bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sol-Gel Hybrid Cyanopropyltriethoxysilane-methyltrimethoxysilane as Adsorbent for Dispersive-Micro Solid Phase Extraction of Selected Organophosphorus Pesticides in Water Samples
Authors: Muhamad Norfazilah , Wan Ibrahim Wan Aini , Sanagi Mohd Marsin
Published: January 2015

Commercial solid phase extraction (SPE) sorbents normally used for organophosphorus pesticides (OPPS) analysis is C18.  However, it show low retention for polar compounds and is rather expensive. The limitations are overcome through the development of a new sol-gel hybrid material, cyanopropyltriethoxysilane-methyltrimethoxysilane (CNPrTEOS-MTMOS). Sol-gel hybrid CNPrTEOS-MTMOS was successfully synthesized and applied as an adsorbent for dispersive-micro-SPE (D-µ-SPE) of three selected OPPs from several water samples. Extracted analytes were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.  Under the optimum conditions (100 mg CNPrTEOS-MTMOS as adsorbent, 10 mL water samples, 7 min extraction time, 300 µL methanol as desorption solvent and 3 min desorption time), the method showed excellent detection limits (0.01-0.004 µg L-1  at S/N = 3) and linear range achieved were 0.01-10 µg L-1. The CNPrTEOS-MTMOS sorbent offers an alternative sorbent material for the extraction of OPPs of various polarity. The developed D-µ-SPE method was successfully applied for the simultaneous analysis of OPPs in several water samples and results were compared with published results.  Sol-gel hybrid CNPrTEOS-MTMOS showed high potential as an alternative adsorbent for D-µ-SPE technique for OPPs.
A Natural Conversational Virtual Human with Multimodal Dialog System
Authors: Raheem Ali Itimad , Sulong Ghazali , Basori Ahmad Hoirul
Published: January 2015

The making of virtual human character to be realistic and credible in real time automated dialog animation system is necessary. This kind of animation carries importance elements for many applications such as games, virtual agents and movie animations. It is also considered important for applications which require interaction between human and computer. However, for this purpose, it is compulsory that the machine should have sufficient intelligence for recognizing and synthesizing human voices. As one of the most vital interaction method between human and machine, speech has recently received significant attention, especially in avatar research innovation. One of the challenges is to create precise lip movements of the avatar and synchronize it with a recorded audio. This paper specifically introduces the innovative concept of multimodal dialog systems of the virtual character and focuses the output part of such systems. More specifically, its focus is on behavior planning and developing the data control languages (DCL).
Determination of Optical Path Difference of White Light Fibre Interferometer Using Peak Tracking Method
Authors: Hood Hong Ley , Yahaya Asiah , Munajat Yusof
Published: January 2015

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the peak tracking method for determination of optical path difference of a fibre interferometer. This study narros the scope for Mach-Zehnder configuration with neutral white LED as its light source. The peak tracking method is then applied on the interference spectrum recorded from the output port of the interferometer using a spectrometer, allowing the optical path difference to be computed. Accuracy of this method is greatly affected by the wavelength resolution of the detector, where the uncertainty of the result is smaller with higher wavelength resolution and the maximum measurable path difference was found to be about 0.6 mm.
Synthesis of Cu2O and ZnO Nanowires and their Heterojunction Nanowires by Thermal Evaporation: A Short Review
Authors: Khan Muhammad Arif , Sakrani Samsudi , Suhaima Syahida , Wahab Yussof , Muhammad Rosnita
Published: January 2015

One dimensional metal oxide semiconductor nanowires of copper (I) oxide (Cu2O), zinc oxide (ZnO), and their heterojunction nanowires possess remarkable physical and chemical properties. ZnO and Cu2O areattractive because the metals are abundant on earth, inexpensive, nontoxic.Moreover, these oxides have useful optical and electrical properties suitable for a wide variety of electrical devices, because their electrical conduction can be predictably controlled by doping. We here restrict the disscussion using a Hot Tube Vacuum Thermal Evaporation. The NWs in these devices will be studied by physical vapor deposition known as vapor-liquid-solid (VLS). Therefore, we explore conventional methods, particularly the VLS of growing ZnO and Cu2O nanowires which are assisted by the catalyst.  In this short review, we report the individual and combined (Cu2O/ZnO) junction nanowires by PVD method.  The main advantages of these composite nanowires are the natural p-n characteristics, the broad light absorption, the high sensitivity to humidity changes, and the fast dynamic response. The combination of all characteristics offered by Cu2O/ZnO nanowires can enable the fabrication of diverse sensing devices, and photovoltaic solar cells.
The Enhanced EWMA Control Chart with Autocorrelation
Authors: Umar Farouk Abbas , Mohamad Ismail
Published: January 2015

