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Fulltext Online Learning Approach for Predictive Real-Time Energy Trading in Cloud-RANs

Wan Ariffin WNSF, Zhang X, Nakhai MR, Rahim HA, Ahmad RB

Sensors (Basel), 2021 Mar 25;21(7).
PMID: 33806215 DOI: 10.3390/s21072308

Constantly changing electricity demand has made variability and uncertainty inherent characteristics of both electric generation and cellular communication systems. This paper develops an online learning algorithm as a prescheduling mechanism to manage the variability and uncertainty to maintain cost-aware and reliable operation in cloud radio access networks (Cloud-RANs). The proposed algorithm employs a combinatorial multi-armed bandit model and minimizes the long-term energy cost at remote radio heads. The algorithm preschedules a set of cost-efficient energy packages to be purchased from an ancillary energy market for the future time slots by learning both from cooperative energy trading at previous time slots and by exploring new energy scheduling strategies at the current time slot. The simulation results confirm a significant performance gain of the proposed scheme in controlling the available power budgets and minimizing the overall energy cost compared with recently proposed approaches for real-time energy resources and energy trading in Cloud-RANs.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Water pathways through the ages: Integrated laundry wastewater treatment for pollution prevention

Ho KC, Teow YH, Sum JY, Ng ZJ, Mohammad AW

Sci Total Environ, 2021 Mar 15;760:143966.
PMID: 33341611 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143966

Rapid urbanization and the rising global population have led to the generation of substantial volumes of laundry wastewater. Accordingly, treatment of laundry wastewater has been advocated to curb water pollution and achieve water sustainability. However, technological limitations in treating (specifically) laundry wastewater and the lack of regulations governing the levels of contaminants for such discharges have been perennial problems. This review bridges the knowledge gap by delineating the feasibility of current technologies in laundry wastewater treatment and the experiences of various countries in adopting different approaches. Besides, the feasible methods for collecting laundry wastewater are elaborated. The development of the treatment technologies is highlighted, in which the integrated-treatment processes (physicochemical, biological, and combination of both) are critically discussed based on their functions and methods. A judicious selection of the technologies not only improves the energy efficiency and quality of the treated wastewater, but also mitigates capitals and operational costs. This is projected to enhance public acceptance towards the reuse of laundry wastewater. Thus, the comprehensive assessment herein is envisioned to insightfully guide national policymakers in exploring the viability of the technologies and water-recycling projects. Future research should focus on the techno-economic aspects of the treatment processes, especially their industrial scale-up.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Fulltext Laser-Assisted High Speed Machining of 316 Stainless Steel: The Effect of Water-Soluble Sago Starch Based Cutting Fluid on Surface Roughness and Tool Wear

Yasmin F, Tamrin KF, Sheikh NA, Barroy P, Yassin A, Khan AA, et al.

Materials (Basel), 2021 Mar 09;14(5).
PMID: 33803364 DOI: 10.3390/ma14051311

Laser-assisted high speed milling is a subtractive machining method that employs a laser to thermally soften a difficult-to-cut material's surface in order to enhance machinability at a high material removal rate with improved surface finish and tool life. However, this machining with high speed leads to high friction between workpiece and tool, and can result in high temperatures, impairing the surface quality. Use of conventional cutting fluid may not effectively control the heat generation. Besides, vegetable-based cutting fluids are invariably a major source of food insecurity of edible oils which is traditionally used as a staple food in many countries. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to experimentally investigate the effects of water-soluble sago starch-based cutting fluid on surface roughness and tool's flank wear using response surface methodology (RSM) while machining of 316 stainless steel. In order to observe the comparison, the experiments with same machining parameters are conducted with conventional cutting fluid. The prepared water-soluble sago starch based cutting fluid showed excellent cooling and lubricating performance. Therefore, in comparison to the machining using conventional cutting fluid, a decrease of 48.23% in surface roughness and 38.41% in flank wear were noted using presented approach. Furthermore, using the extreme learning machine (ELM), the obtained data is modeled to predict surface roughness and flank wear and showed good agreement between observations and predictions.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Profiling of cured residue of solvent-based adhesives by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with chemometrics for forensic investigation

