Zhao Feng , Xu Hua
Published: June 2021

DNA technology, as a more scientific method of physical evidence testing, is playing an increasingly important role in solving criminal cases. With the wide application of DNA, DNA has become one of the key evidences of forensic science. The DNA database is closely related to the investigation work. The combination of the DNA database and the investigation can not only improve the efficiency of the case investigation, but also promote the detection of major cases. The extensive application of DNA technology has promoted the development of DNA database. With the continuous expansion of database, the problem of intelligent management level and sufficient sharing between libraries is becoming more and more prominent. This paper discusses the problems existing in the application of database in the investigation of parallel cases and emphasizes the importance of perfecting the database supervision system. The relationship between database application and rights protection is analyzed, and finally the supervision system of DNA database is proposed through legislation.
Anomaly Detection Algorithm Based on Semi-Supervised Collaborative Strategy
Authors: Shao Mingtian , Gu Naijie
Published: June 2021

This paper analyzes the existing credit card anomaly detection classification algorithms, summarizes the parts that can be improved, and proposes an outlier detection classification algorithm based on the unsupervised algorithm and active learning decision trees. Since the 1990s, machine learning technology has been widely used in the field of credit card fraud detection. Among them, the supervised learning expert system used for classification tends to perform better than the unsupervised learning model. The good performance of supervised learning methods requires high learning costs. The training process is usually serial or partially parallel. Therefore, the computing power, time, and manual labeling cost for learning need to be considered as algorithm selection factors. However, manual labeling usually involves the counter or ATM sending information to the back-end large-value transaction authorization department for manual review, and then the employee judges whether it is an abnormal transaction based on experience. This rigorous process will produce a very large time delay. Combining this feature, this article selects the appropriate unsupervised outlier detection method, selects part of the training data, and uses a small part of the more valuable data for annotation learning. Experiments show that this method can improve the accuracy while saving the time cost of training. Compared with the training time, the added time of classification is negligible.