Publications 2021

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Syed Zulkarnain Syed Idrus

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Mohd Aminudin Jamlos

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Wahab M.H.A.

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Alkhayyat A.

Depression is a mental illness that affects how a person thinks, feel, or act negatively. It has also been an issue to Malaysia as it could not only affect an individual, but also their friends, family or even the society. However, the awareness of public towards depression is still low especially when it comes to depression among university students. The lack of awareness could cause the patients to recover slower or having their illness worsen. A more interesting informational and awareness raising material compared with the one in text or audio form is needed to attract more audience understand this issue and raising their awareness towards depression among university students. The development of animation had been carried out successfully with core elements of analyse, design, development, implement and evaluation. The research involved ten respondents from UniMAP and Alpha test that involved a multimedia expert and a psychological expert. As a result, from the questionnaire given to the respondent and Alpha test, the product was able to let almost all the audience to learn about how to overcome depression and increase the awareness of depression among university students. In conclusion, the animation succeeds to achieve the objectives of the research and could be used as an informational and awareness raising material about depression.

5 19

Publication

4 × 1 Array Antenna with Staging Transmission Line for Vehicle 5G Application

( 2021-06-15)

Ibrahim M.S.

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Mohd Aminudin Jamlos

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Syed Zulkarnain Syed Idrus

This project implemented the role of 5G technologies for vehicle application. 5G connectivity will give added value to a vehicle, to be able to connect to the networks and also talk to each other without any interference in very low latency. Implementing such kind of this technology will leverage disruptive new applications that will allow to improve driving efficiency and enhance road safety. With the increasing demand for mobile traffic and the delay and security of VANET based on IEEE 802.11p, the key technology of the fifth-generation mobile communication (5G) is combined with the functional characteristics of vehicle networking. And analyzes the application of D2D technology, cognitive radio to improve vehicle communication delay, flexibility, spectrum utilization efficiency and 5G technology in automatic driving. Finally, the potential application of 5G vehicular network is pointed out. This project used microstrip antenna because it has several advantages that did not feature on conventional microwave antenna such as light weight, low volume and thin profile configurations, which can be made conformal. The fabrication process might not cost the budget and mass production is also possible in a period. This research work is focusing on design, simulate, fabricate and analyze a 5G wireless antenna that operates at 26 GHz to 28 GHz by using Rogers RT/Duroid 5880, where this range of frequencies is one of the standard frequencies of the 5G communication. The development of wireless device prototype is also focused in this project as it will be install on a vehicle to enable 5G. This project consist of three major parts which are calculation, simulation and hardware design. Computer Simulation Technology (CST) microwave studio software used to simulate the designed antenna, it prompt the optimization of the antenna designed to achieved desired result before proceed with fabrication. The comparison between theoretical result and practical result was made to analyze margin error and trace the probable cause of the error. The measure of the antenna performance (basic antenna parameter) between array antenna and single patch antenna also studied in this project to conclude the most compatible antenna for vehicle application. 40 GHz Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) had been used to measure the fabricated antenna.

9 1

Publication

5G Millimeter Wave Wearable Antenna: State-Of-the-Art and Current Challenges

( 2021-01-01)

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Mashagba H.A.

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Yahaya N.Z.

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Jamaluddin M.H.

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Ismahayati Adam

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Abdulmalek M.

Fifth Generation (5G) is the next evolution of mobile communication that will provide seamless and massive high speed connectivity to the society. Paralleled with the rise of 5G, it is foreseen that wearable devices particularly wearable antenna will be the significant end node for wearable devices in Millimeter Wave (mmWave) frequency bands. Thus, this paper discusses the new development of the 5G sub-6 GHz and mmWave wearable antenna, introduces the research results of the 5G mmWave wearable antenna in recent years, and addresses the key challenges in the development trend of the development trend of the 5G mmWave wearable antenna.