Saman SA, Chang KH, Abdullah AFL

J Forensic Sci, 2021 Mar;66(2):608-618.
PMID: 33202056 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.14625

Abuse of solvent-based adhesives jeopardizes world population, especially the young generation. Adhesive-related exhibits encountered in forensic cases might need to be determined if they could have come from a particular source or to establish link between cases or persons. This study was aimed to discriminate solvent-based adhesives, especially to aid forensic investigation of glue sniffing activities. In this study, thirteen brands with three samples each, totaling at 39 adhesive samples, were analyzed using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy followed by chemometric methods. Experimental output showed that adhesive samples utilized in this study were less likely to change in their ATR-FTIR profiles over time, at least up to 2 months. No interference from plastic materials was noticed based on ATR-FTIR profile comparison. Physical examination could differentiate the samples into two groups, namely contact adhesives and cement adhesives. A principal component analysis-score linear discriminative analysis (PC-score LDA) model resulted in 100% and 98.6% correct classification in discriminating the two groups of adhesive samples, forming seven discriminative clusters. Test set with adhesive samples applied glass slide and plastic substrates also demonstrated a 100% correct classification into their respective groups. As a conclusion, the method allowed for discrimination of adhesive samples based on the spectral features, displaying relationship among samples. It is hoped that this comparative information is beneficial to trace the possible source of solvent-based adhesives, whenever they are recovered from a crime scene, for forensic investigation.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Development of hearing impairment inventory for religious duties of Muslim adult

Rahmat S, Rahman SA, Tukiran NH, Musa R, Othman NA, Dzulkarnain AAA

Med J Malaysia, 2021 03;76(2):205-211.
PMID: 33742629

OBJECTIVE: This study is a preliminary work to develop a Malay version questionnaire named 'Inventori Persepsi bagi Muslim yang Memiliki Masalah Pendengaran (IPM3P)' to assess the perception on Islamic understanding and practice among Muslim adults with hearing impairment.
METHODS: The scale development involved three phases: i) generation of domains based on the literature, ii) generation of sub-domains based on literature review and Islamic panel survey, and iii) generation of items.
RESULTS: Preliminary version of IPM3P consists of 59 items was produced, representing three domains: Obligation (18 items), Practice (21 items), and Difficulty (20 items), and seven sub-domains ('Ibadah', 'Aqidah', 'Muamalat', 'Tasawwuf', 'Akhlak','Da'wah', and 'Sirah').
CONCLUSION: The preliminary version of IPM3P needs to be psychometrically tested. This pioneering study may become an impetus towards more research pertaining to understanding the effect of hearing loss towards religious life in the future in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Recent progress on CO-rich syngas production via CO2 gasification of various wastes: A critical review on efficiency, challenges and outlook

Chan YH, Syed Abdul Rahman SNF, Lahuri HM, Khalid A

Environ Pollut, 2021 Mar 01;278:116843.
PMID: 33711630 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116843

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a highly valuable component of syngas which could be used to synthesize various chemicals and fuels. Conventionally, syngas is derived from fossil-based natural gas and coal which are non-renewable. To curb the problem, CO2 gasification offers a win-win solution in which CO2 is converted with wastes to CO, achieving carbon emission mitigation and addressing waste disposal issue simultaneously. In this review, gasification of various wastes by CO2 with particular focus given to generation of CO-rich syngas is presented and critically discussed. This includes the effects of operating parameters (temperature, pressure and physicochemical properties of feedstocks) and advanced CO2 gasification techniques (catalytic CO2 gasification, CO2 co-gasification and microwave-driven CO2 gasification). Furthermore, associated technological challenges are highlighted and way forward in this field are proposed.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Fulltext Assessment of DSM Based on Radiometric Transformation of UAV Data