Control charts are effective tool with regard to improving process quality and productivity, Shewhart control charts are efficiently good at detecting large shifts in a given process but very slow in detecting small and moderate shifts, such problem could be tackled through design of sensitizing rules. It has been observed that autocorrelation has an advert effect on the control charts developed under the independence assumption [1]. In this article a new EWMA control chart has been introduced with autocorrelation and some run rule schemes were introduced to enhanced the performance of the EWMA control chart when autocorrelated. The three-out-of three EWMA scheme and three-out-of- four EWMA schemes were introduced and the generated data with induced autocorrelation were used to construct the EWMA chart to sensitize the shifts presence.  Simulation of autocorrelated data were carried out for the proposed schemes which detects the shifts as soon as it occurs in the given process, the performance were evaluated using the ARL (average run length) and the results were compared with the published results of Steiner (1991) and the Saccucci (1990) which were designed for large, small and moderate shift. The results indicates that the proposed schemes are more sensitive to the shifts at ARL0=500, 300 and 200 with autocorrelation of 0.2, 0.5 and 0.9 considered in the study.
Adsorption Studies of Nickel(II) Metal Ions Uptake Using Fe3O4 Magnetic Nanoadsorbent
Authors: Abd Ali Layth Imad , Wan Ibrahima Wan Aini , Sulaiman Azli , Sanagi Mohd Marsin
Published: January 2015

In the present study, Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) synthesized in-housed using co-precipitation method was applied for the treatment of aqueous solutions contaminated by Ni(II) ions. Experimental results indicated that at 25ºC, the optimum pH value for Ni(II) removal was pH 6.0 and an adsorbent dose of 60.0 mg.  The adsorption capacity of Fe3O4 nanoparticles for Ni(II) is 20.54 mg g−1. Adsorption kinetic rates were found to be fast; total equilibrium was achieved after 180 min. Kinetic experimental data fitted very well the pseudo-second order equation and the value of adsorption rate constants was calculated to be 0.004 and 0.0008 g mg−1 min at 5 and 40 mg L−1 initial Ni(II) concentrations, respectively. The equilibrium isotherms were evaluated in terms of maximum adsorption capacity and adsorption affinity by the application of Langmuir and Freundlich equations. The maximum monolayer capacity obtained from the Langmuir isotherm was 24.57 mg g−1 for Ni(II). Results indicate that the Langmuir model fits adsorption isotherm data better than the Freundlich model.
A Survey Of Challenges And Resolutions Of Mining Question-Answer Pairs From Internet Forum
Authors: Isiaka Obasa Adekunle , Salim Naomie , Al-Khassawneh Yazan A.
Published: January 2015

Internet forum is a web community that brings people in different geographical locations together. Members of the forum exchange ideas and expertise and as a result generate huge amount of content on different topics on daily basis. A good percentage of human generated content of Internet forums have been found to be question-answer (QA) pairs. These QA pairs are useful for automating question answering system. Mining these QA pairs has become a hot issue in the research community. Effective mining of the QA pairs is being hindered by a number of factors. Lexical chasm that renders some Information Retrieval (IR) techniques less effective, casual language that creates noisy data; multiple authors that bring about unfocused topics are some of the issues that need to be addressed. In this paper, an extensive overview of the strategies and findings relevant to these three challenges are addressed. The survey revealed that researchers are adopting non-lexical features as against lexical to resolve the issue of data sparseness. Noise level is mostly controlled using conventional dictionary rather than using domain-specific dictionary.
Parameter Estimation Using Improved Differential Evolution And Bacterial Foraging Algorithms To Model Tyrosine Production In Mus Musculus(Mouse)
Authors: Xing Yeoh Jia , Khim Chong Chuii , Mohamad Mohd Saberi , Wen Choon Yee , En Chai Lian , Deris Safaai , Ibrahim Zuwairie
Published: January 2015

The hybrid of Differential Evolution algorithm with Kalman Filtering and Bacterial Foraging algorithm is a novel global optimisation method implemented to obtain the best kinetic parameter value. The proposed algorithm is then used to model tyrosine production in Musmusculus (mouse) by using a dataset, the JAK/STAT(Janus Kinase Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription) signal transduction pathway. Global optimisation is a method to identify the optimal kinetic parameter in ordinary differential equation. From the ordinary parameter of biomathematical field, there are many unknown parameters, and commonly, the parameter is in nonlinear form. Global optimisation method includes differential evolution algorithm, which will be used in this research. Kalman Filter and Bacterial Foraging algorithm helps in handling noise data and convergences faster respectively in the conventional Differential Evolution. The results from this experiment show estimated optimal kinetic parameters values, shorter computation time, and better accuracy of simulated results compared with other estimation algorithms.
Risiko Pembangunan Sistem Secara Penyumberluaran : Pengujian Menggunakan Teknik Proses Analisis Berhirarki
Authors: H.Yahaya Jamaiah , Hamzah Nor Fazila , Deraman Aziz , Jusoh Yusmadi Yah
Published: January 2015

System development outsourcing has become the important practices in many organizations which involve third parties contribution on IT implementation as well as software development. The reasons of the demanding in outsourcing implementation are because it reduces operation and development budget for Information Technology Department and improves service quality and operational efficiency. Although it comes with benefits to the organization, but there are risks that associated with it. The objectives of this study are:  1) to identify main risks in outsource software development, 2) to assess the outsourcing risks and 3) to test the risks related to supplier using AHP technique. A survey was conducted in Malaysia to identify main risks in software outsourcing and to access the risk’s level and severity. Then, the risks were analysed using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique to evaluate the performance of the suppliers in outsourcing data collected in the organisation. In this study, the testing and evaluating method were carried out with the officers in The Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority or RISDA in Malaysia because this organization has experience in software developemt outsource for more than 15 years. They are considered as well experience and good knowledge in this area. Findings from this study suggest to the related organization the main risks identified during software development and risk analysis is used to manage risk effectively according to its severity and priority. One way to manage and control risk is by identifying risks associated with suppliers using multi criteria selection method.
A Modified Migrating Bird Optimization For University Course Timetabling Problem
Authors: Way Shen Lam , Asmuni Hishammuddin , Cheng Weng Fong
Published: January 2015

