Journal of Advanced Research Design

Preparation and Characterization of the Irradiated Banana Paper

Nor Farah Amirah Nor Azman — 2024-11-30

Every year, the amount of deforestation is increasing to meet the demand for paper, and this affects environmental pollution and global warming. The presence of fungi on paper can pose a health risk and degrade paper fibre's cellulose. This study was carried out to produce paper from banana stems and recycled paper, and the effects on banana paper and recycled paper were studied before and after radiation. The paper's surface morphology, functional groups and surface roughness were observed and characterised using Opto Digital Microscope, Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscope. The result indicates there were absorption peaks at 210 to 290 nm for non-radiated paper and 355 to 365 nm for irradiated paper, and the presence of carbonyl and hydroxyl was found in the samples. The surface morphology and roughness were changed due to gamma radiation-induced and caused degradation on the fibre. Banana paper has a better structure and properties than recycled paper, and it will help the pulp and paper industry produce biocompatible, biodegradable and environmentally friendly paper.

Developing Innovative Nano-Engineered Lightweight Foamed Concrete Incorporating Iron Oxide (II, III) with Enhanced Mechanical and Transport Properties

Afiya Abdul Sattar — 2024-11-30

Recently, scientists have focused substantial attention on the incorporation of nanoscale components in cement-based materials. Iron oxide (II, III) nanoparticles (IONPs) have garnered significant attention in nanoparticle research. This paper portrays preliminary discoveries of an investigation assessing the characteristics of foamed concrete (FC) with the presence of IONPs. A comprehensive assessment of characteristics was conducted, including its workability, axial compressive strength, bending strength, tensile strength, apparent porosity and water absorption capacity. Furthermore, scanning electron microscope examination was performed and evaluated. The results indicate a significant enhancement in the FC strength characteristics, with 28-day compressive, tensile, and bending strengths improving by up to 70, 76 and 52 %, respectively, with the inclusion of 3 % IONPs. Nonetheless, adding IONPs beyond 3 % did not yield significant improvements in mechanical properties. With a rise in IONPs from 1 to 5 %, the FC exhibited significant improvements in apparent porosity and water absorption. The decreasing pore size in FC containing IONPs was found to be the cause of the anomalies. A significant alteration in the arrangement of pore dimensions was noted in FC mixtures when the amounts of IONPs were modified. Results from this investigation emphasise the prospective benefits associated with integrating IONPs into FC, that could boost its entire characteristics.

A Comparative Study on User Satisfaction from Manual to Online Information System Using Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) in Service Administrative Process

Eh Di Sutam — 2024-11-30

Efficient application processes are crucial for enhancing user satisfaction in organizational systems. However, manual processes often result in inefficiencies, user dissatisfaction and delays, as observed in this case study. This research aimed to improve the application process by leveraging the Online Information System (OIS) and utilizing the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) methodology to address identified inefficiencies systematically. The study adopted a structured approach through the DMAIC phases to identify root causes of dissatisfaction, prioritize issues and implement targeted solutions. Key findings indicated significant improvements in user satisfaction metrics, with usability increasing by 70.21 %, accessibility by 61.04 %, consistency by 44.12 % and response time by 51.95 %. The implementation of OIS played a significant role in these outcomes by automating processes, reducing errors, eliminating redundant steps, simplifying the application process and making it more reliable and accessible. The discussion highlighted the critical role of DMAIC in guiding the improvement efforts, particularly in aligning solutions with user needs and ensuring sustainability through standardization and training. Despite these successes, the study faced limitations such as the restricted scope of user testing to a specific context and potential adaptability issues in broader applications. Future research should explore the scalability of the OIS and its integration with other organizational processes to ensure comprehensive usability and effectiveness.

Implementation of Control Valves System on Microturbine Drone’s Rotational Motion

Muhammad Nor Ikmal Muhamad Nazri — 2024-11-30

The drone technology has received a wide range of research focusing on improving flight dynamics, battery life, payload capacity and sensor technology. However, for the applications of using drone for high rise buildings are limited by battery life for longer flight with longer duration tasks. This work presents the implementation of a control valve systems for the rotational motion of a microturbine drone. The first objective of this project was to design and develop a control valve system for a microturbine with propeller. The second objective was to measure micro turbine’s performance output which consisted of revolution per minute (rpm) and voltage (V) produced with the control valves system. The final objective was to verify the effectiveness of the control valve system by measuring the differences of the turbine speed of each turbine on the quadcopter to conceptually control the rotational motion of the drones. In conclusion, this work demonstrated the concept of the developed control valve system that can control the rotational motion of the drone.