Chaudhry MH, Ahmad A, Gulzar Q, Farid MS, Shahabi H, Al-Ansari N

Sensors (Basel), 2021 Feb 27;21(5).
PMID: 33673425 DOI: 10.3390/s21051649

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is one of the latest technologies for high spatial resolution 3D modeling of the Earth. The objectives of this study are to assess low-cost UAV data using image radiometric transformation techniques and investigate its effects on global and local accuracy of the Digital Surface Model (DSM). This research uses UAV Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data from 80 meters and UAV Drone data from 300 and 500 meters flying height. RAW UAV images acquired from 500 meters flying height are radiometrically transformed in Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB). UAV images from 300 meters flying height are processed for the generation of 3D point cloud and DSM in Pix4D Mapper. UAV LIDAR data are used for the acquisition of Ground Control Points (GCP) and accuracy assessment of UAV Image data products. Accuracy of enhanced DSM with DSM generated from 300 meters flight height were analyzed for point cloud number, density and distribution. Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) value of Z is enhanced from ±2.15 meters to 0.11 meters. For local accuracy assessment of DSM, four different types of land covers are statistically compared with UAV LIDAR resulting in compatibility of enhancement technique with UAV LIDAR accuracy.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Fulltext Recycling Waste Cotton Cloths for the Isolation of Cellulose Nanocrystals: A Sustainable Approach

Mohamed SH, Hossain MS, Mohamad Kassim MH, Ahmad MI, Omar FM, Balakrishnan V, et al.

Polymers (Basel), 2021 Feb 19;13(4).
PMID: 33669623 DOI: 10.3390/polym13040626

There is an interest in the sustainable utilization of waste cotton cloths because of their enormous volume of generation and high cellulose content. Waste cotton cloths generated are disposed of in a landfill, which causes environmental pollution and leads to the waste of useful resources. In the present study, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were isolated from waste cotton cloths collected from a landfill. The waste cotton cloths collected from the landfill were sterilized and cleaned using supercritical CO2 (scCO2) technology. The cellulose was extracted from scCO2-treated waste cotton cloths using alkaline pulping and bleaching processes. Subsequently, the CNCs were isolated using the H2SO4 hydrolysis of cellulose. The isolated CNCs were analyzed to determine the morphological, chemical, thermal, and physical properties with various analytical methods, including attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EF-TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results showed that the isolated CNCs had a needle-like structure with a length and diameter of 10-30 and 2-6 nm, respectively, and an aspect ratio of 5-15, respectively. Additionally, the isolated CNCs had a high crystallinity index with a good thermal stability. The findings of the present study revealed the potential of recycling waste cotton cloths to produce a value-added product.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Evaluation of potential feedstock for biogas production via anaerobic digestion in Malaysia: kinetic studies and economics analysis

Lim YF, Chan YJ, Abakr YA, Sethu V, Selvarajoo A, Singh A, et al.

Environ Technol, 2021 Feb 18.
PMID: 33502966 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2021.1882587

As the population increases, energy demands continue to rise rapidly. In order to satisfy this increasing energy demand, biogas offers a potential alternative. Biogas is economically viable to be produced through anaerobic digestion (AD) from various biomass feedstocks that are readily available in Malaysia, such as food waste (FW), palm oil mill effluent (POME), garden waste (GW), landfill, sewage sludge (SS) and animal manure. This paper aims to determine the potential feedstocks for biogas production via AD based on their characteristics, methane yield, kinetic studies and economic analysis. POME and FW show the highest methane yield with biogas yields up to 0.50 L/g VS while the lowest is 0.12 L/g VS by landfill leachate. Kinetic study shows that modified Gompertz model fits most of the feedstock with R 2 up to 1 indicating that this model can be used for estimating treatment efficiencies of full-scale reactors and performing scale-up analysis. The economic analysis shows that POME has the shortest payback period (PBP), highest internal rate of return (IRR) and net present value (NPV). However, it has already been well explored, with 93% of biogas plants in Malaysia using POME as feedstock. The FW generation rate in Malaysia is approximately 15,000 tonnes per day, at the same time FW as the second place shows potential to have a PBP of 5.4 years and 13.3% IRR, which is close to the results achieved with POME. This makes FW suitable to be used as the feedstock for biogas production.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Fulltext Structural, Optical and Antibacterial Efficacy of Pure and Zinc-Doped Copper Oxide against Pathogenic Bacteria

Khalid A, Ahmad P, Alharthi AI, Muhammad S, Khandaker MU, Rehman M, et al.

