Displaying publications 61 - 80 of 735 in total

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  1. Balogun AL, Yekeen ST, Pradhan B, Wan Yusof KB
    Environ Pollut, 2021 Jan 01;268(Pt A):115812.
    PMID: 33143984 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115812
    This study develops an oil spill environmental vulnerability model for predicting and mapping the oil slick trajectory pattern in Kota Tinggi, Malaysia. The impact of seasonal variations on the vulnerability of the coastal resources to oil spill was modelled by estimating the quantity of coastal resources affected across three climatic seasons (northeast monsoon, southwest monsoon and pre-monsoon). Twelve 100 m3 (10,000 splots) medium oil spill scenarios were simulated using General National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Operational Oil Modeling Environment (GNOME) model. The output was integrated with coastal resources, comprising biological, socio-economic and physical shoreline features. Results revealed that the speed of an oil slick (40.8 m per minute) is higher during the pre-monsoon period in a southwestern direction and lower during the northeast monsoon (36.9 m per minute). Evaporation, floating and spreading are the major weathering processes identified in this study, with approximately 70% of the slick reaching the shoreline or remaining in the water column during the first 24 h (h) of the spill. Oil spill impacts were most severe during the southwest monsoon, and physical shoreline resources are the most vulnerable to oil spill in the study area. The study concluded that variation in climatic seasons significantly influence the vulnerability of coastal resources to marine oil spill.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical
  2. Nurly Diana Jalil, Maslin Masrom, Wan Normeza Wan Zakaria
    MyJurnal
    Adolescents need more attention on eating habits as they go through a critical path
    period of physical, physiological and psychological changes from children to adult.
    Therefore, planning a proper healthy diet menu is important to adolescents to have
    the sufficient nutrients for proper growth. However, manually plan healthy diet menu
    is complicated, inefficient and time-consuming. The purpose of this study is to develop
    a mathematical model of healthy diet menu plan that minimizes the daily fat intake
    and meets the necessary nutrient intake for adolescents aged 13 between 17 years old
    within the budget provided by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) for Malaysia adolescent
    in MARA Junior Science College (MJSC) boarding schools. Optimization approach and
    binary integer programming method were used to address the diet problem in this
    study. The finding of the study indicates that the developed mathematical model of
    healthy diet menu plan for MJSC can generate menu plan that minimizes the total fat
    intake at minimum level of requirement per day. This menu plan can be used as a
    guideline for the management of the boarding schools to provide healthy diet meals
    for their students.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical
  3. Panjehpour M, Chai HK, Voo YL
    PLoS One, 2015;10(6):e0130734.
    PMID: 26110268 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130734
    Deep beams are commonly used in tall buildings, offshore structures, and foundations. According to many codes and standards, strut-and-tie model (STM) is recommended as a rational approach for deep beam analyses. This research focuses on the STM recommended by ACI 318-11 and AASHTO LRFD and uses experimental results to modify the strut effectiveness factor in STM for reinforced concrete (RC) deep beams. This study aims to refine STM through the strut effectiveness factor and increase result accuracy. Six RC deep beams with different shear span to effective-depth ratios (a/d) of 0.75, 1.00, 1.25, 1.50, 1.75, and 2.00 were experimentally tested under a four-point bending set-up. The ultimate shear strength of deep beams obtained from non-linear finite element modeling and STM recommended by ACI 318-11 as well as AASHTO LRFD (2012) were compared with the experimental results. An empirical equation was proposed to modify the principal tensile strain value in the bottle-shaped strut of deep beams. The equation of the strut effectiveness factor from AASHTTO LRFD was then modified through the aforementioned empirical equation. An investigation on the failure mode and crack propagation in RC deep beams subjected to load was also conducted.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical*
  4. Mat Daud NI, Viswanathan KK
    PLoS One, 2019;14(7):e0219089.
    PMID: 31269073 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219089
    Vibrational behaviour of symmetric angle-ply layered circular cylindrical shell filled with quiescent fluid is presented. The equations of motion of cylindrical shell in terms of stress and moment resultants are derived from the first order shear deformation theory. Irrotational of inviscid fluid are expressed as the wave equation. These two equations are coupled. Strain-displacement relations and stress-strain relations are adopted into the equations of motion to obtain the differential equations with displacements and rotational functions. A system of ordinary differential equation is obtained in one variable by assuming the functions in separable form. Spline of order three is applied to approximate the displacement and rotational functions, together with boundary conditions, to get a generalised eigenvalue problem. The eigenvalue problem is solved for eigen frequency parameter and associate eigenvectors of spline coefficients. The study of frequency parameters are analysed using the parameters the thickness ratio, length ratio, angle-ply, properties of material and number of layers under different boundary conditions.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical
  5. Mohd Radzuan NA, Sulong AB, Hui D, Verma A
    Polymers (Basel), 2019 Aug 30;11(9).
