Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Herwan Sulaiman: Innovator in Electrical Engineering and Artificial Intelligence

PEKAN, 14 March 2025 – In the world of electrical engineering and artificial intelligence (AI), the name Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Herwan Sulaiman is increasingly recognised as an active researcher in power system optimisation and AI innovations in the energy sector. Hailing from Johor, he currently serves as the Deputy Dean (Research and Postgraduate Studies) at the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technology (FTKEE), Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA)

Technological innovation and organizational resilience: A dual challenge for entrepreneurial enterprises

This study explores the interaction between technological innovation, organizational resilience, organizational culture building, and innovation-driven development in Chinese entrepreneurial enterprises. Based on Innovation Systems Theory, a quantitative approach was employed using survey data from 207 entrepreneurial firms in China. Reliability, validity, correlation, and regression analyses were conducted via SPSS 27 and AMOS 26. Results show that both technological innovation and organizational resilience significantly promote innovation-driven development, with technological innovation having a stronger impact. Organizational resilience positively influences technological innovation, while the reverse effect is not significant. Organizational culture building did not demonstrate a moderating effect in this context. The study enriches existing theory by clarifying the asymmetrical relationship between innovation and resilience. It also offers practical guidance for entrepreneurial firms to strengthen resilience while fostering innovation for high-quality development

Alumni staf UMPSA bertemu semula, sama-sama tanam pokok

SERAMAI 20 alumni dalam kalangan staf Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) kembali bertemu di alma mater kesayangan mereka selepas sekian lama berpisah. Mereka termasuklah mantan naib canselor, timbalan naib canselor, pendaftar, dekan, pengarah-pengarah dan staf pengurusan serta pentadbiran yang pernah menyumbang bakti di UMPSA sebelum ini

Analyzing the impact of ergonomics, biodegradability, and material science on consumer behavior in food packaging

Food packaging performs the important functions of protecting the product and influencing consumer behavior whilebeing convenient and sustainable.There have been few studies that thoroughly debated the role of ergonomics, biodegradability, and material science in shaping consumer behavior toward buying behavior. The problem has come into the spotlight as consumers increasingly look for not only functional, but sustainable and convenient packaging. Thus, in this research, the effects of ergonomic design, biodegradability, chemical and mechanical physics on organizational purchase intention will be investigated. Partial LeastSquares Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the data from 121 respondents. Analysis Period Initial Rows Thefour variables explained 62.8% of the variance in purchase intention (R² = 0.628), the strongest variable was biodegradability (F² = 0.140), followed by ergonomics (F² = 0.115)). The fields of physical mechanics and physical chemistrywere significantly relevant to this study, as per its study findings. The study results made certain that all presumptions were accurate, three-polite, eccellenzeof expertise in sustainable, easy-to-use packaging, form consumer choice to purchase. Thus,out of these conclusions I realized that packaging design is not just being efficient in accomplishing the economic behind packaging, it has to accomplish the genuine human needs of consumers —for practicality and convenience. It indicates that actual innovation in packaging does not emanate from merely trend chasing or where the winds blow, it comes from a good grasp of what the marketplace is actually looking for

Nano-enhanced biocarriers: Ferric oxide-modified chitosan and calcium alginate beads for improved fermentation efficiency and reusability in a bubble column bioreactor

Chitosan beads (CB) and calcium alginate beads (CAB) are widely used for immobilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae in fermentation, but their low mechanical strength and limited surface area reduce ethanol yield. To overcome these limitations, ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles were incorporated into CB and CAB to enhance both mechanical strength and surface area. The modified carriers were employed for Saccharomyces cerevisiae immobilization in a bubble column bioreactor under semi-batch fermentation conditions at 35 °C, an air flow rate of 0.01 L/min, and pH 4.0 for 15 h. The Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles incorporation significantly improved the rupture forces of CB and CAB, increasing from 2 ± 0.05 N to 8 ± 0.5 N and 2 ± 0.05 N to 9 ± 0.07 N, respectively. The surface area of CB increased from 18 ± 0.3 m2/g to 48 ± 0.2 m2/g, while CAB increased from 2 ± 0.2 m2/g to 50 ± 0.1 m2/g, leading to enhanced cell adsorption from 1.13 × 10⁸ to 1.10 × 10⁹ cells/mL Consequently, ethanol yield improved from 37 ± 0.28% to 45 ± 1.23%. Unlike unmodified CB and CAB, which exhibited significant rupture after five reuse cycles, the modified beads retained their structural integrity and activity, demonstrating their durability for yeast immobilization and reuse. This approach offers a promising strategy for enhancing fermentation efficiency and carrier stability in ethanol production

An experimental study on the efficiency of microbubbles in enhance oil recovery method (EOR) in different types of oils