University course timetabling problem is a dilemma which educational institutions are facing due to  various demands to be achieved in limited resources. Migrating bird optimization (MBO) algorithm is a new meta-heuristic algorithm which is inspired by flying formation of migrating birds. It has been applied successfully in tackling quadratic assignment problem and credit cards fraud detection problem. However, it was reported that MBO will get stuck in local optima easily. Therefore, a modified migrating bird optimization algorithm is proposed to solve post enrolment-based course timetabling. An improved neighbourhood sharing mechanism is used with the aim of escaping from local optima. Besides that, iterated local search is selected to be hybridized with the migrating bird optimization in order to further enhance its exploitation ability. The proposed method was tested using Socha’s benchmark datasets. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperformed the basic MBO and it is capable of producing comparable results as compared with existing methods that have been presented in literature. Indeed, the proposed method is capable of addressing university course timetabling problem and promising results were obtained.
Assessment of Factors Attracting Waste Recycler Behaviors By Rasch Model
Authors: Tiew Kian Ghee , Ahmad Basri Noor Ezlin , M Zain Shahrom , Watanabe Kohei , Wan Mohamad Wan Nur Ashiqin
Published: January 2015

A sustainable municipal waste recycling program is important to successfully increase the recycling rate in Malaysia. This paper examines the factors attracting recyclers at Surau Al-Husna community recycling centre. Data were analysed using Wintsteps and Predictive Analytics SoftWare (PASW). Findings indicated that five main factors attracting Surau Al-Husna community in recycling activities, which are environment impacts, charity purpose, easy access of recycling facilities, role of religion, and willingness and environmental awareness to practice recycling. The study has also shown potential of Surau Al-Husna as the example for other religious place to adopt recycling practices in their worship place, especially the Muslim population in Malaysia, which comprises 70% of the total population. In conclusion, Surau Al-Husna could be a role model for recycling practice in Malaysia due to their low cost operation and charity fund-raising for sustainable recycling programs. Hence, charitable ways in recycling practices could be one of the trends in recycling activities and will be an essential way to boost up the recycling rate in Malaysia.
Liquid Chromatography With UV Detection For Simultaneous Determination Of Ciprofloxacin And Metronidazole
Authors: Budiarti Agnes , Gandjar Ibnu Gholib , Rohman Abdul
Published: January 2015

The aim of this study was to develop HPLC method capable of facilitating the simultaneous determination of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CIP.HCl) and metronidazole (MDZ). The analytes were separated with Lichrospher 100 RP-18 C18 column (100 x 4.6 mm, 5 μm). The mobile phase consisted of monobasic potassium phosphate (50 mM, pH 3.5) and acetonitrile (80: 20, v/v) containing triethylamine (7.5 mM) delivered isocratically with flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The UV detection was set 298 nm. The developed method was validated in terms of precision, accuracy, linearity, selectivity and sensitivity. The precision of the method was evaluated using repeatability assay which RSD values of 0.37 – 1.72 % and 0.10 – 1.90 % for CIP.HCl and MDZ, respectively. The mean recoveries of CIP.HCl and MDZ were 99.83 – 100.77% and 99.80 – 101.14%, respectively. The dynamic linear response exhibited good correlation (r > 0.99) within the concentration range of 30 – 90 µg/mL for both drugs. The proposed method has been successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of CIP.HCl and MDZ in tablet dosage forms.
Mini Meja Tanggam (MMT)
Authors: Azman Mohamed Nor Azhari , Mat Isa Nor Hafizah , Mohamad Sharif Ahmad , Mustapha Ramlee
Published: January 2015

Dovetail is one omission that has its own unique history. Where traditionally the connection process does not use any materials connectivity as nails, glue and so on. The purpose of this study is to identify usage trends in the construction and and testing the suitability of the product “Mini Meja Tanggam” (MMT) were used as teaching aids in the process of teaching and learning in the schools. There are five (5) categories of modern joinery obtained from previous studies on the use of joinery in Malaysia. Among these, tanggam melebar, tanggam siku, tanggam pemidang, tanggam kekang and tanggam temu. Through the results of previous studies performed can be concluded here that there are seven (7) types of traditional joinery such as bamboo yarn tied with rattan cane tied with rounded wood, tanggam tebuk, tanggam lekap, tetupai, sambungan pin, tanggam penetap and tanggam lubang and puting. However dovetail construction structures are changing over time and technological advancements that tanggam sambung jejari, tanggam lekap bajang T and various types of tanggam lubang and puting. At the end of this study, the product “Mini Meja Tanggam” (MMT) is produced using a combination of 15 types of joinery used as model ABM teaching in schools. Revenue implemented discovered a positive response from the three (3) experienced teachers. The major implication of this study is to ensure that students are able to recognize and know the type of joinery production methods to strengthen the system of Technical and Vocational Education.
Reinventing Traditional Malay House for Sustainable Housing Design: Obstacle and Proposed Solution
Authors: S.H Ibrahim , A.A.H Liew , M.N.M Nawi , M.N Yusoff
Published: January 2015