2 12

Publication

9-level Symmetrical Cascaded Switched-Diode with Artificial Bee Colony Optimizer

( 2021-01-01)

Muhammad Zaid Aihsan

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Muhammad Izuan Fahmi Romli

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Mohd Saifizi Saidon

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Liew H.F.

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Alkhayyat A.

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Majeed S.A.

Multilevel inverters (MLIs) are power electronic circuits that is used to replace traditional two-level inverters. MLIs allow for more flexible control of the dv/dt and di/dt ratios, as well as a greater number of output levels in voltage and current in staircase waveforms. The design of a traditional multilevel inverter, on the other hand, necessitates additional power switches and has limitations in a broad variety of applications. In this paper, the new approach known as Symmetrical Cascaded Switched-Diode (SCSD) is used to form a nine-level output voltage with fewer switches and its aim to remove low-order harmonics like the 3rd, 5th, and 7th. The switching angles were determined using the Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) Optimizer method and non-linear equations obtained from the Fourier series of the output voltage and current waveform. The suggested circuit was tested with two modulation indices, modelled using PSIM software, and assessed by experimentation. THD for modulation index 0.62 is around 7.09 percent for simulation and 7.7 percent for experimental results, while modulation index 0.84 produces 4.08 percent for simulation and 4.5 percent for experimental results.

1 16

Publication

A 3.5 GHz hybrid CMOS class E power amplifier with reverse body bias design for 5G applications

( 2021-05-03)

Ahmad Fariz Hasan

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Sohiful Anuar Zainol Murad

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Faizah Abu Bakar

A 3.5 GHz CMOS power amplifier (PA) using 0.18 μm Silterra process technology for 5G applications is reported. The proposed circuit consists of two stages. In the first stage, a cascade topology is adopted with a reverse body bias technique to obtain high voltage gain and minimize the current to reduce the power consumption. Meanwhile, a class-E is use in the second stage to obtain high efficiency. The simulation results of propose PA indicate that 22.6 dB of peak power gain (S21), 8.2 dBm of saturated power (Psat) and 54.6% of power added efficiency (PAE) is achieve at 3.5 GHz. These results prove that the proposed PA is suitable for low band 5G applications.

2 25

Publication

A cascade hyperbolic recognition of buried objects using hybrid feature extraction in ground penetrating radar images

( 2021-08-27)

Hasimah Ali

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Ahmad Firdaus Ahmad Zaidi

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Wan Khairunizam Wan Ahmad

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Mohd Shuhanaz Zanar Azalan

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Tengku Amran T.S.

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Ahmad M.R.

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Mohamed Elshaikh Elobaid Said Ahmed

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) has been acknowledged as effective nondestructive technique for imaging the subsurface. But the process of recognizing hyperbolic pattern of buried objects is subjective and mainly relies upon operator's knowledge and experience. This project proposed a hyperbolic recognition of buried objects using hybrid feature extraction in GPR subsurface mapping. In this framework, a cascade hyperbolic recognition by means of Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) are used as hybrid feature recognizing hyperbolic of buried objects. The rationale for an initial focus on cascade hyperbolic recognition is motivated by unique features exhibits by EMD and DWT behaviour in characterizing the hyperbolic pattern which make them particularly well suited to utilities detection in GPR. A series of experiments has been conducted on hyperbolic pattern based on hybrid features using four different geometrical shapes of cubic, cylindrical disc and spherical. Based on the results obtained, the hybrid features of IMF1+ wavelet transform (cH1) shows promising recognition rate in recognizing the hyperbolic that having different geometrical shapes of buried objects.

1

Publication

A Case Study of Coffee Sachets Production Defect Analysis Using Pareto Analysis, P-Control Chart and Ishikawa Diagram

( 2021-01-01)

Idris N.I.

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Sin T.C.

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Safwati Ibrahim

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FadzliRamli M.