Nanomaterials (Basel), 2021 Feb 10;11(2).
PMID: 33578945 DOI: 10.3390/nano11020451

Copper oxide and Zinc (Zn)-doped Copper oxide nanostructures (CuO-NSs) are successfully synthesized by using a hydrothermal technique. The as-obtained pure and Zn-doped CuO-NSs were tested to study the effect of doping in CuO on structural, optical, and antibacterial properties. The band gap of the nanostructures is calculated by using the Tauc plot. Our results have shown that the band gap of CuO reduces with the addition of Zinc. Optimization of processing conditions and concentration of precursors leads to the formation of pine needles and sea urchin-like nanostructures. The antibacterial properties of obtained Zn-doped CuO-NSs are observed against Gram-negative (Pseudomonasaeruginosa,Klebsiellapneumonia,Escherichiacoli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcusaureus) bacteria via the agar well diffusion method. Zn doped s are found to have more effective bacterial resistance than pure CuO. The improved antibacterial activity is attributed to the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
2020 Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology Consensus Recommendations on the Use of P2Y12 Receptor Antagonists in the Asia-Pacific Region

Tan JW, Chew DP, Abdul Kader MAS, Ako J, Bahl VK, Chan M, et al.

Eur Cardiol, 2021 Feb;16:e02.
PMID: 33708263 DOI: 10.15420/ecr.2020.40

The unique characteristics of patients with acute coronary syndrome in the Asia-Pacific region mean that international guidelines on the use of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) cannot be routinely applied to these populations. Newer generation P2Y12 inhibitors (i.e. ticagrelor and prasugrel) have demonstrated improved clinical outcomes compared with clopidogrel. However, low numbers of Asian patients participated in pivotal studies and few regional studies comparing DAPTs have been conducted. This article aims to summarise current evidence on the use of newer generation P2Y12 inhibitors in Asian patients with acute coronary syndrome and provide recommendations to assist clinicians, especially cardiologists, in selecting a DAPT regimen. Guidance is provided on the management of ischaemic and bleeding risks, including duration of therapy, switching strategies and the management of patients with ST-elevation and non-ST-elevation MI or those requiring surgery. In particular, the need for an individualised DAPT regimen and considerations relating to switching, de-escalating, stopping or continuing DAPT beyond 12 months are discussed.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Fulltext Spotted hyena optimizer algorithm for capacitor allocation in radial distribution system with distributed generation and microgrid operation considering different load types

Naderipour A, Abdul-Malek Z, Hajivand M, Seifabad ZM, Farsi MA, Nowdeh SA, et al.

Sci Rep, 2021 Feb 01;11(1):2728.
PMID: 33526829 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82440-9

In this paper, the optimal allocation of constant and switchable capacitors is presented simultaneously in two operation modes, grid-connected and islanded, for a microgrid. Different load levels are considered by employing non-dispatchable distributed generations. The objective function includes minimising the energy losses cost, the cost of peak power losses, and the cost of the capacitor. The optimization problem is solved using the spotted hyena optimizer (SHO) algorithm to determine the optimal size and location of capacitors, considering different loading levels and the two operation modes. In this study, a three-level load and various types of loads, including constant power, constant current, and constant impedance are considered. The proposed method is implemented on a 24-bus radial distribution network. To evaluate the performance of the SHO, the results are compared with GWO and the genetic algorithm (GA). The simulation results demonstrate the superior performance of the SHO in reducing the cost of losses and improving the voltage profile during injection and non-injection of reactive power by distributed generations in two operation modes. The total cost and net saving values for DGs only with the capability of active power injection is achieved 105,780 $ and 100,560.54 $, respectively and for DGs with the capability of active and reactive power injection is obtained 89,568 $ and 76,850.46 $, respectively using the SHO. The proposed method has achieved more annual net savings due to the lower cost of losses than other optimization methods.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Neuroprotective potential of cinnamon and its metabolites in Parkinson's disease: Mechanistic insights, limitations, and novel therapeutic opportunities