Traditional Malay House design has the key of energy efficiency dwelling to create a sustainable housing. Today, modern houses are massively built replacing the Malaysia’s heritage house. Despite of this rapid development, the owners are aware on the drawback of this type of houses. Therefore, this study is conducted to investigate factors of developers reluctant to build the Traditional Malay House and correct the public misconception toward the housing perception. Survey questionnaire and in-depth interview were conducted. The results indicate that costing is the major problem for housing developers to construct Traditional Malay House.
Efficient Planning of Electrical Distribution System for Consumers in Sarawak, Malaysia
Authors: S.H. Ibrahim , A. Baharun , M.N.M Nawi , C.J. Chai
Published: January 2015

This study presents a method to determine power consumption pattern for several types of consumers in Sarawak, Malaysia. The power consumption data for consumers has been recorded using EDMI Mk.6 Genius polyphase electronic (E3) meters installed at their premises. The multistage cluster sampling is used to design the sample size to determine the sufficient amount of meters required. The data obtained from the meters has been analysed to obtain the pattern of power consumption for different types of consumers. This power consumption pattern has been applied to determine load factor, diversity factor for the calculation of After Diversity Maximum Demand (ADMD). ADMD is also used to determine the optimal amount of load, distribution transformer size and 11kV cable size. Temperature sensitivity analysis related to the demand has been investigated as well. It is found that power consumption pattern model is beneficial in finding the total electrical load, distribution transformer size and 11kV cable size needed by the consumers. Thus through this study the load characteristics had been determined to support utility operation and planning efficiently.
Electrodeposited Germanium On Silicon Substrate Using A Mixture Of Germanium Tetrachloride And Propylene Glycol
Authors: Zainal Abidin Mastura Shafinaz , Shahjahan Shahjahan , Mahmood Mohamad Rusop , Hashim Abdul Manaf
Published: January 2015

We report the deposition of germanium (Ge) film on silicon (Si) substrate by a simple and low cost electrochemical deposition using a mixture of germanium tetrachloride (GeCl4) and propylene glycol (C3H8O2). The effects of deposition environment and applied current density on the properties of deposited Ge films were investigated. Ge film containing germanium dioxide (GeO2) microclusters was obtained for deposition in air-exposed environment while high purity Ge film with no impurity detectable by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was obtained in nitrogen (N2) filled environment. In Raman spectra, N2 exposed sample shows smaller full width at half maximum (FWHM) values of Ge-Ge peak compared to air exposed sample, thereby indicating better crystallinity of Ge. Relatively flat and smooth Ge surfaces with the average roughnesses of 0.828-1.069 nm were obtained for all tested current densities of 10, 20 and 60 mAcm-2. The mean Ge crystallite grain sizes were determined to be in the range of 2-4 nm. In qualitative voltammetry study, two reduction peaks were observed in cyclic voltammograms measurement which confirms that the deposition of Ge at cathode occurs via two reduction processes. It is expected that the impurity-free Ge film on Si is promising for various device application towards heterogeneous integration on Si platform.
Impregnation of Magnetic Particles on Oil Palm Shell Activated Carbon for Removal of Heavy Metal Ions from Aqueous Solution
Authors: Mohammad Zainol Muzakkir , Asmadi Mohd , Amin Nor Aishah Saidina
Published: January 2015

Oil palm shell activated carbon magnetic particle (CAC-MP) was prepared for adsorption of metal ions (Zn2+, Pb2+, Cu2+). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), surface area and pore analysis (BET, BJH and t-plot method), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize CAC-MP. Its properties were compared with the parent activated carbon (CAC). The CAC-MP, with a high surface area (1007 m2/g), was used to study metal ions removal at different pH, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. The removal efficiency of metal ion increased with increasing pH, dosage, and time until equilibrium was reached. The optimum condition for maximum removal efficiency was at pH 6 and absorbent dosage of 0.5 g. Kinetic studies were also performed and the best kinetic model was fitted by pseudo-second-order model.
Welding Waste In Vocational College: Should It Be Properly Managed?
Authors: C Jimmy. , V Sethuprakhash. , Mokshein Siti Eshah
Published: January 2015

This article outlines the study findings on solid waste composition and generation rates in six vocational college welding workshops in Malaysia. Our data indicated that vocational college welding waste was composed of scrap metal, metal dust, welding electrodes, and grinding disks which constituted 92.89, 3.64, 3.07 and 0.4 percent of the total welding waste, respectively. The total welding waste generation rates were varied from 59.57 to 117.63 kgw-1 across the study workshops with the average of 83.42 kgw-1. Per capita generation rates were varied from 0.60 to 1.90 kgw-1st-1 with the average of 1.23 kgw-1st-1. These data illustrate the potential environmental impact of welding waste due to its amount and hazardous nature of the constituents as some components were known to contain various metal oxides. These data are important in determining the dimensions of solid waste management in vocational educational institutions.
Multi-objective Optimal Thermal Heat Sink Design Using Evolutionary Method
Authors: Mohd Hanafi Mohd Zainolarifin , Ismail Fatimah Sham
Published: January 2015