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Rosmaini Ahmad

Nowadays, food and beverages companies in Malaysia are struggle to survive with their rival, hence improving quality and increase productivity are vital. This paper propose the method of analysis a coffee sachet production defectives by using statistical process control (SPC) tools and also to identify each types of defects with their root cause. This paper are using methodology of physical observation through examination of automated production flow line, then Ishikawa cause-and-effect diagram are created. The company valid information are obtained from the professional such as production managers, quality control executives and line supervisors, also staffs and operators that direct or indirectly involves the production line activities through interview and distributed feedback form. After that, a Pareto diagram analysis is done hence creating a control chart (p-chart) to illustrate the result analysis. The result shows there are high number of product defectives according to each type and waste production occur. The problem found was underweight, leaking, overweight, empty, unsealed and height out of the standard. The major causes of defectives coffee sachet and root causes of each defect types are specified which are human, machine, work methods, and materials. While the main root cause of underweight and leaking defect are caused by unskilled worker and improper adjustment at the machine each time before running the production.

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Publication

A case study of industry 4.0 adoption for the manufacturing SMEs in Malaysia - Are we ready?

( 2021-05-03)

Azhar M.N.

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Mohd Nazri Omar

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Mohamad Shaiful Ashrul Ishak

In Malaysia, the manufacturing SME's competitiveness plays a vital role in boosting the economy. The SMEs manufacturers need to react according to the changes driven by the Industry 4.0 concepts, which now become imperative for the manufacturers to improve their global competitiveness. To compete globally and aligning with the Industry 4.0 implementation, each SMEs can adopt by participating through the Industry4WRD readiness assessment (RA) program organized by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Hence, the main objective for this paper is to conduct a case study to assess the current readiness levels of the SMEs, and to examine the relationship of various shift factors, thrust, and dimensions representing the key variables towards defining the Industry 4.0 readiness profile for the selected manufacturing SMEs. This paper presented and discussed RA case study methodology and processes of applying the Industry4WRD RA model to help the SMEs to identify the current baseline, gaps, and area for improvement plan towards Industry 4.0 full-scale implementation. The study has identified two manufacturing companies identified as SMEs A and SMEs B, which fall according to the SMEs definition by SME Corporation of Malaysia but in two different business portfolio in order to be able to gauge and compare the results quantitatively. The results will also focus on the qualitative finding of the Industry 4.0 strategy dimension between the two samples SMEs as a comparison and reference for future improvement and study.

2 23

Publication

A Compact Wideband CSRR near Zero Refractive Index and Epsilon Negative Metamaterial for Wearable Microwave Applications

( 2021-07-26)

Hossain K.

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Soh Ping Jack

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Osman M.N.

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Al-Bawri S.S.

A complementary split-ring resonator (CSRR) decagonal shaped textile-based single-negative metamaterial (MTM), considering a frequency range from 1 to 15 GHz, is presented in this paper. Seven different unit cell arrays (i.e., 1 1, 1 2, 1 3, 2 1, 2 2, 1 3 and 3 3) are analysed to evaluate the effects of the unit-cell arrays on the resonance frequencies of the MTM. The designed unit cell arrays exhibit average negative permittivity bandwidth of 12.87 GHz (from 1 to 12.87 GHz) and an average near-zero-refractive-index (NZRI) bandwidth of 11.98 GHz (from 1.015 to 12.995 GHz). Simultaneous negative permittivity and NZRI results at L, S, C, X and Ku frequency bands indicate the proposed MTM is suitable for various wearable applications in these frequency regimes.

1 14

Publication

A comparative study on chitosan/gelatin composite films with incorporated pith and cortex of napier grass

( 2021-10-25)

Rohadi T.N.T.

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Mohd Ridzuan Mohd Jamir

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Mohd Shukry Abdul Majid

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Cheng Ee Meng

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Norasni M.J.

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Marsi N.