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) improves oil extraction beyond what is achieved through primary and secondary recovery methods. EOR techniques, including gas injection, thermal recovery and chemical injection, can recover approximately 45% of the original oil, as some oil remains trapped in the reservoir pores. Recently, a promising EOR technique has emerged that involves the use of microbubbles (MB). These micron-sized bubbles enhance oil displacement efficiency by providing a large surface area, extended residence time and superior mobility within porous media, which can further increase the oil recovery rate. However, the effectiveness of MB-EOR technology is influenced by several factors, including the size of the bubbles and the reservoir conditions, such as the type of oil present. This study investigates the efficiency of MB in EOR using two different oil and water types: light oil (diesel) and heavy oil (engine oil) while for water: seawater and tap water. MB were generated using hydrolysis equipment and their size in seawater was measured with a Digital Holographic System (DHS). Core flooding experiments were conducted to assess their effectiveness in displacing different types of oil. The experimental results indicated that MB effectively displaced both light and heavy oil, although the recovery rates differed significantly. The recovery rate for light oil reached 45.94%, while the recovery rate for heavy oil was much lower at 12.42%. This suggests that MB are more effective at recovering lighter oils, likely due to enhanced fluid mobility and sweep efficiency. In conclusion, MB demonstrates better performance in displacing light oils. This study provides valuable insights into optimizing MB-EOR for various reservoir conditions, paving the way for future advancements in oil recovery technologies

Enhancing surface hydrophobicity of AISI 304 stainless steel via laser texturing

The wettability performance of 304 stainless steel surfaces that were treated by multipulse laser processing under different parameters is studied in this paper. For modifying the surface of stainless steel, we used an x-y computer numerical control (CNC) fibre laser system with a 1064 nm wavelength. The hydrophobicity of all surfaces was evaluated through water contact angles (WCA) at different translational speeds (20–150 mm/s) and laser powers (4–20 W). Results show a spectrum of surface wettability ranging from hydrophilic (WCA<90°) to hydrophobic properties (90<WCA<150°). Hydrophobic surfaces were mainly associated with the samples processed at higher speeds and power settings while hydrophilic results were observed due to lower speeds and power settings. The highest hydrophobicity of WCA = 142.05° was obtained at a speed of 20 mm/s and laser power of 8 W. Meanwhile, the highest degree of hydrophilicity was observed at a speed of 20 mm/s and the lowest power level of 4 W, which possessed a WCA of 62.49°. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of laser parameters in the surface wettability modification process. These results are significant to applications requiring specific surface characteristics, such as anti-slip, anti-fog and self-cleaning. The findings provide a comprehensive review of the application of laser processing in preparing surface treatment with suitable properties for various industrial and biomedical applications

Antibiofilm effect of ultrasmall 3 C-SiC quantum dots against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Gram-negative bacteria

In this study, cubic silicon carbide (3 C-SiC) quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized via a hydrothermal chemical etching technique. The 3 C-SiC QDs were characterized using a variety of techniques and instruments. TEM analysis revealed an average diameter of 2.18±0.74 nm. DLS technique demonstrated that the SiC QDs are uniformly distributed and monodisperse with a zeta potential of -26.72±5.55 mV. With a quantum yield of 2.3%, the ultrasmall SiC QDs displayed distinctive fluorescence properties. The result of XPS showed that it is possible to identify the elemental composition of Si and C atoms. FTIR spectra revealed the presence of carboxylic acid, SiH, CH, and CHx groups on the surface of SiC QDs. The XRD patterns revealed that the sample has several peaks that may be connected to SiC, Si, and carbon graphite. 3 C-SiC QDs were employed as an antibiofilm agent against Escherichia Coli (E. coli) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) Gram-negative bacteria. P. aeruginosa and E. coli were shown to have minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 16 µg/mL and 64 µg/mL, respectively. At 100 µg/mL, E. Coli and P. aeruginosa bacteria displayed biofilm inhibition of 63.44% and 66.11%, respectively. HeLa, MCF-7, U-2OS, and MCF-10 cells were used to test the biocompatibility of 3 C-SiC QDs, and the findings demonstrated their nontoxicity

UMPSA, Hebei University sign collaboration to offer Dual Degree in Data Science and Big Data Technology

KUANTAN, 24 June 2025 – Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) continues to strengthen its international collaboration with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Hebei University, China, for the implementation of a dual degree programme in Big Data Technology. The signing ceremony, held at Hotel Grand Darulmakmur, was officiated by UMPSA Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Yatimah Alias and Secretary of the Party Committee of Hebei University, Professor Dr. Liu Bing. According to Professor Dr. Yatimah, the dual degree programme is not merely a symbolic achievement but marks the beginning of a transformative academic collaboration between Malaysia and China in the pursuit of excellence, innovation, and global competitiveness

UMPSA anjur Kursus Emergency Tabletop Exercise (TTX) 2025

PEKAN, 22 Julai 2025 – Seramai 36 orang staf daripada Pusat Bahasa Moden (PBM) dan Pusat Tanggungjawab (PTJ) lain di Zon PBM, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) telah menyertai Kursus Emergency Tabletop Exercise (TTX) 2025 anjuran Unit Jawatankuasa Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan (JKPP) PBM bagi meningkatkan kesiapsiagaan dan kecekapan warga kerja dalam menghadapi situasi kecemasan secara terancang. Kursus sehari itu dikendalikan oleh Timbalan Dekan (Penyelidikan dan Pengajian Siswazah), Fakulti Sains dan Teknologi Industri, Ts. Dr. Azizan Ramli yang mempunyai sijil kompetensi sebagai Crisis Management Certified Planner (CMCP) [3094-CMCP-20231231]. Beliau berpengalaman luas dalam pengurusan bencana dan sering dijemput untuk memberikan latihan keselamatan