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Fulltext Preparation and thermal properties of Cellulose Acetate/ Polystyrene blend nanofibers via electrospinning technique

Rosdi, N.H., Mohd Kanafi, N., Abdul Rahman, N.

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2018;26(3):979-990.
MyJurnal

Cellulose acetate (CA) is an interesting material due to its wide spectrum of utilities across different domains ranging from absorbent to membrane filters. In this study, polystyrene (PS) nanofibres, and cellulose acetate/polystyrene (CA/PS) blend nanofibres with various ratios of CA: PS from 20: 80 to 80: 20 were fabricated by using electrospinning technique. The SEM images show that the nanofibres exhibited non-uniform and random orientation with the average fibre diameter in the range of 100 to 800 nm. It was found that the incorporation of PS had a great effect on the morphology of nanofibre. At high proportion of PS, no or less beaded CA/PS nanofibres were formed. Thermal properties of the composite nanofibres were investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. The TGA results showed thermal stability of CA/PS nanofibres were higher than pristine CA.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Fulltext Pengaruh kualiti perkhidmatan institusi, kepuasan latihan industri dan pembelajaran terarah kendiri terhadap kebolehgajian pelajar kolej vokasional di Sabah

Asrin Gili, Abdul Said Ambotang

Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2019;4(7):126-139.
MyJurnal

Isu pengangguran graduan kesan daripada kepesatan perubahan pasaran buruh yang disebabkan oleh ketidaktentuan sosioekonomi, perubahan organisasi serta kemajuan teknologi telah mendapat perhatian bukan sahaja di Malaysia, bahkan juga di peringkat global. Isu yang sangat sinonim dengan kebolehgajian ini perlu ditangani oleh semua pihak termasuklah institusi pendidikan tinggi, pihak industri yang menawarkan kolaborasi latihan serta individu pelajar sendiri. Justeru itu, kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti pengaruh pengalaman pembelajaran pelajar yang berkaitan dengan kualiti perkhidmatan institusi, kepuasan latihan industri, dan pembelajaran terarah kendiri (PTK) terhadap tanggapan kebolehgajian diri khususnya dalam kalangan pelajar kolej vokasional di Sabah, Malaysia. Antara teori dan model yang digunakan sebagai panduan kajian ialah Model SSPE (Students Self-Perceived Employability), Model HESQUAL, Model Kepuasan Internship dan Model PRO-SDL (Personal Responsibility Orientation of Self-Directed in Learning). Kajian kuantitatif yang mengaplikasikan kaedah tinjauan cross-sectional ini menggunakan satu set soal selidik berstruktur yang diadaptasi. Kajian rintis melibatkan 105 responden mendapati bahawa kesemua instrumen yang digunakan mempunyai kesahan dan kebolehpercayaan yang tinggi. Kajian ini diharap dapat membantu para pemegang taruh KV di semua peringkat khasnya di peringkat institusi, industri dan pelajar sendiri dalam menambah baik program pendidikan sekali gus memastikan matlamat serta objektif untuk meningkatkan kebolehgajian pelajar dapat dicapai dengan cemerlang melalui intervensi kualiti perkhidmatan, latihan industri dan gaya pembelajaran terarah kendiri.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
High transparency iron doped indium oxide (in2—xfexo3, x = 0.0, 0.05,0.25, 0.35 and 0.45) films prepared by the sol-gel method

Ibrahim N, Baqiah H, Abdullah M

Sains Malaysiana, 2013;42:961-966.