Single and multi-objective thermal performance of heat sink are considered using evolutionary optimization method. The main objective is to obtain an optimal heat sink design for solving thermal problem on CPU electronic package. In this case, single and multi-objective particle swarm optimization are explored for searching the optimal dimensions of plate fin heat sink design. The optimal design could maximize the heat dissipation and minimize the size of heat sink. Based on the previous research finding and preliminary simulation results, thickness and length of plate fin are selected for optimization. Analysis has been conducted to obtain the best convergence rate of iteration process and optimum values of the fitness functions. This study has demonstrated the usefulness of optimization engine in order to obtain the optimal design of heat sink with area reduction is about 27.15% and heat dissipation has increased by 79.33%.
Modification of Physical Force Approach for Simulating Agent Movement with Collective Behavior
Authors: Khamis Nurulaqilla , Selamat Hazlina , Yusof Rubiyah
Published: January 2015

Crowd modelling is a simulation study to know how crowd will behave in the environment. This simulation will contribute general knowledge and insight especially for safety engineers and architectural designers in assessing safety of crowd movement in buildings. There are many existing crowd models. However, these models neglect the details of agent characteristics and intelligence on how the agent will behave in the real environment. Therefore, in this study, the aim is to present heterogeneous agent characteristics and to include intelligence in the model in order to produce collective types of agent behaviour by modify the existing physical force approach.
Acquisition of Abstract Words for Cognitive Robots
Authors: Rasheed Nadia , H.M. Amin Shamsuddin , Hafeez Abdul , Raheem Abdur , Shakoor Rabia
Published: January 2015

Abstract word learning and comprehension is a very crucial and important issue because of its application and problematic nature. This problem does not just belong to the cognitive robotics field, as it also has significance in neuroscience and cognitive science. There are many issues like symbol grounding problem and sensory motor processing within grounded cognition framework and conceptual knowledge representation methods that have to be addressed and solved for the acquisition of abstract words in cognitive robots. This paper explains these concepts and matters, and also elucidates how these are linked to this problem. In this paper, first symbol grounding problem is discussed, and after that an overview of grounded cognition be given along with detail of methods/ideas that suggest how abstract word representation could use sensory motor system. Finally, the computation methods used for the representation of conceptual knowledge are discussed. Two cognitive robotics models based on Neural network and Semantic network that ground abstract words are presented and compared via simulation experiment to find out the pros and cons of computation methods for this problem. The aim of this paper is to explore the building blocks of cognitive robotics model at theoretical and experimental level, for grounding of abstract words.
Fuzzy Logic Control of Centralized Chilled Water System
Authors: Sulaiman Noor Asyikin , Othman Mohd Fauzi , Abdullah Hayati
Published: January 2015

Fuzzy logic controller has been proven to control nonlinear process system and HVAC is a type of nonlinear process systems. This paper studies the performance of fuzzy logic controller with three and five term membership function in centralized chilled water system. Three different cases are simulated and analyzed for both type of controllers. Results show that the performances between both controllers are almost similar with no significant difference. It is also encountered that in certain cases, 3-mf fuzzy logic controller outperformed 5-mf fuzzy logic controller.
An Improved Global Particle Swarm Optimization for Faster Optimization Process
Authors: Haniff Mohamad Fadzli , Selamat Hazlina , Buyamin Salinda
Published: January 2015

An efficient Global Particle Swarm Optimization (GPSO) is proposed in order to overcome the concern of trapping in the local optimal point especially in high dimensional while using ordinary Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). GPSO is able to bring all the particles to be closely clumped together faster than PSO. In this paper, an improved GPSO is proposed in order to get a closely clumped particles group faster than using GPSO. The original GPSO is improved by taking into account the global best fitness error and particle fitness clumping size of every iteration. The improved GPSO is simulated by using several two dimension mathematical function and benchmarked with the original GPSO. The improved GPSO is shown to be able to obtain closely clumped particles much more faster than the original GPSO up to 62%. The performances are also evaluated by comparing the standard deviation, average, best particle and worst particles obtained through a 50 independent runs. In term of the four factors mentioned, the improved GPSO performance is shown to be as good of the original GPSO.
Analysis Methods of EEG Signals: A Review in EEG Application for Brain Disorder
Authors: Abd Rahman Faridah , Othman Mohd Fauzi , Shaharuddin Nurul Aimi
Published: January 2015

The electroencephalograph (EEG) is a medical modality that plays crucial roles in detecting, displaying and recording electrical activity in the brain. This paper reviews the analysis method of EEG signal for common diseases in Malaysia which are autism, Cerebral Palsy (CP), Parkinson and schizophrenia from Malaysian and worldwide research paper that has been published. Fast Fourier Transform, Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT) and event-related potential (ERP) are some of the techniques used in analyzing EEG signal were discussed in this paper. It can be concluded that EEG plays its role as a detection tool to detect the disease in the early stage, rehabilitation, classification or as an assistive tool for the patient according to the needs of the diseases.
Edible Bird Nest Processing using Machine Vision and Robotic Arm
Authors: Subramaniam Yuvarajoo , Che Fai Yeong , Su Lee Ming Eileen
Published: January 2015