Review and Analysis on Medical Tomography Improvement

Nur Afny Catur Andryani — 2024-12-09

Medical Tomography is a technique to identify the condition underneath body tissue. It relates to identifying the health condition or certain diagnosis affirmation. Medical tomography for diagnostic imaging has been used for over a century. However, tremendous advances due to some limitations of existing medical tomography have been significantly growing in recent 30 years. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), CT-Scan extended to PET and SPECT, Ultrasound Imaging and Optical Imaging are the established modalities in medical diagnosis imaging. Radiation effect, high cost, speed, poor tissues penetration with low imaging resolution, are some issues on the established ones. This paper discusses the reviews of modern medical tomography improvement to cope with the existing diagnostic medical imaging limitation based on literatures. The review focuses on two points of views: the sensing modality or data acquisition and image reconstruction method innovation. Those two components are complimentary to each other. Less measurement will normally shift the load of producing good quality of reconstructed images to its image reconstruction algorithm. Hence comprehensive discussion on those two points of view is done. The main intention of the presented medical tomography – innovations is to improve the patient’s comfort and safety, effective data acquisition process, simpler device and maintaining good quality on the reconstructed medical images. In addition, this paper also presents open research opportunities derived from the mapping analysis.

Tensegrity Prediction of E. coli Deactivation by Sonication Strategy

Ahmad Beng Hong Kueh — 2024-12-09

Bacterial infections continue to pose a significant challenge to public health especially in clean drinking water production. Hence, it is crucial to have effective methods for their elimination. The successful deactivation of bacteria like E. coli through emerging sonic means depends on the identification of their resonant frequencies. However, the conventional approach of determining these frequencies through labor-intensive physical experimentation can be both time-consuming and expensive. This article introduces an innovative approach to determining the resonant frequency of E. coli using a specifically designed tensegrity model that incorporates spectral element formulation. This model, which conforms to the shape of E. coli, enables the calculation of resonant frequencies without the need for time-consuming simulations of element sensitivity. To address the challenges associated with rigid body motion, a small incremental operation is employed to compute the system determinant. The resonant frequencies obtained from the model are shown to align excellently with existing experimental findings. Furthermore, the model reveals that alterations in the geometry of E. coli have a substantial impact on the frequency of deactivation, while other parameters such as density have less influence. The proposed tensegrity model is a potent technique that can rapidly and accurately identify resonant frequencies, thereby enabling instantaneous and more efficient bacterial deactivation, especially during periods of health emergencies.

Fortifying Information System and Cybersecurity in Engineering Education: A Thematic Review

Irma Syarlina Che Ilias — 2024-12-09

In today's digital landscape, the seamless integration of robust information systems and cybersecurity into engineering education is critical for preparing future engineers to tackle complex cyber threats. However, current engineering curricula often lack sufficient focus on these critical domains, creating a gap that must be addressed to keep pace with the rapid evolution of cyber threats. This paper aims to address this gap by recommending strategies to enhance cybersecurity and information system integration in engineering programs, emphasizing adapting to emerging technologies. A systematic literature review conducted using Scopus and Mendeley databases identified 98 publications from 2013 to 2022, of which 67 were deemed relevant after filtering for duplicates and irrelevance. Thematic analysis was used to categorize the literature into five main themes, offering insights into key challenges and opportunities for integrating cybersecurity into engineering education. The study finds that adaptation to the evolving cybersecurity landscape and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration are pivotal to advancing curricula. This study concludes that adapting curricula to the evolving cybersecurity landscape is essential for equipping graduates with the skills needed to protect tomorrow's digital infrastructure. Further research is recommended to assess these integrations' long-term impact on graduates and explore how emerging technologies will continue to reshape educational paradigms.