High quality indium oxide and iron doped indium oxide nanocrystalline films were prepared by the sol-gel method followed by a spin coating technique. The samples were characterized by an X-ray diffractometer, an atomic force microscopy and a UV-vis spectroscopy. All samples had good crystallinity with a preferred orientation in the (222) direction. The crystallite size increased from 12.1 nm for the pure sample to 16.1 nm for the sample with x=0.35 and then decreased to 12.1 nm for the sample with x=0.45. All samples contained nanometer grain sizes with a smooth surface. All films showed a high transmission of over 91% in the wavelength range of 200-800 nm.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
The dataset for validation of customer inspiration construct in Malaysian context

Ghouri AM, Kin TM, Yunus NKBY, Akhtar P

Data Brief, 2019 Aug;25:104131.
PMID: 31440536 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2019.104131

This study intended to validate customer inspiration (CI)in Malaysian/developing country context. Data were collected from two different respondents for two studies - from Millennial customers of the auto industry and Generation Z customers of the smartphone industry. The survey conducted through a standardized and structured questionnaire. The variables of the both studies were customer-defined market orientation (MO) (customer orientation, competitor orientation, and interfunctional coordination), CI (inspired-by and inspired-to), and customer loyalty (CL). This research strategy, in terms of quantity, is descriptive and correlational. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out, using ADANCO 2.0. The finding of the study suggests all results of data 1 and data 2 were significant, and CI mediates the sub-constructs of MO with CL.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Fulltext WS2: A New Window Layer Material for Solar Cell Application

Bin Rafiq MKS, Amin N, Alharbi HF, Luqman M, Ayob A, Alharthi YS, et al.

Sci Rep, 2020 Jan 21;10(1):771.
PMID: 31964954 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-57596-5

Radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering was used to deposit tungsten disulfide (WS2) thin films on top of soda lime glass substrates. The deposition power of RF magnetron sputtering varied at 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 W to investigate the impact on film characteristics and determine the optimized conditions for suitable application in thin-film solar cells. Morphological, structural, and opto-electronic properties of as-grown films were investigated and analyzed for different deposition powers. All the WS2 films exhibited granular morphology and consisted of a rhombohedral phase with a strong preferential orientation toward the (101) crystal plane. Polycrystalline ultra-thin WS2 films with bandgap of 2.2 eV, carrier concentration of 1.01 × 1019 cm-3, and resistivity of 0.135 Ω-cm were successfully achieved at RF deposition power of 200 W. The optimized WS2 thin film was successfully incorporated as a window layer for the first time in CdTe/WS2 solar cell. Initial investigations revealed that the newly incorporated WS2 window layer in CdTe solar cell demonstrated photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 1.2% with Voc of 379 mV, Jsc of 11.5 mA/cm2, and FF of 27.1%. This study paves the way for WS2 thin film as a potential window layer to be used in thin-film solar cells.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Fulltext Investigation of Fibers Reinforced Engineered Cementitious Composites Properties Using Quartz Powder

Liew MS, Aswin M, Danyaro KU, Mohammed BS, Al-Yacouby AM

Materials (Basel), 2020 May 26;13(11).
PMID: 32466366 DOI: 10.3390/ma13112428

In relation to the use of retrofit materials on damaged constructions, application on earthquake-resistant buildings, and for the strengthening and rehabilitation on weakened regions, there is a need for a more superior material than concrete. Application sites include beam-column joints, corbels, link-slabs, deep beams, support regions and dapped-end areas. Fiber reinforced engineered cementitious composites (FR-ECC) can address this issue, because FR-ECC is one of the composite materials that has high strength, ductility and durability. In order to develop FR-ECC, this study was done to investigate the effect of adding quartz powder on the compressive strength capacity and properties of FR-ECC through the use of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and steel fibers. The volume fraction of fiber was set to 0%-2%. To support the friendly environment, FR-ECC uses by-product materials such as fly ash and silica fume, with a cement content less than 600 kg/m3. In terms of the experimental investigation on FR-ECC, this work conducted the fresh property tests showing that PVA fibers have quite an influence on ECC workability, due to their hydrophilic behavior. By adjusting the superplasticizer (SP) content, the consistency and high workability of the ECC mixes have been achieved and maintained. The test results indicated that the PVA and steel fibers-based ECC mixes can be classified as self-compacting composites and high early compressive strength composites. Significantly, addition of quartz powder into the ECC mixes increased the compressive strength ratio of the ECC samples up to 1.0747. Furthermore, the steel fiber-based ECC samples exhibited greater compressive strength than the PVA fibers-based ECC samples with the strength ratio of 1.1760. Due to effect of the pozzolanic reaction, the fibers dispersion and orientation in the fresh ECC mixes, so that the cementitious matrices provided the high strength on the FR-ECC samples. During the compression loading, the bulging effect always occurred before the failures of the fibers-based ECC samples. No spalling occurred at the time of rupture and the collapse occurred slowly. Thus, FR-ECC has provided unique characteristics, which will reduce the high cost of maintenance.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Fulltext Root-oriented words generation: an easier way towards dictionary making for the Dusunic family of languages