Edible Bird nest food product is one of the demanding food product in food production industry. Government looking into ways to improve this industry to boost the economy. Many large scale production are being operated around Malaysia. One of the major difficulties faced in processing the bird nest is to remove its impurities or more formerly known as dirt. Current conventional cleaning method which is manual cleaning is not cost effective and time consuming. Furthermore, it also requires large number of workforce to be used for processing small quantities of bird nest. This paper presents an automated system which utilizes machine vision system and an industrial robot to accomplish a better processing system for edible bird nest. This system offers great advantage compared to conventional process by reducing the time consumed for processing and increase the efficiency.
Fuzzy Sliding Mode with Region Tracking Control for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
Authors: Mohd Mokhar Mohd Bazli , Ismail Zool Hilmi
Published: January 2015

This paper presents fuzzy sliding mode control with region tracking control for a single autonomous underwater vehicle. The vehicle is needed to track a certain moving region whilst under the influence of wave current. The fuzzy logic is used to tune the gain and to reduce the effect of chattering effect, the signum function is replaced by saturation function. Simulation result is presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed tracking control of the AUV.
Age‐related changes to cardiac systolic and diastolic function during whole‐body passive hyperthermia
Authors: Lucas Rebekah A. I. , Sarma Satyam , Schlader Zachary J. , Pearson James , Crandall Craig G.
Published: January 2015

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

The effect of ageing on hyperthermia‐induced changes in cardiac function is unknown.

What is the main finding and its importance?

Using echocardiography, we show that during hyperthermia the systolic and diastolic function can be appropriately augmented to meet cardiac demand in healthy older adults, although overall age‐related impairments remain. One exception was late diastolic ventricular filling [i.e. E/A ratio and A/(A + E) ratio], which in the older adults was not further augmented during hyperthermia, unlike their young counterparts. To meet cardiac demand, therefore, healthy older adults appear to depend on an increased left ventricular systolic strain and proportion of their cardiac reserve.

The effect of ageing on hyperthermia‐induced changes in cardiac function is unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that hyperthermia‐induced changes in left ventricular systolic and diastolic function are attenuated in older adults when compared with young adults. Eight older (71 ± 5 years old) and eight young adults (29 ± 5 years old), matched for sex, physical activity and body mass index, underwent whole‐body passive hyperthermia. Mean arterial pressure (Finometer Pro), heart rate, forearm vascular conductance (venous occlusion plethysmography) and echocardiographic indices of diastolic and systolic function were measured during a normothermic supine period and again after an increase in internal temperature of ∼1.0 °C. Hyperthermia decreased mean arterial pressure and left ventricular end‐diastolic volumes and increased heart rate to a similar extent in both groups (P > 0.05). Ageing did not alter the magnitude of hyperthermia‐induced changes in indices of systolic (lateral mitral annular S′ velocity) or diastolic function (lateral mitral annular E′ velocity, peak early diastolic filling and isovolumic relaxation time; P > 0.05). However, with hyperthermia the global longitudinal systolic strain increased in the older group, but was unchanged in the young group (P = 0.03). Also, older adults were unable to augment late diastolic ventricular filling [i.e. E/A ratio and A/(A + E) ratio] during hyperthermia, unlike the young (P < 0.05). These findings indicate that older adults depend on a greater systolic contribution (global longitudinal systolic strain) to meet hyperthermic demand and that the atrial contribution to diastolic filling was not further augmented in older adults when compared with young adults.
Discovery of CLC transport proteins: cloning, structure, function and pathophysiology
Authors: Jentsch Thomas J.
Published: January 2015

After providing a personal description of the convoluted path leading 25 years ago to the molecular identification of the Torpedo Cl− channel ClC‐0 and the discovery of the CLC gene family, I succinctly describe the general structural and functional features of these ion transporters before giving a short overview of mammalian CLCs. These can be categorized into plasma membrane Cl− channels and vesicular Cl−/H+‐exchangers. They are involved in the regulation of membrane excitability, transepithelial transport, extracellular ion homeostasis, endocytosis and lysosomal function. Diseases caused by CLC dysfunction include myotonia, neurodegeneration, deafness, blindness, leukodystrophy, male infertility, renal salt loss, kidney stones and osteopetrosis, revealing a surprisingly broad spectrum of biological roles for chloride transport that was unsuspected when I set out to clone the first voltage‐gated chloride channel.
Toward adaptive radiotherapy for head and neck patients: Uncertainties in dose warping due to the choice of deformable registration algorithm
Authors: Veiga Catarina , Lourenço Ana Mónica , Mouinuddin Syed , van Herk Marcel , Modat Marc , Ourselin Sébastien , Royle Gary , McClelland Jamie R.
Published: January 2015

Purpose:

The aims of this work were to evaluate the performance of several deformable image registration (DIR) algorithms implemented in our in‐house software (NiftyReg) and the uncertainties inherent to using different algorithms for dose warping.