Comparison on Wavelet Adaptive Filter Performance in Denoising ECG Signal

Nur Izzani Mat Rozi — 2024-12-09

Heart failure has sped up the development of electrocardiogram (ECG) signal denoising techniques. Researchers have developed a workable method to reduce the impact of noise in the ECG data, which can help avoid incorrect diagnoses and unnecessary medical procedures because heart failure can lead to fatal. Obtaining a clean ECG signal requires the use of an exact denoising process, which includes feature extraction, filtering, and pattern identification. To ensure the accuracy and reliability of the ECG signal, it is necessary to eliminate significant sources of noise, including baseline wander (BW), powerline interference (PLI), motion artifact (MA), and electromyogram (EMG). The study suggests that the filtering stage should utilise filters that are based on adaptive filters (AF). AF has the capacity to automatically update its filter coefficients in response to variations in the input signal and will keep updated the filter coefficient to minimise the error. The design of the AF and the performance comparison observed in the signal to noise ratio (SNR) test will be conducted utilising the MATLAB simulation software. The findings indicate that combining decompose wavelet transform (DWT) and adaptive filter (AF) may improve performance compared to DWT and AF alone. The best combinations to reduce noise signals from ECG are 30.01 dB, 29.67 dB, 23.72 dB, and 28.31 dB for BW, PLI, EMG, and MA, respectively.

Peat Soil Classification Study: A Case Study in Ayer Hitam, Muar, Johor

Nurul Zuhairah Mahmud Zuhudi — 2024-12-09

Peatland in Malaysia are unique and important ecosystems characterized by the accumulation of organic matter in waterlogged conditions, resulting to formation of peat. The classification of peat soil is important to identify the degree of decomposition of the peat soil and the presence of the dominant plant species, affecting its stability and suitability for various applications. This study focusing on the peat classification work using von Post scale and peat physical properties using ASTM Standards for the samples taken from Ayer Hitam, Muar, Johor. The degree of humification of the sample collected in Ayer Hitam is observed to be dark brown in color and is classified with the von Post scale level of H6 to H7. The study also presents preliminary results on the pH level, moisture content level and ash content, which are obtained at 3.65 ±0.072, 81.02%±1.04% and 2.36% respectively. This preliminary work outlines an identification for classification method to be used for the future works about the peat treatment and modification to improve its properties.

Development of a Marine Mooring Lines Image Dataset for Deep Learning Applications

Tarwan Kumar Khatri — 2024-12-10

Mooring systems, which use thin lines composed of fiber ropes, steel wires, and chains, are essential to offshore activities. These technologies play a critical role in ensuring that floating units stay in their proper positions throughout operations like offshore gas and oil drilling and production offloading into shuttle storage vessels. Early mooring line failure detection is critical to ensuring the safety and integrity of these activities since it helps avert unanticipated losses such as catastrophic catastrophes and human casualties. Recent developments in deep learning object detection have encouraged prospects for the creation of affordable mooring monitoring solutions. However, a specialized marine images dataset that includes mooring lines is required for the construction and testing of such models, and it is not publicly accessible at this time. Thus, this paper provides insights, design considerations, and general observations for the production of a high-quality marine mooring line images collection in response to the demand for one. Besides, a procedural framework has been designed for creating synthetic images consisting of mooring lines. Additionally, the real-time experimental process in the development of marine mooring lines images dataset for deep learning models that are intended to identify anomalies in mooring lines in offshore deep water has been demonstrated. The purpose of these guidelines is to improve the efficacy of deep learning solutions in determining the anomalies in mooring lines at an early stage by addressing the particular problems and peculiarities of the task.

Stability of Rock Slope Using Kinematic Analysis: A Case Study at Bukit Gemilang, Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur

Nurul Afiffah Khairulazman — 2024-12-10

Discontinuities are crucial for assessing the stability of rock slopes, with their geometric properties such as direction and orientation serving as key indicators. Conventionally, compasses have been used to measure the direction and orientation of these discontinuities, but this method requires considerable time for data collection. Recent advancements in remote sensing technology, particularly Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLS), provide a more efficient alternative for measuring rock slope discontinuities. This study focuses on the stability of the rock slope at Bukit Gemilang, located in the Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) campus in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur. Investigating this area is crucial because of the risks it poses to students and staff who pass by, particularly given the lack of prior studies reported in the literature. The paper aims to determine the orientation of the discontinuity features of the Bukit Gemilang rock slope using both conventional and TLS methods. Statistical tests indicate no significant difference between the data collected from the two methods, suggesting that TLS is a reliable tool for obtaining preliminary information on rock slope stability. This data is then utilized for kinematic analysis using Rocscience Dips software, which indicates low probabilities of planar, wedge, and toppling failures at 16.16%, 7.84%, and 4.04%, respectively. This suggests that the rock slope is considered stable. However, to enhance safety for road users on Bukit Gemilang, it is recommended to consider the installation of dowel bars and wire mesh in certain areas within the fractured rock zone.

Recent Use of AB Mix Nutrients for Urban Farming in Malaysia: A Mini Review

Nur Dinie Syahirah Sanusi — 2024-12-13

The use of AB mix nutrients in Malaysia is extensive especially in urban farming due to its all-inclusive-type of fertilizers. It possesses the advantage of providing a quick and high yield of agricultural products, along with a rapid response to signs of nutrient deficiency in plants due to the readily available nutrient-rich salts. However, extensive use of fertilizers led to significant environmental pollution in addition to the increase in agricultural productivity that we have today. Despite the fact that the Department of Agriculture Malaysia has published rules and suggested doses for using AB mix nutrients depending on the types of crops, farmers frequently over-fertilize their crops. Therefore, a survey has been carried out on several local agriculture entrepreneurs to compare their usage of AB mix nutrients for chili plants and the results revealed that majority of the respondents comply with the established guidelines. Sensible used of fertilizers must be promote amongst the farmers since intensive use of fertilizers will result to nutrient leaching into the soil, which contribute to environmental pollution, subsequently affecting the humans, livestock and microbial forms of life via food chain. In general, the impacts of the overuse chemical fertilizers are discussed from the aspects of plants physiology, quality of production and environment. The prospect of bio-fertilizer as a potential substitute to AB mix nutrients is also discussed. The increasing adoption of AB mix nutrients aligns with the demand for efficient urban farming methods, but it also brings into focus the critical balance between maximizing crop yield and minimizing ecological damage. This review emphasizes the significance of controlled nutrient application to prevent long-term soil degradation and groundwater contamination. Insights from comparative studies on fertigation and alternative fertilization methods, such as bio-fertilizers, provide a pathway toward more sustainable agricultural practices. The integration of bio-fertilizers into fertigation systems has shown promise in reducing reliance on chemical inputs, improving soil health, and supporting the sustainable intensification of urban agriculture. The paper also addresses the need for improved regulatory frameworks and awareness campaigns to mitigate the negative impacts of chemical fertilizer overuse and to promote organic alternatives in urban farming setups.

Spatial Flexibility in Housing: Establishing Conceptual Framework for Adaptive Design Model

Zulkefle Ismail — 2024-12-13

This paper presents a comprehensive review of all significant research about flexibility and adaptability in architecture with particular focus on housing design. The aim is to establish a conceptual framework for a sustainable building design model for Adaptable Housing in Brunei Darussalam. In general, flexibility is ability and potential of a building to change, adapt and reorganize itself in response to change. The problems identified are related to sustainable building design and its adaptability and modification throughout the life-cycle of the house. Therefore, the research focuses on the conceptual framework and investigates the constraints of design. Form and function were identified as technological difficulties in the concept of adaptability and flexibility. Adaptability in a broader sense includes innovative participatory processes for a better way to personalise the home. The method used in this study is a logical flow from the preliminary investigation to form a conceptual framework. Data were retrieved from document review as well as project information, interviews, and observations. The findings confirmed that the conceptual framework could contribute for the development of research in Adaptable Housing by formulating an Adaptive Design model. The main contribution of this study is a conceptual framework that is the basis for designing a questionnaire survey for data collection at the next level of research. This framework provides variables for adaptable housing including activities in the house and satisfaction level for dependent and independent space.