Cosmas Julius Abah, Wong, Jane Kong Ling, Anantha Raman Govindasamy

Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2018;3(2):95-112.
MyJurnal

Dictionary production is one of the most effective methods of preserving languages and cultures. The
Dusunic Family of Languages (DFL) in Sabah, Malaysia would have welcomed the efforts to
document their languages through dictionary production as there are still lacking of dictionary,
vocabulary and phrase books. Furthermore, more than half of the languages in DFL are unwritten.
However, making dictionary conventionally is tedious and time consuming. The Dusunic Family of
Languages which are facing extinction threats do not have the luxury of time to wait for dictionary
production via the conventional method. Hence, this study explores the use of a method called Root-
Oriented Words Generation (ROWG) which is formulated based on spelling orthography of DFL to
generate one and two-syllable words list. From the words list, root words registers were compiled
which can then be used as database for dictionary production. Findings of this study showed that
ROWG was able to generate an exhaustive word lists of DFL and compile a large volume of root
words register in DFL. Hence, this study was able to highlight the feasibility and viability of using
ROWG to produce root words register of DFL which could possibly reduce the time for dictionary
production significantly. In future studies, it is recommended that the ROWG is extended to include
more than two syllable words. This study showed the potentiality of ROWG to address the looming
demise of DFL by providing a more efficient way of compiling root words for the purpose of making a
dictionary.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Kesan pempasifan permukaan bahan bukan organik dan organik terhadap sifat struktur dan ciri elektronik bagi noktah kuantum silikon: kajian ab-initio

Gopir G, Anas MM

Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:297-303.

Beberapa siri pengiraan ab-initio telah dijalankan bagi meneliti perubahan bentuk struktur dan ciri elektronik noktah kuantum silikon berdasarkan kesan pempasifan bahan bukan organik, hidroksil (OH) dan bahan organik, metil (CH3). Hasil pengoptimuman geometri menunjukkan bahawa noktah kuantum yang dipasifkan secara tepu dengan bahan organik dan bukan organik perlu menjalani proses penstrukturan semula keadaan permukaan bagi membolehkan pempasifan permukaan tepu dijalankan tanpa meninggalkan sebarang ikatan terjuntai. Kajian juga mendapati bahawa panjang ikatan meningkat pada ikatan silikon-hidroksil pada permukaan noktah kuantum. Manakala, herotan diperhatikan semasa proses pengenduran dinamik di bahagian teras noktah kuantum. Bagi pempasif metil pula, peningkatan ikatan silikon-metil pada permukaan meningkat lebih ketara, sementara pembentukan geometri tetrahedral pada bahagian teras dikekalkan. Hal ini menyumbang kepada kesan pengurungan elektron yang lebih jelas. Ringkasnya, kedua-dua jenis pempasif memberikan kesan perubahan penting pada ciri elektronik dalam tiga perspektif. Pertama, terdapat pengurangan nilai jurang tenaga apabila bahan pempasif yang digunakan mempunyai darjah kebebasan pergerakan yang sangat dinamik menyebabkan pengherotan pada bahagian teras. Kedua, walaupun kehadiran kedua-dua pempasif mempengaruhi nilai jurang tenaga, namun ia tetap menunjukkan sifat elektronik tenaga jurang-langsung. Ketiga, kewujudan jurang tenaga kecil juga diperhatikan agak ketara dalam jalur tenaga bagi noktah kuantum bersaiz kecil, dengan kesan kehadirannya boleh menyebabkan pengurangan hasil kuantum semasa proses eksiton berlaku.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Fulltext Highly sensitive integrated pressure sensor with horizontally oriented carbon nanotube network