    PMID: 31480276 DOI: 10.3390/polym11091425
    Polymer composites have been extensively fabricated given that they are well-fitted for a variety of applications, especially concerning their mechanical properties. However, inadequate outcomes, mainly regarding their electrical performance, have limited their significant potential. Hence, this study proposed the use of multiple fillers, with different geometries, in order to improve the electrical conductivity of a polymer composite. The fabricated composite was mixed, using the ball milling method, before being compressed by a hot press machine at 3 MPa for 10 min. The composite plate was then measured for both its in-plane and through-plane conductivities, which were 3.3 S/cm, and 0.79 S/cm, respectively. Furthermore, the experimental data were then verified using a predicted electrical conductivity model, known as a modified fibre contact model, which considered the manufacturing process, including the shear rate and flow rate. The study indicated that the predicted model had a significant trend and value, compared to the experimental model (0.65 S/cm for sample S1). The resultant fabricated composite materials were found to possess an excellent network formation, and good electrical conductivity for bipolar plate application, when applying compression pressure of 3 MPa for 10 min.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical
  6. Ahamad, I.S., Choong, T.S.Y., Yunus, R., Chuah, T.G., Vassiliadis, V.S.
    MyJurnal
    Controller tuning is needed to select the optimum response for the controlled process. This work presents a new tuning procedure of PID controllers with safety and response quality measures on a non-linear process model by optimization procedure, with a demonstration of two tanks in series. The model was developed to include safety constraints in the form of path constraints. The model was then solved with a new optimization solver, NLPOPT1, which uses a primal-dual interior point method with a novel non-monotone line search procedure with discretized penalty parameters. This procedure generated a grid of optimal PID tuning parameters for various switching of steadystates to be used as apredictor of PID tunings for arbitrary transitions. The interpolation of tuning parameters between the available parameters was found to be capable to produce state profiles with no violation on the safety measures, while maintaining the quality of the solution with the final set points targeted achievable.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical
  7. Ganesan T, Elamvazuthi I, Shaari KZ, Vasant P
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2013;2013:859701.
    PMID: 24470795 DOI: 10.1155/2013/859701
    Multiobjective (MO) optimization is an emerging field which is increasingly being encountered in many fields globally. Various metaheuristic techniques such as differential evolution (DE), genetic algorithm (GA), gravitational search algorithm (GSA), and particle swarm optimization (PSO) have been used in conjunction with scalarization techniques such as weighted sum approach and the normal-boundary intersection (NBI) method to solve MO problems. Nevertheless, many challenges still arise especially when dealing with problems with multiple objectives (especially in cases more than two). In addition, problems with extensive computational overhead emerge when dealing with hybrid algorithms. This paper discusses these issues by proposing an alternative framework that utilizes algorithmic concepts related to the problem structure for generating efficient and effective algorithms. This paper proposes a framework to generate new high-performance algorithms with minimal computational overhead for MO optimization.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical*
  8. Le Dinh L, Vo Ngoc D, Vasant P
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2013;2013:159040.
    PMID: 24470790 DOI: 10.1155/2013/159040
    This paper proposes an artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm for solving optimal power flow (OPF) problem. The objective of the OPF problem is to minimize total cost of thermal units while satisfying the unit and system constraints such as generator capacity limits, power balance, line flow limits, bus voltages limits, and transformer tap settings limits. The ABC algorithm is an optimization method inspired from the foraging behavior of honey bees. The proposed algorithm has been tested on the IEEE 30-bus, 57-bus, and 118-bus systems. The numerical results have indicated that the proposed algorithm can find high quality solution for the problem in a fast manner via the result comparisons with other methods in the literature. Therefore, the proposed ABC algorithm can be a favorable method for solving the OPF problem.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical*
  9. Cracknell AP, Varotsos CA
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2007 Sep;14(6):384-7.
    PMID: 17993221
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical*
  10. Sabran MI, Abdul Rahim SK, Leow CY, Soh PJ, Chew BW, Vandenbosch GA
    PLoS One, 2017;12(2):e0172162.