A New Countermeasure to Combat the Embedding-Based Attacks on the Goldreich-Goldwasser-Halevi Lattice-Based Cryptosystem

Arif Mandangan — 2024-12-14

Despite being considered the first practical lattice-based cryptosystem, interest from the post-quantum cryptography society in the Goldreich-Goldwasser-Halevi (GGH) lattice-based cryptosystem drastically drop due to the embedding-based attacks. The attacks successfully simplified the underlying Closest-Vector Problem (CVP) and made the security of the scheme broken. The attacks become noxious to the GGH cryptosystem due to its ability to simplify the underlying CVP which triggered the enlargement of lattice gaps. Consequently, the simplified CVP can be reduced to a Shortest-Vector Problem (SVP) variant which can be solved by using lattice-reduction algorithms such as the LLL algorithm in a shorter amount of time. The simpler way to evade from these attacks is by implementing larger lattice dimensions which immediately reduce the efficiency of this scheme. Recently, an improved version of the GGH cryptosystem, namely the GGH-MKA cryptosystem, has been proven immune to the embedding-based attacks. The improvement is made by preventing the simplification of the underlying CVP. For that purpose, an error vector is introduced. The error vector is non-eliminable and at the same time maintains the lattice gap. Consequently, the underlying CVP remains in its original form without being simplified. In this study, we showed that the error vector is not unique. We proposed another error vector to combat the embedding-based attacks. We proved that the new error vector has similar capabilities in terms of preventing the simplification of the underlying CVP and maintaining the lattice gap. By improving the security of the GGH cryptosystem, more interest from the mainstream post-quantum discussion could be redirected to the scheme to make it competent and relevant again.

A Delphi Study Approach to Prioritising BIM Applications for Construction

Sharafat Hussain — 2024-12-14

As the Saudi construction industry undergoes a digital transformation, the proper integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) tools becomes critical. This study employs three rounds of the Delphi study approach to systematically prioritise BIM applications that are adapted to the specific constraints and potential of the Saudi construction sector. The study intends to reach a consensus on the most significant BIM capabilities that correspond with the Kingdom's growing construction scene by involving a panel of experts from varied stakeholders such as architects, engineers, contractors and policymakers. The study revealed that the utilisation of BIM software for construction projects can facilitate clash detection, cost estimation, safety and construction monitoring, which play a significant role in the successful implementation of BIM and can help reduce costs, save time, safety and improve quality during construction by detecting potential conflicts and errors early in the design phase. Additionally, the utilisation of 4D, which involves project scheduling and construction sequencing and 5D, which involves construction cost estimation, has subsequent positive impacts on construction projects in KSA. The outcomes of the study will provide significant insights to influence strategic decision-making, boost teamwork and improve the overall efficiency and sustainability of Saudi Arabian construction projects.

Notable Behaviours of Liquid Draining in a Tank with a Bluff-Body as an Air-Core Suppression Mechanism

Fadhilah Mohd Sakri — 2024-12-14

The air-core vortex that generally shows up as fluid channels inside a tank lessens the channel rate, which can decrease the fluid supply's depleting proficiency and life expectancy. This paper examines the fundamental measures for passively controlling the presence of such an air-core. OpenFOAM was used to examine the effects of a disc plate and a cone on the formation of an air-core vortex within a liquid draining tank. The research revealed various drainage behaviours. In the case of the disc plate, the draining process displayed three distinct stages: the normal regime, transitional regime, and air-core regime. However, when the disc was substituted with a cone, only one behaviour corresponding to the air-core regime was evident. At the point of liquid passing the disc plate or cone, the air-core vortex emerged. For the disc plate scenario, a partial vortex ring was observed whereas for the cone plate, no vortex ring was perceived.