Mohammad Haniff MA, Lee HW, Bien DC, Teh AS, Azid IA

Nanoscale Res Lett, 2014;9(1):49.
PMID: 24472487 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-9-49

This paper presents a functionalized, horizontally oriented carbon nanotube network as a sensing element to enhance the sensitivity of a pressure sensor. The synthesis of horizontally oriented nanotubes from the AuFe catalyst and their deposition onto a mechanically flexible substrate via transfer printing are studied. Nanotube formation on thermally oxidized Si (100) substrates via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition controls the nanotube coverage and orientation on the flexible substrate. These nanotubes can be simply transferred to the flexible substrate without changing their physical structure. When tested under a pressure range of 0 to 50 kPa, the performance of the fabricated pressure sensor reaches as high as approximately 1.68%/kPa, which indicates high sensitivity to a small change of pressure. Such sensitivity may be induced by the slight contact in isolated nanotubes. This nanotube formation, in turn, enhances the modification of the contact and tunneling distance of the nanotubes upon the deformation of the network. Therefore, the horizontally oriented carbon nanotube network has great potential as a sensing element for future transparent sensors.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Fulltext Influence of Kenaf fibre orientation effect on the mechanical properties of hybrid structure of Fibre Metal Laminate

Ng, L.F., Sivakumar, D., Zakaria, K.A., Sivaraos, Bapokutty, O.

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2017;25(105):1-8.
MyJurnal

Efforts to reduce manufacturing cost and negative environmental impacts have seen the mixture of natural fibre with synthetic fibre in composite structures. However, there are limited studies on the notch effect and fibre orientation on mechanical properties of hybrid fibre metal laminate (FML). In this study, tensile properties of FML with notch and different fibre orientation were investigated. The hybrid FML incorporated with kenaf fibre at the middle layer was compared with FML with three layers of E-glass fibre. Kenaf fibre and E-glass fibre used were in plain woven form. The FML in 2/1 configuration was manufactured through hot press manufacturing method to bond layers of annealed aluminium 5052 to the composite. Tensile test was conducted in a quasi-static manner according to ASTM E8. The results showed FML with three layers of glass fibre exhibited higher tensile strength compared with hybrid FML. However, the introduction of kenaf fibre in hybrid FML reduces the notch and fibre orientation sensitivity compared with glass fibre reinforced FML.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Fulltext A Review on the Kenaf/Glass Hybrid Composites with Limitations on Mechanical and Low Velocity Impact Properties

Ahmad Nadzri SNZ, Hameed Sultan MT, Md Shah AU, Safri SNA, Basri AA

Polymers (Basel), 2020 Jun 04;12(6).
PMID: 32512701 DOI: 10.3390/polym12061285

Environmental awareness and trends to develop sustainable resources have directed much research attention towards kenaf fibre as an alternative reinforcement in composite manufacturing. Numerous studies have been conducted on kenaf and its hybrid composites. Most studies were conducted on kenaf/glass hybrid composites compared to other kenaf/synthetic hybrid composites. Similar with other materials, mechanical properties were the fundamental knowledge identified by the researcher. Limited studies conducted on other properties have restricted the use of kenaf composites to non-structural applications. To extend the potential of kenaf composites to automotive exterior or other critical applications, studies on impact properties can be a valuable contribution in the material field. This review discusses the mechanical and low velocity impact properties of kenaf/glass hybrid composites reported previously. Percentage loading of fibre, the angle of orientation in woven fibres and the chemical treatment applied to the fibre before compounding are the three major parameters that affect the mechanical and impact properties of the composites. This review provides insights into the mechanical and impact properties of kenaf/glass hybrid composites for future research.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Fulltext Temperature-Driven Structural and Morphological Evolution of Zinc Oxide Nano-Coalesced Microstructures and Its Defect-Related Photoluminescence Properties