    PMID: 28192504 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172162
    This paper presents a compact circularly polarized (CP) antenna with an integrated higher order harmonic rejection filter. The proposed design operates within the ISM band of 2.32 GHz- 2.63 GHz and is suitable for example for wireless power transfer applications. Asymmetrical truncated edges on a square ring create a defected ground structure to excite the CP property, simultaneously realizing compactness. It offers a 50.5% reduced patch area compared to a conventional design. Novel stubs and slot shapes are integrated in the transmission line to reduce higher (up to the third) order harmonics. The proposed prototype yields a -10 dB reflection coefficient (S11) impedance bandwidth of 12.53%, a 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth of 3.27%, and a gain of 5.64 dBi. Measurements also show good agreement with simulations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical
  11. Essiet IA, Baharom A, Shahar HK, Uzochukwu B
    Pan Afr Med J, 2017;26:110.
    PMID: 28533833 DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2017.26.110.10409
    INTRODUCTION: Physical activity among university students is a catalyst for habitual physical activity in adulthood. Physical activity has many health benefits besides the improvement in academic performance. The present study assessed the predictors of physical activity among Nigerian university students using the Social Ecological Model (SEM).

    METHODS: This cross-sectional study recruited first-year undergraduate students in the University of Uyo, Nigeria by multistage sampling. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short-version was used to assess physical activity in the study. Factors were categorised according to the Socio-Ecological Model which consisted of individual, social environment, physical environment and policy level. Data was analysed using the IBM SPSS statistical software, version 22. Simple and multiple logistic regression were used to determine the predictors of sufficient physical activity.

    RESULTS: A total of 342 respondents completed the study questionnaire. Majority of the respondents (93.6%) reported sufficient physical activity at 7-day recall. Multivariate analysis revealed that respondents belonging to the Ibibio ethnic group were about four times more likely to be sufficiently active compared to those who belonged to the other ethnic groups (AOR = 3.725, 95% CI = 1.383 to 10.032). Also, participants who had a normal weight were about four times more likely to be physically active compared to those who were underweight (AOR = 4.268, 95% CI = 1.323 to 13.772).

    CONCLUSION: This study concluded that there was sufficient physical activity levels among respondents. It is suggested that emphasis be given to implementing interventions aimed at sustaining sufficient levels of physical activity among students.

    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical*
  12. Mohd. Radzi, M.R., Uzir, M.H.
    MyJurnal
    Biocatalytic reaction is a type of reaction which uses enzyme or whole-cell as a (bio)-catalyst to achieve a desired conversion, under controlled conditions in a bioreactor. Temperature produces opposed effects on enzyme activity and stability, and is therefore a key variable in any biocatalytic processes. An exothermic biocatalytic reaction, in a continuous-stirred-tank reactor (CSTR), was analyzed where dynamic equations (non-linear differential equations) could be derived from the Michaelis-Menten and Arrhenius equations, by performing mass and energy balances on the reactor. In this work, the effects of the different parameters such as dilution rate, proportional control constant and dimensionless total enzyme concentration, on the stability of the system, were studied. The stability of the reaction could be analyzed, based on the ODE (ordinary differential equation), solved using the numerical technique in MATLAB® and the analytical investigation using Mathematica.® The numerical analysis can be carried out by considering the hase-plane behaviour and bifurcation diagrams of the dynamic equations, while the analytical analysis using Mathematica® can be undertaken by evaluating the eigenvalues of the system. In order to model the operational stability of biocatalysts, modulation factors need to be considered so that a proper design of bioreactors can be done. Temperature, as a key variable in such bioprocess systems, can be conveniently optimized through the use of appropriate models.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical
  13. Papargyropoulou E, Wright N, Lozano R, Steinberger J, Padfield R, Ujang Z
    Waste Manag, 2016 Mar;49:326-336.
    PMID: 26803473 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2016.01.017
    Food waste has significant detrimental economic, environmental and social impacts. The magnitude and complexity of the global food waste problem has brought it to the forefront of the environmental agenda; however, there has been little research on the patterns and drivers of food waste generation, especially outside the household. This is partially due to weaknesses in the methodological approaches used to understand such a complex problem. This paper proposes a novel conceptual framework to identify and explain the patterns and drivers of food waste generation in the hospitality sector, with the aim of identifying food waste prevention measures. This conceptual framework integrates data collection and analysis methods from ethnography and grounded theory, complemented with concepts and tools from industrial ecology for the analysis of quantitative data. A case study of food waste generation at a hotel restaurant in Malaysia is used as an example to illustrate how this conceptual framework can be applied. The conceptual framework links the biophysical and economic flows of food provisioning and waste generation, with the social and cultural practices associated with food preparation and consumption. The case study demonstrates that food waste is intrinsically linked to the way we provision and consume food, the material and socio-cultural context of food consumption and food waste generation. Food provisioning, food consumption and food waste generation should be studied together in order to fully understand how, where and most importantly why food waste is generated. This understanding will then enable to draw detailed, case specific food waste prevention plans addressing the material and socio-economic aspects of food waste generation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical*
  14. Abdul-Talib S, Hvitved-Jacobsen T, Vollertsen J, Ujang Z
    Water Sci Technol, 2002;46(9):185-92.