Methods:

The authors describe a DIR based adaptive radiotherapy workflow, using CT and cone‐beam CT (CBCT) imaging. The transformations that mapped the anatomy between the two time points were obtained using four different DIR approaches available in NiftyReg. These included a standard unidirectional algorithm and more sophisticated bidirectional ones that encourage or ensure inverse consistency. The forward (CT‐to‐CBCT) deformation vector fields (DVFs) were used to propagate the CT Hounsfield units and structures to the daily geometry for “dose of the day” calculations, while the backward (CBCT‐to‐CT) DVFs were used to remap the dose of the day onto the planning CT (pCT). Data from five head and neck patients were used to evaluate the performance of each implementation based on geometrical matching, physical properties of the DVFs, and similarity between warped dose distributions. Geometrical matching was verified in terms of dice similarity coefficient (DSC), distance transform, false positives, and false negatives. The physical properties of the DVFs were assessed calculating the harmonic energy, determinant of the Jacobian, and inverse consistency error of the transformations. Dose distributions were displayed on the pCT dose space and compared using dose difference (DD), distance to dose difference, and dose volume histograms.

Results:

All the DIR algorithms gave similar results in terms of geometrical matching, with an average DSC of 0.85 ± 0.08, but the underlying properties of the DVFs varied in terms of smoothness and inverse consistency. When comparing the doses warped by different algorithms, we found a root mean square DD of 1.9% ± 0.8% of the prescribed dose (pD) and that an average of 9% ± 4% of voxels within the treated volume failed a 2%pD DD‐test (DD2%‐pp). Larger DD2%‐pp was found within the high dose gradient (21% ± 6%) and regions where the CBCT quality was poorer (28% ± 9%). The differences when estimating the mean and maximum dose delivered to organs‐at‐risk were up to 2.0%pD and 2.8%pD, respectively.

Conclusions:

The authors evaluated several DIR algorithms for CT‐to‐CBCT registrations. In spite of all methods resulting in comparable geometrical matching, the choice of DIR implementation leads to uncertainties in dose warped, particularly in regions of high gradient and/or poor imaging quality.
Signaling Status Through Stadiums: The Discourses of Comparison Within a Hierarchy
Authors: Mason Daniel S. , Washington Marvin , Buist Ernest A.N.
Published: January 2015

Status and reputation have become increasingly important to cities seeking to differentiate themselves in a competitive global marketplace; sports events, franchises, and infrastructure have become a critical means to contest this. This article takes a grounded theory approach and develops a series of propositions on the basis of a single case study, making several important contributions to the literature. Although others have argued for an affiliation effect, this study sheds new light on how the affiliation mechanism works by including both positive and negative affiliations. In doing so, we reveal how cities are actively managed, how sports facilities emerge as status signals on the policy agenda of entrepreneurial cities, and how notions of status are articulated and mobilized by managers.
The Evolution of Active-Sport-Event Travel Careers
Authors: Buning Richard J. , Gibson Heather
Published: January 2015

Using the event-travel-career concept, this study examined the trajectory of active-sport-event travel careers through stages of development and the corresponding factors and dimensions perceived to influence career progression in the sport of cycling. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 amateur cyclists engaged in lifestyles geared toward active event travel. A grounded theory approach revealed that active event travel careers evolve through a complex progression of 9 core themes and related subthemes. The core themes included the first event, starting out, motivation, temporal, travel style, destination criteria, event types, spatial, and later in life. On the basis of these findings, a 6-stage active-sport-event travel career model is proposed consisting of initiation, introduction, expansion, peak threshold, maintenance, and maturity. From this model, theoretical contributions, suggestions for future research, and practical implications for sport tourism and event management are discussed.
Marine defaunation: Animal loss in the global ocean
Authors: McCauley Douglas J. , Pinsky Malin L. , Palumbi Stephen R. , Estes James A. , Joyce Francis H. , Warner Robert R.
Published: January 2015

Marine animals are disappearing, too

The loss of animal species in terrestrial environments has been well documented and is continuing. Loss of species in marine environments has been slower than in terrestrial systems, but appears to be increasing rapidly. McCauleyet al.review the recent patterns of species decline and loss in marine environments. Though they note many worrying declines, they also highlight approaches that might allow us to prevent the type of massive defaunation that has occurred on land.

Science, this issue10.1126/science.1255641
Alternative lengthening of telomeres renders cancer cells hypersensitive to ATR inhibitors
Authors: Flynn Rachel Litman , Cox Kelli E. , Jeitany Maya , Wakimoto Hiroaki , Bryll Alysia R. , Ganem Neil J. , Bersani Francesca , Pineda Jose R. , Suvà Mario L. , Benes Cyril H. , Haber Daniel A. , Boussin Francois D. , Zou Lee
Published: January 2015

Cancer's alternative means to an end

To stay alive and proliferating, tumor cells must maintain their telomeres: the DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes. The majority accomplish this by activating the enzyme telomerase. However, certain tumor types favor a different mechanism called alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT), which involves DNA recombination. Flynn
et al.
delineated the molecular events that occur at the telomeres of ALT-proficient tumor cells by studying the function of a protein that is altered by mutation in these tumors. The analysis revealed a specific protein kinase that is essential for ALT, which could in principle be targeted to halt tumor growth.