The problem in end-of-life of petroleum-based plastic management had risks wildlife and human health with rapid used in fossil reserves. Therefore, the exploration of biodegradable plastics that embraced a new eco-friendly alternative to overcome these limitations have been conducted. In this paper, the chitosan and gelatine composite film with incorporated pith and cortex of Napier grass were prepared via solution casting will be evaluated. The thermal, chemical, mechanical properties and morphological characterization of composite film had been conducted via thermo-gravimetric analysis, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, tensile strength, and scanning electron microscope. The results shows that the cortex had potential to be used as reinforcement material same as the pith to broaden the use of Napier grass in industrial. Thus, further studied with additional of cellulose from pith and cortex of Napier grass in the chitosan/gelatin composite films may improve the tensile strength due to the removal of non-cellulosic component.

Publication

A comprehensive performance evaluation of MIPv6 and PMIPv6 mobility management protocols in wireless mesh network

( 2021-01-01)

Hoh W.S.

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Yoon S.K.

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Ong B.L.

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R Badlishah Ahmad

Wireless communication is becoming essential due to the dramatic increase in the usage of mobile devices. The high demand for real-time or instant services requires wireless Internet networks which can support different Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees and different traffic characteristics. All Internet network mobile device services are supported by mobility management protocols. In this paper, we compare the performance of the MIPv6 and PMIPv6 mobility management protocols in the Wireless Mesh Network (WMN) environment. We identify and analyze the MIPv6 and PMIPv6 mobility management protocols' characteristics by using performance indicators. The performance comparison of MIPv6 and PMIPv6 mobility management protocols was conducted in terms of throughput, latency, and packet loss ratio. Based on the conducted experimental results, we summarize the performances for MIPv6 and PMIPv6 mobility management protocols in the Wireless Mesh Network environment. The results obtained indicate that PMIPv6 generally outperforms MIPv6. In future work, the evaluation of HMPIv6, FMIPv6, and FHMIPv6 is proposed.

Publication

A Comprehensive Review of Midrange Wireless Power Transfer Using Dielectric Resonators

( 2021-01-01)

Azuwa Ali

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Faiz Wan Ali W.F.

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Norsuria Mahmed

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Kamarudin M.R.

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Ismahayati Adam

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Khor Shing Fhan

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Nurulazlina Ramli

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Norshamsuri Ali @ Hasim

Magnetic resonant coupling (MRC) is one of the techniques that are widely used in wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. The technique is commonly used for enhancing distance while maintaining power transfer efficiency (PTE). Many studies have investigated new technologies to extend the distance of MRC while maintaining high PTE values. The most promising technique to date in MRC is the addition of a resonator between the transmitter and the receiver coil. The implementation of the resonator varies based on different designs, sizes, and material types, although the outcomes remain unsatisfactory. By introducing dielectric material resonators, PTE can be improved by lowering the ohmic loss which becomes a problem on conventional resonators. This study presents a general overview on the use of dielectric material as a resonator in MRC WPT technology and its technological development. The basic operation of MRC WPT is summarized with up-to-date technical improvements related to dielectric material as a resonator in the field of WPT. An overview of the current limitations and challenges of this technique is also highlighted in this study.

1

Publication

A Deep Feedforward Neural Network Model for Image Prediction

( 2021-06-11)

Lee C.C.

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Mohd Hafiz Fazalul Rahiman

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Rahim R.A.

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Saad F.S.A.

Deep learning is a sub-field of machine learning, which inspired by the structure of human brain where it is composed with a lot of neurons that each of them able to perform a simple operation and interact with each other to make a decision. In recent years, deep learning has grown exponentially and have brought revolutionary advances in computer vision-based applications such as image classification, object detection, simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM), action and activity recognition, age estimation as well as human pose estimation. Based on the literature review, deep learning techniques applied in the vision-based application such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs), Autoencoder and Sparse Coding mostly focused on solving the feature extraction and classification problems. However, these techniques do not apply to the image processing applications such as image fusion and image reconstruction that require a quantitative knowledge to solve some problems in such fields. The process of obtaining quantitative knowledge in image fusion and reconstruction is a regression problem. In this case, a deep feedforward neural network is applied to solve the regression problem due to its ability to map complicated nonlinear functions.