Angelopoulou E, Paudel YN, Piperi C, Mishra A

J Biochem Mol Toxicol, 2021 Jan 24.
PMID: 33491302 DOI: 10.1002/jbt.22720

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder with obscure etiology and no disease-modifying therapy to date. Hence, novel, safe, and low cost-effective approaches employing medicinal plants are currently receiving increased attention. A growing body of evidence has revealed that cinnamon, being widely used as a spice of unique flavor and aroma, may exert neuroprotective effects in several neurodegenerative diseases, including PD. In vitro evidence has indicated that the essential oils of Cinnamomum species, mainly cinnamaldehyde and sodium benzoate may protect against oxidative stress-induced cell death, reactive oxygen species generation, and autophagy dysregulation, thus acting in a potentially neuroprotective manner. In vivo evidence has demonstrated that oral administration of cinnamon powder and sodium benzoate may protect against dopaminergic cell death, striatal neurotransmitter dysregulation, and motor deficits in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine mouse models of PD. The underlying mechanisms of its action include autophagy regulation, antioxidant effects, upregulation of Parkin, DJ-1, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, as well as modulation of the TLR/NF-κB pathway and inhibition of the excessive proinflammatory responses. In addition, in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that cinnamon extracts may affect the oligomerization process and aggregation of α-synuclein. Herein, we discuss recent evidence on the novel therapeutic opportunities of this phytochemical against PD, indicating additional mechanistic aspects that should be explored, and potential obstacles/limitations that need to be overcome, for its inclusion in experimental PD therapeutics.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Medium chain triglyceride and medium-and long chain triglyceride: metabolism, production, health impacts and its applications - a review

Lee YY, Tang TK, Chan ES, Phuah ET, Lai OM, Tan CP, et al.

Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2021 Jan 22.
PMID: 33480262 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2021.1873729

Structured lipid is a type of modified form of lipid that is "fabricated" with the purpose to improve the nutritional and functional properties of conventional fats and oils derived from animal and plant sources. Such healthier choice of lipid received escalating attention from the public for its capability to manage the rising prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Of which, medium-chain triacylglycerol (MCT) and medium-and long-chain triacylglycerol (MLCT) are the few examples of the "new generation" custom-made healthful lipids which are mainly composed of medium chain fatty acid (MCFA). MCT is made up exclusively of MCFA whereas MLCT contains a mixture of MCFA and long chain fatty acid (LCFA), respectively. Attributed by the unique metabolism of MCFA which is rapidly metabolized by the body, MCFA and MCT showed to acquire multiple physiological and functional properties in managing and reversing certain health disorders. Several chemically or enzymatically oils and fats modification processes catalyzed by a biological or chemical catalyst such as acidolysis, interesterification and esterification are adopted to synthesis MCT and MLCT. With their purported health benefits, MCT and MLCT are widely being used as nutraceutical in food and pharmaceutical sectors. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review on MCT and MLCT, with an emphasis on the basic understanding of its structures, properties, unique metabolism; the current status of the touted health benefits; latest routes of production; its up-to-date applications in the different food systems; relevant patents filed and its drawbacks.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Mechanistic insights into carbon dioxide utilization by superoxide ion generated electrochemically in ionic liquid electrolyte

Halilu A, Hayyan M, Aroua MK, Yusoff R, Hizaddin HF

Phys Chem Chem Phys, 2021 Jan 21;23(2):1114-1126.
PMID: 33346756 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp04903d

Understanding the reaction mechanism that controls the one-electron electrochemical reduction of oxygen is essential for sustainable use of the superoxide ion (O2˙-) during CO2 conversion. Here, stable generation of O2˙- in butyltrimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [BMAmm+][TFSI-] ionic liquid (IL) was first detected at -0.823 V vs. Ag/AgCl using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The charge transfer coefficient associated with the process was ∼0.503. It was determined that [BMAmm+][TFSI-] is a task-specific IL with a large negative isovalue surface density accrued from the [BMAmm+] cation with negatively charged C(sp2) and C(sp3). Consequently, [BMAmm+][TFSI-] is less susceptible to the nucleophilic effect of O2˙- because only 8.4% O2˙- decay was recorded from 3 h long-term stability analysis. The CV analysis also detected that O2˙- mediated CO2 conversion in [BMAmm+][TFSI-] at -0.806 V vs. Ag/AgCl as seen by the disappearance of the oxidative faradaic current of O2˙-. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) detected the mechanism of O2˙- generation and CO2 conversion in [BMAmm+][TFSI-] for the first time. The EIS parameters in O2 saturated [BMAmm+][TFSI-] were different from those detected in O2/CO2 saturated [BMAmm+][TFSI-] or CO2 saturated [BMAmm+][TFSI-]. This was rationalized to be due to the formation of a [BMAmm+][TFSI-] film on the GC electrode, creating a 2.031 × 10-9 μF cm-2 double-layer capacitance (CDL). Therefore, during the O2˙- generation and CO2 utilization in [BMAmm+][TFSI-], the CDL increased to 5.897 μF cm-2 and 7.763 μF cm-2, respectively. The CO2 in [BMAmm+][TFSI-] was found to be highly unlikely to be electrochemically converted due to the high charge transfer resistance of 6.86 × 1018 kΩ. Subsequently, O2˙- directly mediated the CO2 conversion through a nucleophilic addition reaction pathway. These results offer new and sustainable opportunities for utilizing CO2 by reactive oxygen species in ionic liquid media.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Fulltext CRISPR Gene-Editing Models Geared Toward Therapy for Hereditary and Developmental Neurological Disorders