Lim K, Abdul Hamid MA, Shamsudin R, Al-Hardan NH, Mansor I, Chiu W

Materials (Basel), 2016 Apr 20;9(4).
PMID: 28773425 DOI: 10.3390/ma9040300

In this paper, we address the synthesis of nano-coalesced microstructured zinc oxide thin films via a simple thermal evaporation process. The role of synthesis temperature on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the prepared zinc oxide samples was deeply investigated. The obtained photoluminescence and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy outcomes will be used to discuss the surface structure defects of the prepared samples. The results indicated that the prepared samples are polycrystalline in nature, and the sample prepared at 700 °C revealed a tremendously c-axis oriented zinc oxide. The temperature-driven morphological evolution of the zinc oxide nano-coalesced microstructures was perceived, resulting in transformation of quasi-mountain chain-like to pyramidal textured zinc oxide with increasing the synthesis temperature. The results also impart that the sample prepared at 500 °C shows a higher percentage of the zinc interstitial and oxygen vacancies. Furthermore, the intensity of the photoluminescence emission in the ultraviolet region was enhanced as the heating temperature increased from 500 °C to 700 °C. Lastly, the growth mechanism of the zinc oxide nano-coalesced microstructures is discussed according to the reaction conditions.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Fulltext Partial Discharge in Nanofluid Insulation Material with Conductive and Semiconductive Nanoparticles

Makmud MZH, Illias HA, Chee CY, Dabbak SZA

Materials (Basel), 2019 Mar 11;12(5).
PMID: 30861988 DOI: 10.3390/ma12050816

This study provides a thorough investigation of partial discharge (PD) activities in nanofluid insulation material consisting of different types of nanoparticles, which are conductive and semiconductive when subjected to high voltage stress is presented. Nanofluids have become a topic of interest because they can be an alternative to liquid insulation in electrical apparatus due to their promising dielectric strength and cooling ability. However, during in-service operation, PDs can occur between conductors in the insulation system. Therefore, this study presents the behavior of PDs within nanofluid dielectric materials consisting of conductive and semiconductive nanoparticles. The results show that there is an improvement in the PD resistance and a reduction in the tan delta of nanofluids at power frequency after the incorporation of conductive or semiconductive nanoparticles in the nanofluid oil. However, the most suitable concentration of conductive and semiconductive nanoparticles in the base fluid was found to be, respectively, 0.01 g/L and 1.0 g/L at PD inception and PD steady-state conditions. The clustering of nanoparticles in a nanofluid suspension due to PD activities is also discussed in this study.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
1,2-Dibenzoylhydrazine

Shanmuga Sundara Raj S, Yamin BM, Boshaala AM, Tarafder MT, Crouse KA, Fun HK

Acta Crystallogr C, 2000 Aug;56 (Pt 8):1011-2.
PMID: 10944308

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C(14)H(12)N(2)O(2), the molecule lies about a twofold axis; two carbonyl groups and the H atoms of the N-N bond are in a trans orientation with respect to each other. In the crystal, each molecule is linked to the other and vice versa by intermolecular N-H.O hydrogen bonds between the amide hydrogen and the O atoms of neighbouring molecules to form two ten-membered rings, each of which has the graph-set motif C4R(2)(2)(10). This extends as a polymeric chain along the c axis.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Effects of the nitric acid concentrations on the etching process, structural and optical properties of porous zinc oxide thin films

C.G. Ching, Leonard Lu, C.I. Ang, P.K. Ooi, S.S. Ng, Z. Hassan, et al.

Sains Malaysiana, 2013;42:1327-1332.

The present study reports on the fabrication of porous zinc oxide by wet chemical etching. ZnO thin films were deposited via radio-frequency magnetron sputtering on p-type silicon with (111) preferred orientation. The etchants used in the present work were 0.1% and 1.0% nitric acid (HNO3) solutions. ZnO were etched at various times and were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy to allow the examination of their structural and optical properties. The XRD results revealed that the intensity of ZnO(002) decreased when the thin films were etched in varying HNO3 concentrations over different periods of time. The above observation is attributed to the dissolution of the ZnO(002). The SEM images showed that the thickness of the ZnO layers decreased over the etching time, which resulted from the isotropic etching by the HNO3 solution. The PL emission intensity initially increased with increasing etching time. However, with further etching of the samples, the PL spectra showed a decreasing trend in intensity as a result of the decrease in the surface-to-volume ratio. All results lead to the conclusion that 1.0% HNO3 has the capability to change the ZnO surface significantly.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Fulltext The Effects of Annealing Temperatures on Composition and Strain in Si x Ge1-x Obtained by Melting Growth of Electrodeposited Ge on Si (100)

Abidin MSZ, Morshed T, Chikita H, Kinoshita Y, Muta S, Anisuzzaman M, et al.