Publication

A fast and efficient segmentation of soil-transmitted helminths through various color models and k-means clustering

( 2021-01-01)

Norhanis Ayunie Ahmad Khairudin

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Aimi Salihah Abdul Nasir

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Lim Chee Chin

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Haryati Jaafar

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Mohamed Z.

Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are one of the causes of health problems in children and adults. Based on a large number of helminthiases cases that have been diagnosed, a productive system is required for the identification and classification of STH in ensuring the health of the people is guaranteed. This paper presents a fast and efficient method to segment two types of STH; Ascaris Lumbricoides Ova (ALO) and Trichuris Trichiura Ova (TTO) based on the analysis of various color models. Firstly, the ALO and TTO images are enhanced using modified global contrast stretching (MGCS) technique, followed by the extraction of color components from various color models. In this study, segmentation based on various color models such as RGB, HSV, L*a*b and NSTC have been used to identify, simplify and extract the particular color needed. Then, k-means clustering is used to segment the color component images into three clusters region which are target (helminth eggs), unwanted and background regions. Then, additional processing steps are applied on the segmented images to remove the unwanted region from the images and to restore the information of the images. The proposed techniques have been evaluated on 100 images of ALO and TTO. Results obtained show saturation component of HSV color model is the most suitable color component to be used with the k-means clustering technique on ALO and TTO images which achieve segmentation performance of 99.06% for accuracy, 99.31% for specificity and 95.06% for sensitivity.

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Publication

A Fusion of Sensors Information on Path Tracking for Autonomous Driving Control of An Electric Vehicle (EV)

( 2021-12-01)

Haris H.

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Wan Khairunizam Wan Ahmad

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Halin H.

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Shahriman Abu Bakar

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Zuradzman Mohamad Razlan

Depending on an intellectual level and experience, each human may make judgments and respond to situations autonomously. The driver is alerted and knows what to do in a specific circumstance while driving. This research aims to see how individuals act when driving an electric car down a predetermined path. An electric buggy car is built with equipment and sensors called an Electric Vehicle (EV) in experiments. Individuals who meet specified requirements are chosen to analyse their driving behaviours, and data is collected using various sensors. The speed, steering wheel angle, heading, and position of the buggy car are recorded throughout the human navigation trials. After the tests, data on human behaviour while driving straight and turning left and right are collected.

1 12

Publication

A highly sustainable hydrothermal synthesized MnO2 as cathodic catalyst in solar photocatalytic fuel cell

( 2021-01-01)

Ong Y.P.

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Ho Li Ngee

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Ong Soon An

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Banjuraizah Johar

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Ibrahim A.H.

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Thor S.H.

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Yap K.L.

A unidirectional flow solar photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) was successfully developed for the first time to offer alternative for electricity generation and simultaneous wastewater treatment. This study was focused on the synthesis of α-, δ- and β-MnO2 by wet chemical hydrothermal method for application as the cathodic catalyst in PFC. The crystallographic evolution was performed by varying the ratios of KMnO4 to MnSO4. The mechanism of the PFC with the MnO2/C as cathode was also discussed. Results showed that the catalytic activity of MnO2/C cathode was mainly predominated by their crystallographic structures which included Mn–O bond strength and tunnel size, following order of α- > δ- > β-MnO2/C. Interestingly, it was discovered that the specific surface areas (SBET) of different crystal phases did not give an impact on the PFC performance. However, the Pmax could be significantly influenced by the micropore surface area (Smicro) in the comparison among α-MnO2. Furthermore, the morphological transformation carried out by altering the hydrothermal duration demonstrated that the nanowire α-M3(24 h)/C with 1:1 ratio of KMnO4 and MnSO4 yielded excellent PFC performance with a Pmax of 2.8680 μW cm−2 and the lowest Rint of 700 Ω.

17 1

Publication

A Hybrid Mutual Coupling Reduction Technique in a Dual-Band MIMO Textile Antenna for WBAN and 5G Applications

( 2021-01-01)

Hamza A. Mashagba

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Ismahayati Adam

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Jamaluddin M.H.