    PMID: 12448468
    A significant breakthrough and progress have been made in the study of the kinetics of microbial transformation in sewers under aerobic and under changing aerobic/anaerobic conditions. Fundamental knowledge on anoxic kinetics of wastewater is still lacking, so it is not now possible to apply an integrated approach to municipal wastewater treatment incorporating sewer networks as a bio-chemical reactor. This paper presents the results of studies on determining half saturation constants for nitrate, KNO3, and nitrite, KNO2, in raw wastewater. The average values of KNO3 and KNO2, determined from experiments conducted on 7 different wastewater samples were found to be 0.76 gNO3-N/m3 and 0.33 gNO2-N/m3 respectively.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical*
  15. Abdul-Talib S, Hvitved-Jacobsen T, Vollertsen J, Ujang Z
    Water Sci Technol, 2002;45(3):53-60.
    PMID: 11902481
    The sewer is an integral part of the urban wastewater system: the sewer, the wastewater treatment plant and the local receiving waters. The sewer is a reactor for microbial changes of the wastewater during transport, affecting the quality of the wastewater and thereby the successive treatment processes or receiving water impacts during combined sewer overflows. This paper presents the results of studies on anoxic processes, namely denitrification, in the bulk water phase of wastewater as it occurs in sewers. Experiments conducted on 12 different wastewater samples have shown that the denitrification process in the bulk wastewater can be simplified by the reduction of nitrate to nitrogen with significant accumulation of nitrite in the water phase. Utilization of nitrate was observed not to be limited by nitrate for concentrations above 5 gNO3-N/m3. The denitrification rates, under conditions of excess substrate and electron acceptor, were found to be in the range of 0.8-2.0 g NO3-N/(m3h). A discussion on the interaction of the sewer processes and the effects on a downstream located wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is provided.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical*
  16. Al-Shididi S, Henze M, Ujang Z
    Water Sci Technol, 2003;48(11-12):327-35.
    PMID: 14753553
    The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of the Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) system for implementation in Malaysia. Theoretical, field, laboratory investigations, and modelling simulations have been carried out. The results of the study indicated that the SBR system was robust, relatively cost-effective, and efficient under Malaysian conditions. However, the SBR system requires highly skilled operators and continuous monitoring. This paper also attempted to identify operating conditions for the SBR system, which optimise both the removal efficiencies and the removal rates. The removal efficiencies could reach 90-96% for COD, up to 92% for TN, and 95% for SS. An approach to estimate a full operational cycle time, to estimate the de-sludging rate, and to control the biomass in the sludge has also been developed. About 4 hours react time was obtained, as 2.25 hours of nitrification with aerated slow fill and 1.75 hour of denitrification with HAc addition as an additional carbon source. Inefficient settling was one of the problems that affect the SBR effluent quality. The settling time was one hour for achieving Standard B (effluent quality) and 2 hours for Standard A.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical*
  17. Raylu N, Oei TP, Loo JM, Tsai JS
    J Gambl Stud, 2016 Jun;32(2):773-88.
    PMID: 26363793 DOI: 10.1007/s10899-015-9567-5
    Currently, cognitive behavioral therapies appear to be one of the most studied treatments for gambling problems and studies show it is effective in treating gambling problems. However, cognitive behavior models have not been widely tested using statistical means. Thus, the aim of this study was to test the validity of the pathways postulated in the cognitive behavioral theory of gambling behavior using structural equation modeling (AMOS 20). Several questionnaires assessing a range of gambling specific variables (e.g., gambling urges, cognitions and behaviors) and gambling correlates (e.g., psychological states, and coping styles) were distributed to 969 participants from the community. Results showed that negative psychological states (i.e., depression, anxiety and stress) only directly predicted gambling behavior, whereas gambling urges predicted gambling behavior directly as well as indirectly via gambling cognitions. Avoidance coping predicted gambling behavior only indirectly via gambling cognitions. Negative psychological states were significantly related to gambling cognitions as well as avoidance coping. In addition, significant gender differences were also found. The results provided confirmation for the validity of the pathways postulated in the cognitive behavioral theory of gambling behavior. It also highlighted the importance of gender differences in conceptualizing gambling behavior.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical*
  18. Islam SZ, Othman ML, Saufi M, Omar R, Toudeshki A, Islam SZ
    PLoS One, 2020;15(11):e0241927.