Materials (Basel), 2014 Feb 24;7(2):1409-1421.
PMID: 28788521 DOI: 10.3390/ma7021409

The effects of annealing temperatures on composition and strain in Si
x
Ge1-x, obtained by rapid melting growth of electrodeposited Ge on Si (100) substrate were investigated. Here, a rapid melting process was performed at temperatures of 1000, 1050 and 1100 °C for 1 s. All annealed samples show single crystalline structure in (100) orientation. A significant appearance of Si-Ge vibration mode peak at ~400 cm-1 confirms the existence of Si-Ge intermixing due to out-diffusion of Si into Ge region. On a rapid melting process, Ge melts and reaches the thermal equilibrium in short time. Si at Ge/Si interface begins to dissolve once in contact with the molten Ge to produce Si-Ge intermixing. The Si fraction in Si-Ge intermixing was calculated by taking into account the intensity ratio of Ge-Ge and Si-Ge vibration mode peaks and was found to increase with the annealing temperatures. It is found that the strain turns from tensile to compressive as the annealing temperature increases. The Si fraction dependent thermal expansion coefficient of Si
x
Ge1-x is a possible cause to generate such strain behavior. The understanding of compositional and strain characteristics is important in Ge/Si heterostructure as these properties seem to give significant effects in device performance.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Fulltext Effect of Laughter Therapy on Depression and Quality of Life of the Elderly Living in Nursing Homes

Heidari M, Ghodusi Borujeni M, Rezaei P, Kabirian Abyaneh S, Heidari K

Malays J Med Sci, 2020 Jul;27(4):119-129.
PMID: 32863751 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2020.27.4.11

Background: Mental disorders are common among the elderly with serious symptoms of depression and social isolation. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of laughter therapy (LT) on depression and quality of life (QOL) of the elderly living in Abadeh nursing homes.
Methods: This is a controlled semi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test design. Ninety eligible ones of the elderly living in the Abadeh nursing homes and from July to September 2017, entered the study. Some of the criteria for entering the study include being over 60 years old, orientation, not having blindness and deafness, lack of physical and mental problems. After determining the intervention and control groups, the scale of depression and QOL was administered to the subjects and their scores were collected in the pre-test.
Results: Most of the study samples were in the intervention (35.55%) and control (37.77%) group in the age range of 60-69 years. In both intervention and control groups, respectively, 31.11% and 68.88% elderly were males and females. The mean scores of depression in the intervention group after LT (M = 2.57) were lower than those before the intervention (M = 6.87) [CI = -5.58-(-3.02)] and also the results of independent t-test showed a statistically significant difference before and after the intervention between the two groups (P < 0.001). The mean score of dimensions of QOL after LT was higher than that before in the intervention and there was a statistically significant difference in all dimensions with paired t-test (P < 0.001).
Conclusion: Since the implementation of this programme could improve the mental status and QOL of the elderly, this method of therapy can be used as an alternative or complementary model to enhance the health of the elderly.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Fulltext Optimising technology to measure functional vision, mobility and service outcomes for people with low vision or blindness: protocol for a prospective cohort study in Australia and Malaysia

Deverell L, Meyer D, Lau BT, Al Mahmud A, Sukunesan S, Bhowmik J, et al.