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Abdulmalek M.

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Azremi Abdullah Al-Hadi

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Arif Mawardi Ismail

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Soh Ping Jack

This paper presents a hybrid mutual coupling reduction technique applied onto a dual-band textile MIMO antenna for wireless body area network and 5G applications. The MIMO antenna consists of two hexagonal patch antennas, each integrated with a split-ring (SR) and a bar slot to operate in dual-band mode at 2.45 GHz and 3.5 GHz. Each patch is dimensioned at 47.2 × 31 mm2. This hybrid technique results in a simple structure, while enabling significant reduction of mutual coupling (MC) between the closely spaced patches (up to 0.1 λ). This technique combines a line patch and a patch rotation technique, explained as follows. First, a line patch is introduced at an optimized distance to enable operation with a broad impedance bandwidth at both target frequencies. One of the patches is then rotated by 90° at an optimized distance, resulting in a significant MC suppression while maintaining the dual and broad impedance bandwidth. The proposed MIMO antenna is further evaluated under several bending configurations to assess its robustness. A satisfactory agreement between simulated and measured results is observed in both planar and bending conditions. Results show that the MIMO antenna achieves an impedance bandwidth of 4.3 % and 6.79 % in the 2.45 GHz and 3.5 GHz band, respectively. Moreover, very low MC (S21 <-30 dB) is achieved, with a low (< 0.002) envelop correlation coefficient, and about 10 dB of diversity gain at both desired frequencies using this technique. Even when bent at an angle of 50° at the x-and y-axes, the antenna bent maintained a realized gain of 1.878 dBi and 4.027 dBi in the lower and upper band, respectively. A robust performance is offered by the antenna against the lossy effects of the human body with good agreements between simulated and measured results.

2 20

Publication

A hybrid photocatalytic fuel cell integrated electro-Fenton system for Amaranth dye degradation and electricity generation

( 2021-02-23)

Thor S.H.

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Ho Li Ngee

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Ong Soon An

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Che Zulzikrami Azner Abidin

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Heah Cheng Yong

A dual-chambered hybrid system of photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) and electro-Fenton (EF) process has become an emerging sustainable green approach for organic pollutant degradation and electricity generation. This hybrid system of PFC and EF (PFC-EF hybrid system) is an integration of two popular organic pollutants treatment methods, PFC and EF process. The double-cathodes configuration of PFC-EF hybrid system enhanced the oxygen reduction reaction reactivity in both PFC and EF. PFC-EF hybrid system with double cathodes achieved colour removal efficiencies of 86.2% and 84.7% in PFC and EF. Power density of 1.2211 μW cm-2 was obtained in this PFC-EF hybrid system. Results revealed that this PFC-EF hybrid system was effective in the Amaranth dye degradation and power production simultaneously.

1 12

Publication

A Literature Review on Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) Among Industrial Workers in Malaysia

( 2021-01-01)

Isa M.S.M.

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Nurhidayah Omar

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Ahmad Faizal Salleh

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Mohammad Shahril Salim

Occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are quite common among industrial workers. Repetitively lifting, bending, pushing, pulling and standing are the major causes to the occupational diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among industrial workers in Malaysia. Data for this study was collected via Science Direct, Google Scholar, IEEE Explore Digital Library, and Scopus for the analysis to the industrial workers in various Malaysia industries from 2010–2019. The results showed manufacturing industry had the highest MSD cases where 40 manufacturing industries were reported in literature. For the body movements, 59 lifting movements were reported and was the most common movement used by the workers to perform their task which might lead to the injuries of body parts particularly on lower back and shoulder. Appropriate intervention is needed to tackle the MSD issues among the workers.

3 23

Publication

A negative index nonagonal csrr metamaterial-based compact flexible planar monopole antenna for ultrawideband applications using viscose-wool felt

( 2021-08-02)

Kabir Hossain

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Abdelghany M.A.

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Soh Ping Jack

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Mohamed Nasrun Osman

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