Science
, this issue p.
273
Reduced El Niño–Southern Oscillation during the Last Glacial Maximum
Authors: Ford Heather L. , Ravelo A. Christina , Polissar Pratigya J.
Published: January 2015

A new tilt on predicting future ENSO variability

A new finding should improve the ability of climate models to predict the behavior of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in a warmer future. Ford et al. looked at the distribution of surface and subsurface temperatures in the eastern and western equatorial Pacific 19,000 years ago and between 3000 and 6000 years ago. Temperatures fluctuated over a greater range during the older period. ENSO thus depended more on the tilt of the equatorial Pacific thermocline than on the east-to-west temperature gradient, as previously thought.

Science
, this issue p.
255
Linked canopy, climate, and faunal change in the Cenozoic of Patagonia
Authors: Dunn Regan E. , Strömberg Caroline A. E. , Madden Richard H. , Kohn Matthew J. , Carlini Alfredo A.
Published: January 2015

Fluctuations revealed in fossil forests

The reconstruction of past vegetation unlocks the door to understanding ecological changes associated with climatic change. But it is also difficult. Dunn
et al.
developed a method for assessing changes in vegetation openness based on epidermal cell morphology from conserved plant tissue. Applying this method to fossil assemblages from Patagonia, they show how vegetation structure changed over the Cenozoic era (49 to 11 million years ago). These changes map onto the known climate changes over this period and can also be used to track how the evolution of herbivorous mammals responded to vegetation structure.

Science
, this issue p.
258
Expectations of brilliance underlie gender distributions across academic disciplines
Authors: Leslie Sarah-Jane , Cimpian Andrei , Meyer Meredith , Freeland Edward
Published: January 2015

Women's participation and attitudes to talent

Some scientific disciplines have lower percentages of women in academia than others. Leslie
et al.
hypothesized that general attitudes about the discipline would reflect the representation of women in those fields (see the Perspective by Penner). Surveys revealed that some fields are believed to require attributes such as brilliance and genius, whereas other fields are believed to require more empathy or hard work. In fields where people thought that raw talent was required, academic departments had lower percentages of women.

Science
, this issue p.
262
; see also p.
234
Universal solvent restructuring induced by colloidal nanoparticles
Authors: Zobel Mirijam , Neder Reinhard B. , Kimber Simon A. J.
Published: January 2015

Structured solvents near nanoparticles

The physical properties and reactivity of nanoparticles in solution depend not only on their surface termination but also on changes in solvent ordering caused by the presence of the interface created by the nanoparticle. Zobel
et al.
used x-ray scattering to study solvent ordering for a variety of metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles in a variety of polar solvents (alcohols) and a nonpolar solvent (n-hexane). They observed layers of enhanced ordering near the nanoparticle surface relative to the bulk solvent. These trends were largely independent of surface chemistry, such as changing the surface groups from hydroxyls to carboxylates.

Science
, this issue p.
292
Google
[x]
searches for ways to boost cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Cohen Jon
Published: January 2015

At gathering, researchers brainstorm “10x” ideas.
Throwing a lifeline to a one-time Arab science power
Authors: Stone Richard
Published: January 2015

Iraqi scientists gain expertise from U.S. fellowships.
Backlash greets ‘bad luck’ cancer study and coverage
Authors: Couzin-Frankel Jennifer
Published: January 2015

How subtleties got lost in the telling.
What ails medical education?
Let Me Heal The Opportunity to Preserve Excellence in American Medicine
Kenneth M. Ludmerer
Oxford University Press, 2014. 451 pp.
Authors: Whitehead Cynthia
Published: January 2015

Cynthia Whitehead welcomes a thorough appraisal of American medical residency training
Fueling the future
Cheap and Clean How Americans Think About Energy in the Age of Global Warming
Stephen Ansolabehere and David M. Konisky
MIT Press, 2014. 271 pp.
Authors: Kahn Matthew E.
Published: January 2015

Matthew E. Kahn considers an analysis of the public's perception of energy in the 21st century
Gender inequality in science
Authors: Penner Andrew M.
Published: January 2015

How should a better gender balance be achieved?

[Also see Report by

Leslie
et al.

]
Toward designing safer chemicals
Authors: Zimmerman Julie B. , Anastas Paul T.
Published: January 2015

One year ago, an industrial coal-processing liquid contaminated the Elk River in West Virginia and affected the tap water of 15% of the state's population. The spill was declared a federal disaster, and ongoing investigations remain. Last month, a report assessing the water and health impacts of the Elk River spill pointed to the lack of a sound scientific approach for responding to and recovering from such incidents.
*
This year also marks 5 years since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and last month brought the 30-year anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy that killed thousands, considered the world's worst industrial disaster. Despite our best efforts and intentions, human-made chemicals continue to be released into the environment, often with unquantified and potentially unquantifiable deleterious consequences. The questions posed to science are how to better understand the nature of synthetic substances in order to predict their potential adverse impacts on humans and the biosphere, and how do we design future substances to eliminate the need for engineered control systems.