BMJ Open, 2017 12 21;7(12):e018140.
PMID: 29273657 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018140

INTRODUCTION: Orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists assess the functional vision and O&M skills of people with mobility problems, usually relating to low vision or blindness. There are numerous O&M assessment checklists but no measures that reduce qualitative assessment data to a single comparable score suitable for assessing any O&M client, of any age or ability, in any location. Functional measures are needed internationally to align O&M assessment practices, guide referrals, profile O&M clients, plan appropriate services and evaluate outcomes from O&M programmes (eg, long cane training), assistive technology (eg, hazard sensors) and medical interventions (eg, retinal implants). This study aims to validate two new measures of functional performance vision-related outcomes in orientation and mobility (VROOM) and orientation and mobility outcomes (OMO) in the context of ordinary O&M assessments in Australia, with cultural comparisons in Malaysia, also developing phone apps and online training to streamline professional assessment practices.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This multiphase observational study will employ embedded mixed methods with a qualitative/quantitative priority: corating functional vision and O&M during social inquiry. Australian O&M agencies (n=15) provide the sampling frame. O&M specialists will use quota sampling to generate cross-sectional assessment data (n=400) before investigating selected cohorts in outcome studies. Cultural relevance of the VROOM and OMO tools will be investigated in Malaysia, where the tools will inform the design of assistive devices and evaluate prototypes. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Rasch modelling, cluster analysis and analysis of variance will be undertaken along with descriptive analysis of measurement data. Qualitative findings will be used to interpret VROOM and OMO scores, filter statistically significant results, warrant their generalisability and identify additional relevant constructs that could also be measured.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been granted by the Human Research Ethics Committee at Swinburne University (SHR Project 2016/316). Dissemination of results will be via agency reports, journal articles and conference presentations.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation*
Fulltext Development of a decision support system for analysis and solutions of prolonged standing in the workplace

Halim I, Arep H, Kamat SR, Abdullah R, Omar AR, Ismail AR

Saf Health Work, 2014 Jun;5(2):97-105.
PMID: 25180141 DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2014.04.002

BACKGROUND: Prolonged standing has been hypothesized as a vital contributor to discomfort and muscle fatigue in the workplace. The objective of this study was to develop a decision support system that could provide systematic analysis and solutions to minimize the discomfort and muscle fatigue associated with prolonged standing.
METHODS: The integration of object-oriented programming and a Model Oriented Simultaneous Engineering System were used to design the architecture of the decision support system.
RESULTS: Validation of the decision support system was carried out in two manufacturing companies. The validation process showed that the decision support system produced reliable results.
CONCLUSION: The decision support system is a reliable advisory tool for providing analysis and solutions to problems related to the discomfort and muscle fatigue associated with prolonged standing. Further testing of the decision support system is suggested before it is used commercially.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial
Fulltext Effects of CNC Machining on Surface Roughness in Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) Products

Lalegani Dezaki M, Mohd Ariffin MKA, Ismail MIS

Materials (Basel), 2020 Jun 08;13(11).
PMID: 32521663 DOI: 10.3390/ma13112608

Fused deposition modelling (FDM) opens new ways across the industries and helps to produce complex products, yielding a prototype or finished product. However, it should be noted that the final products need high surface quality due to their better mechanical properties. The main purpose of this research was to determine the influence of computer numerical control (CNC) machining on the surface quality and identify the average surface roughness (Ra) and average peak to valley height (Rz) when the specimens were printed and machined in various build orientations. In this study, the study samples were printed and machined to investigate the effects of machining on FDM products and generate a surface comparison between the two processes. In particular, the block and complex specimens were printed in different build orientations, whereby other parameters were kept constant to understand the effects of orientation on surface smoothness. As a result, wide-ranging values of Ra and Rz were found in both processes for each profile due to their different features. The Ra values for the block samples, printed samples, and machined samples were 21, 91, and 52, respectively, whereas the Rz values were identical to Ra values in all samples. These results indicated that the horizontal surface roughness yielded the best quality compared to the perpendicular and vertical specimens. Moreover, machining was found to show a great influence on thermoplastics in which the surfaces became smooth in the machined samples. In brief, this research showed that build orientation had a great effect on the surface texture for both processes.

Matched MeSH terms: Orientation, Spatial

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