Wong PK, Cheah FC, Syafruddin SE, Mohtar MA, Azmi N, Ng PY, et al.

Front Pediatr, 2021;9:592571.
PMID: 33791256 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2021.592571

Hereditary or developmental neurological disorders (HNDs or DNDs) affect the quality of life and contribute to the high mortality rates among neonates. Most HNDs are incurable, and the search for new and effective treatments is hampered by challenges peculiar to the human brain, which is guarded by the near-impervious blood-brain barrier. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR), a gene-editing tool repurposed from bacterial defense systems against viruses, has been touted by some as a panacea for genetic diseases. CRISPR has expedited the research into HNDs, enabling the generation of in vitro and in vivo models to simulate the changes in human physiology caused by genetic variation. In this review, we describe the basic principles and workings of CRISPR and the modifications that have been made to broaden its applications. Then, we review important CRISPR-based studies that have opened new doors to the treatment of HNDs such as fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome. We also discuss how CRISPR can be used to generate research models to examine the effects of genetic variation and caffeine therapy on the developing brain. Several drawbacks of CRISPR may preclude its use at the clinics, particularly the vulnerability of neuronal cells to the adverse effect of gene editing, and the inefficiency of CRISPR delivery into the brain. In concluding the review, we offer some suggestions for enhancing the gene-editing efficacy of CRISPR and how it may be morphed into safe and effective therapy for HNDs and other brain disorders.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Fulltext DISCOVERING FACTORS THAT AFFECT IGEN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN THE UNIVERSITY

NURUL NADHILAH FEIZAL, SHAHNAZ ISMAIL, WAN ZURIATI WAN ZAKARI, NADIA MOHD NAWI

UMT Journal of Undergraduate Research, 2021;3(1):75-86.
MyJurnal

The advancement of technology in digital revolution such as Internet of Things has gained attention in all over the world. This myriad of technology innovations affects all aspects of the human lives today. The generation who has grown up during this era, knownastheiGens,mostlyreliesonthetechnologyineveryaspectoftheirlives,including education. Thus, technology also gives profound impact in educational transformation nowadays to convey innovative education. However, lack of innovation in education becomes a challenge to meet this demand. Therefore, this study was carried out with the aim to discover factors which may affect academic performance of the iGen students in the university. A total of 250 self-administered questionnaires were distributed to the accountingstudentsatUMTwitharesponserateof93.6%(234).Usingmultipleregression analysis, the findings showed that parental involvement and student’s attitude contribute more towards academic performance of iGen students rather than the technology itself. This finding showed that human factor such as support fromtheir parents and individual factor are vital towards their academic performance regardless of from technology savvy generation or not.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Fulltext Geochemical and organic petrographic characteristics of high bituminous shales from Gurha mine in Rajasthan, NW India

Singh AK, Hakimi MH, Kumar A, Ahmed A, Abidin NSZ, Kinawy M, et al.