Analysis Study of Fast Dynamic Response for Three-Phase Voltage Source Inverter

Noor Aqilah Madzlan — 2024-12-14

The power inverter is a crucial device employed within power grids to convert direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC). In the context of high-power grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems, three-phase inverters have demonstrated superiority over their single-phase counterparts. Specifically, a three-phase voltage source inverter (VSI) is employed for this application. The VSI operates with a consistent input voltage while ensuring that the output voltage remains unaffected by changes in the load. However, the conventional three-phase VSI has a notable drawback. Continuous voltage and current monitoring in each phase are required to maintain synchronous operation between the power inverter and the PV-power generation system. The conventional synchronous checking procedure is relatively complex, which affects the inverter's dynamic performance. Checking for synchronisation takes time and pushes the inverter to use a more advanced controller. This sophisticated controller is crucial to evaluate the control algorithm’s performance using the dynamic operation. To address these challenges, a current control strategy has been integrated into this project by implementing the synchronous reference frame current control (SRFCC) method with the proportional-integral (PI) controller. Furthermore, a synchronous reference frame phase-locked loop (SRF-PLL) is implemented in grid phase synchronisation to maintain a high-quality regulated current output. The effectiveness of this controller has been evaluated through simulations conducted using the PSIM software, providing insights into its operational behaviours and effectiveness within the project's context. According to the results obtained, it has been identified that the current control strategy with the three-phase grid-connected VSI that has been implemented in this paper is a fast dynamic response compared to the conventional inverter. The fast dynamic response inverter can reduce as much as 7.5% of the time required by the injected current to change from half-rated current to full-rated current and 2.5% of the time required by the injected current to change from full-rated current to half-rated current.

Metaheuristic Optimization of Perovskite Solar Cell Using Hybrid L32 Taguchi Doe-Based Genetic Algorithm

Khairil Ezwan Kaharudin — 2024-12-14

Solar cells convert sunlight into electricity, and the efficiency of this conversion process largely depends on the material parameters. Optimizing these parameters, like thickness and carrier concentration, could significantly increase the efficiency of solar cells. This paper emphasizes the metaheuristic optimization approach in searching for the optimum input parameters of perovskite solar cell (PSC).

SohoNet: A Novel Social Honeynet Framework for Detecting Social Bots in Online Social Networks

Yew Chuan Ong — 2024-12-16

Online social networks (OSNs) are increasingly threatened by social bots – software-controlled accounts that mimic human users for various purposes. In this paper, we propose SohoNet, a novel social honeynet designed to identify, monitor, and detect these malicious entities. This innovative approach improves upon existing research by integrating multiple honeypots with a semi-automatic label engine, thereby significantly enhancing the accuracy of social bot detection. We deployed SohoNet on Platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to analyze activities during the 2022 Malaysian general election over a 14-day campaigning period. Our results show that the semi-automatic label engine successfully auto-labeled 73% of the profiles captured by SohoNet with a moderately high True Positive Rate (TPR) (0.75). Furthermore, SohoNet's overall performance (0.856), measured based on precision and capture rates, surpassed that of existing social honeypots. These findings demonstrate that SohoNet is an effective tool for detecting social bots, particularly in politically sensitive environments. However, the policy of cutting access to X API, along with the costly paid tiers introduced, poses significant challenges for future research as it restricts access to vital data and diminishes the ability to track and analyze bot behavior over time. Future work will aim to extend SohoNet's application across various OSNs to enhance its adaptability and utility.

Optimizing AB Mix Nutrients and Wick Length in Chili Cultivated Using Nutri-Pot Method via Response Surface Methodology and Central Composite Design

Nur Dinie Syahirah Sanusi — 2024-12-16

Driven by the need to address environmental issues arising from excessive fertilizer usage in agriculture activity, this study aims to determine the optimal AB mix nutrients application towards Capsicum frutescens planted using Nutri-pot system. Mathematical and statistical methods using Response Surface Methodology software have been employed to study the effect of different nutrients concentrations and wick lengths parameters towards the Capsicum frutescens growth. The parameters were measured as response variables and optimised using quadratic model of central composite design with face centered (k=1) arrangement. Results depicted that both parameters showed considerable impact on the chosen response variables with the coefficient of determination values of R² < 0.9915, P-value < 0.0001, F-value of 163.54 and the lack of fit value of 0.8608, all provided strong evidence in favour of validating the prediction models. The optimal conditions of AB mix nutrients towards Capsicum frutescens were recorded at 2.54 mS/cm of nutrients concentration and wick length of 18.15 cm. Under these conditions, the maximum plant’s height simulated using Analysis of Variance and Response Surface Methodology was 38.73 cm, which was comparable with the experimental result that recorded 40.2 cm as the maximum height. Research on optimizing nutrient application is crucial, as it serves as an effective management tool for conserving resources and minimizing environmental pollution.