    PMID: 33180779 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241927
    This study analyzes the performance of two PV modules, amorphous silicon (a-Si) and crystalline silicon (c-Si) and predicts energy yield, which can be seen as facilitation to achieve the target of 35% reduction of greenhouse gases emission by 2030. Malaysia Energy Commission recommends crystalline PV modules for net energy metering (NEM), but the climate regime is a concern for output power and efficiency. Based on rainfall and irradiance data, this study aims to categorize the climate of peninsular Malaysia into rainy and dry seasons; and then the performance of the two modules are evaluated under the dry season. A new mathematical model is developed to predict energy yield and the results are validated through experimental and systematic error analysis. The parameters are collected using a self-developed ZigBeePRO-based wireless system with the rate of 3 samples/min over a period of five days. The results unveil that efficiency is inversely proportional to the irradiance due to negative temperature coefficient for crystalline modules. For this phenomenon, efficiency of c-Si (9.8%) is found always higher than a-Si (3.5%). However, a-Si shows better shadow tolerance compared to c-Si, observed from a lesser decrease rate in efficiency of the former with the increase in irradiance. Due to better spectrum response and temperature coefficient, a-Si shows greater performance on output power efficiency (OPE), performance ratio (PR), and yield factor. From the regression analysis, it is found that the coefficient of determination (R2) is between 0.7179 and 0.9611. The energy from the proposed model indicates that a-Si yields 15.07% higher kWh than c-Si when luminance for recorded days is 70% medium and 30% high. This study is important to determine the highest percentage of energy yield and to get faster NEM payback period, where as of now, there is no such model to indicate seasonal energy yield in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical
  19. Jani J, Toor GS
    Water Res, 2018 06 15;137:344-354.
    PMID: 29571112 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.02.042
    Nitrogen (N) transport from land to water is a dominant contributor of N in estuarine waters leading to eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and hypoxia. Our objectives were to (1) investigate the composition of inorganic and organic N forms, (2) distinguish the sources and biogeochemical mechanisms of nitrate-N (NO3-N) transport using stable isotopes of NO3- and Bayesian mixing model, and (3) determine the dissolved organic N (DON) bioavailability using bioassays in a longitudinal gradient from freshwater to estuarine ecosystem located in the Tampa Bay, Florida, United States. We found that DON was the most dominant N form (mean: 64%, range: 46-83%) followed by particulate organic N (PON, mean: 22%, range: 14-37%), whereas inorganic N forms (NOx-N: 7%, NH4-N: 7%) were 14% of total N in freshwater and estuarine waters. Stable isotope data of NO3- revealed that nitrification was the main contributor (36.4%), followed by soil and organic N sources (25.5%), NO3- fertilizers (22.4%), and NH4+ fertilizers (15.7%). Bioassays showed that 14 to 65% of DON concentrations decreased after 5-days of incubation indicating utilization of DON by microbes in freshwater and estuarine waters. These results suggest that despite low proportion of inorganic N forms, the higher concentrations and bioavailability of DON can be a potential source of N for algae and bacteria leading to water quality degradation in the estuarine waters.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical
  20. Ng H, Tan WH, Abdullah J, Tong HL
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:376569.
    PMID: 25143972 DOI: 10.1155/2014/376569
    This paper describes the acquisition setup and development of a new gait database, MMUGait. This database consists of 82 subjects walking under normal condition and 19 subjects walking with 11 covariate factors, which were captured under two views. This paper also proposes a multiview model-based gait recognition system with joint detection approach that performs well under different walking trajectories and covariate factors, which include self-occluded or external occluded silhouettes. In the proposed system, the process begins by enhancing the human silhouette to remove the artifacts. Next, the width and height of the body are obtained. Subsequently, the joint angular trajectories are determined once the body joints are automatically detected. Lastly, crotch height and step-size of the walking subject are determined. The extracted features are smoothened by Gaussian filter to eliminate the effect of outliers. The extracted features are normalized with linear scaling, which is followed by feature selection prior to the classification process. The classification experiments carried out on MMUGait database were benchmarked against the SOTON Small DB from University of Southampton. Results showed correct classification rate above 90% for all the databases. The proposed approach is found to outperform other approaches on SOTON Small DB in most cases.
    Matched MeSH terms: Models, Theoretical
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