Sci Rep, 2020 12 17;10(1):22108.
PMID: 33335176 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78906-x

A high bituminous shale horizon from the Gurha mine in the Bikaner sub-basin of the Rajasthan District, NW India, was studied using a collection of geochemical and petrological techniques. This study investigated the nature and environmental conditions of the organic matter and its relation to the unconventional oil-shale resources of the bituminous shale. The analyzed shales have high total organic carbon and total sulfur contents, suggesting that these shale sediments were deposited in a paralic environment under reducing conditions. The dominant presence of organic matter derived from phytoplankton algae suggests warm climatic marine environment, with little connection to freshwater enhancing the growth of algae and other microorganisms. The analyzed bituminous shales have high aquatic-derived alginite organic matters, with low Pr/Ph, Pr/n-C17, and Ph/n-C18 ratios. It is classified as Type II oil-prone kerogen, consistent with high hydrogen index value. Considering the maturity indicators of geochemical Tmax (

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Fulltext A Multi-Sensor Comparative Analysis on the Suitability of Generated DEM from Sentinel-1 SAR Interferometry Using Statistical and Hydrological Models

Mohammadi A, Karimzadeh S, Jalal SJ, Kamran KV, Shahabi H, Homayouni S, et al.

Sensors (Basel), 2020 Dec 16;20(24).
PMID: 33339435 DOI: 10.3390/s20247214

Digital elevation model (DEM) plays a vital role in hydrological modelling and environmental studies. Many essential layers can be extracted from this land surface information, including slope, aspect, rivers, and curvature. Therefore, DEM quality and accuracy will affect the extracted features and the whole process of modeling. Despite freely available DEMs from various sources, many researchers generate this information for their areas from various observations. Sentinal-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images are among the best Earth observations for DEM generation thanks to their availabilities, high-resolution, and C-band sensitivity to surface structure. This paper presents a comparative study, from a hydrological point of view, on the quality and reliability of the DEMs generated from Sentinel-1 data and DEMs from other sources such as AIRSAR, ALOS-PALSAR, TanDEM-X, and SRTM. To this end, pair of Sentinel-1 data were acquired and processed using the SAR interferometry technique to produce a DEM for two different study areas of a part of the Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia, a part of Sanandaj, Iran. Based on the estimated linear regression and standard errors, generating DEM from Sentinel-1 did not yield promising results. The river streams for all DEMs were extracted using geospatial analysis tool in a geographic information system (GIS) environment. The results indicated that because of the higher spatial resolution (compared to SRTM and TanDEM-X), more stream orders were delineated from AIRSAR and Sentinel-1 DEMs. Due to the shorter perpendicular baseline, the phase decorrelation in the created DEM resulted in a lot of noise. At the same time, results from ground control points (GCPs) showed that the created DEM from Sentinel-1 is not promising. Therefore, other DEMs' performance, such as 90-meters' TanDEM-X and 30-meters' SRTM, are better than Sentinel-1 DEM (with a better spatial resolution).

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics
Fulltext Tuning the Magnetism in Boron-Doped Strontium Titanate

Zeng H, Wu M, Wang HQ, Zheng JC, Kang J

Materials (Basel), 2020 Dec 12;13(24).
PMID: 33322841 DOI: 10.3390/ma13245686

The magnetic and electronic properties of boron-doped SrTiO3 have been studied by first-principles calculations. We found that the magnetic ground states of B-doped SrTiO3 strongly depended on the dopant-dopant separation distance. As the dopant-dopant distance varied, the magnetic ground states of B-doped SrTiO3 can have nonmagnetic, ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic alignment. The structure with the smallest dopant-dopant separation exhibited the lowest total energy among all configurations considered and was characterized by dimer pairs due to strong attraction. Ferromagnetic coupling was observed to be stronger when the two adjacent B atoms aligned linearly along the B-Ti-B axis, which could be associated with their local bonding structures. Therefore, the symmetry of the local structure made an important contribution to the generation of a magnetic moment. Our study also demonstrated that the O-Ti-O unit was easier than the Ti-B-Ti unit to deform. The electronic properties of boron-doped SrTiO3 tended to show semiconducting or insulating features when the dopant-dopant distance was less than 5 Å, which changed to metallic properties when the dopant-dopant distance was beyond 5 Å. Our calculated results indicated that it is possible to manipulate the magnetism and band gap via different dopant-dopant separations.

Matched MeSH terms: Family Characteristics

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