A fuzzy-active force based control architecture for characterizing a nonlinear MIMO system / Tengku Luqman Tengku Mohamed

This study examines the modelling and control of a twin rotor multi-input multi-output (MIMO) system (TRMS). An intelligent Active Force Control (AFC) scheme is utilised to compensate disturbances that a conventional PID control algorithm alone is unable to due to the system’s highly nonlinear behaviour. Fuzzy logic (FL) is used to estimate intelligently the inertial properties apart from crude approximation method to initiate the AFC effect. The AFC scheme complements the PID controllers acting on the main as well as the tail rotor. It is evident from the simulation studies performed that the inclusion of the intelligent PID-AFCFL scheme produces a more robust controller as compared to the conventional PID as well as crude PID-AFC systems in compensating unwanted internal as well as external disturbances. The intelligent hybrid control algorithm also significantly improves the system overshoot, rise time and settling time apart from its adaptability towards disturbances as compared to its traditional counterpart

Study of cold joint concrete by infrared thermography and ultrasonic pulse velocity

Infrared thermography (IRT) has been used in civil engineering field such as highway, bridge and concrete structure. IRT provides non-destructive method to analyse defects on structure including crack. Cold joints are formed primarily between two batches of concrete where the delivery and placement of the second batch has been delayed and the initial placed and compacted concrete has started to set. The full knitting together of the two batches of concrete under vibration to form a homogeneous mass is therefore not possible, unlike the compaction of two fresh workable batches of concrete. This could be a potential plane of weakness. The objective of this research are to analyse the cold joint of concrete when loading applied and to determine uniformity of cold joint concrete using Ultra Pulse Velocity (UPV). Thermography is specialized in subsurface damage identification due to anomalies that inhomogeneity impose on the temperature field. Additionally, ultrasonic waves are constrained near the surface and therefore, are ideal for characterization of near-surface damage. In this study, an infrared camera scans cold joint beam structure and analyse crack happen at cold joint during loading. Colour summarization software will analyse the colour at cold joint and the entire beam. Through software, the difference of colour could be seen between the crack section and non-crack section. Based on the research, infrared images produced does not differentiate between cold joints section and other part of beam. Through flexural test it is found that crack formed through the cold joint as there is no other part of beam produced crack when loading applied. Unfortunately the infrared camera cannot capture the image which have brighter colour such as red, orange or yellow. The colour of the beam become blue because the machine of flexural test more dominant in temperature so the colour of one part of the machine brighter than the beam. Behind the machine itself, sunlight penetrate through the windows. Based on Ultra Pulse Velocity result, pulse velocity concrete casting day 1, day 2 and at the cold joint are higher than 4 km/s which means concrete quality is good and the speed is uniform. The UPV reading at cold joint have a decreasing trend compared to reading at same day casting section. In conclusion, the colour summarization of beam using IRT image cannot be achieved as the colour have little variation. As for UPV result, at cold joint section the reading is smaller compared to section casting on the same day and it is still under good category for time lag 24 hours

Sistem kapitalis sukarkan AS langsai hutang

KUALA LUMPUR - sistem kapitalis yang dipraktikkan di Amerika Syarikat (AS) menjadi penghalang terbesar kepada negara itu untuk melangsaikan hutang sebanyak AS$15 trilion (RM47.89 trilion) yang sedang ditanggung negara itu

The Level of Creativity in English Writing among Jordanian Secondary School Students

The aim of this study is to explore the level of creativity in English writing among Jordanian secondary school students. The researchers have used a random sample of 100 students of secondary school students in Irbid and Amman cities in Jordan. Adapetd Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) was used to measure their creativity in English writing. TTCT test is thought to be the best test to evaluate the creativity dimensions of students in writing. TTCT assesses fluency or the number of ideas; flexibility, the variety of categories in the answers; and originality, which consists in considering innovative answers, neither familiar nor inappropriate. The results of the study showed that the respondents fall in the moderate level of creativity. Keywords: Creativity Dimensions, Creativity in EFL writing, Level of creativity, Jordanian     Secondary School Students, TTCT.

Supply-side of financing to Bumiputera SME: Action research in a Malaysian Islamic bank

Malaysia has a unique phenomenon vis-à-vis other developing countries where the focus of economic empowerment since its independence is on one ethnic group, i.e. the Bumiputera.There are vast literatures covering the demand-side of financing provided to the full spectrum of the Bumiputera Economy. However, there is a research gap due to scarce of literature available on supply-side of financing from commercial banks to Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in general and specifically to Bumiputera SME (BSME) by an Islamic bank in Malaysia, which is most likely due to sensitivity and confidentiality of information. The objectives of this research in closing supply-side gap of financing to BSME in Business Banking Division (BBi) of AA Bank are to observe, analyse and intervene in the decision making process on the strategies pertaining to three major infrastructure pillars i.e. personnel, products and branches network adopted by BBi in achieving their internal Key Performance Indicators (KPI) set on increasing their BSME customer franchise. Qualitative methodology using action research framework is applied where we explore situations in which the intervention being evaluated has no clear, single set of outcomes. The preliminary findings using base data from 2008 to 2013 revealed that the BSME financing customer base for AA Bank has grown by more than 10 times in the last five years with most significant year-on-year growth was recorded in 2013 due to the surge of unsecured financing product customers. However, BSME’s growth-rate is still slower relative to non-BSME’s growth-rate in 2013, which means, in order for BSME financing customer base to grow, the total SME customer base needs to be enlarged first.At the time of reporting also, there is no BSME Sales personnel left in BBi from the original 19 BSME sales personnel in 2008 which indicates that BSME customers could still be acquired without BSME sales personnel as long as the marketing effort by the Bumiputera Development Unit (BDU), a unit under BBi, could be performed in systematic manner. Since granting financing to BSME in AA Bank is gaining considerable momentum over the past five years, it would be of interest from academic and commercial perspectives to investigate and document the observations for sustainable growth. These observations would also help influence further major investment decisions such as future branches network expansion, and shall be tested as per the classic action research framework for consistency

Particulate matter dispersion and haze occurrence potential studies at a local palm oil mill.

The emissions from palm oil industry through incineration and open burning are the major sources of air pollutions contribution in Malaysia. The consequence of increasing the particulate concentration, the particulate matter dissolves with vapour and grows into droplets when the humidity exceeds approximately 70% and causing opaque situation known as haze. This work focuses on the dispersion particulate matter from palm oil mill. Gaussian Plume Model from a point source, subject to various atmospheric conditions is used to calculate particulate matter concentration then display the distribution of plume dispersion using geographic information system. Atmospheric Stability, mixing height, wind direction, wind speed, natural and artificial features play an important role in dispersion process. Study on the dispersion of particulate matters and the haze potential are presented as a case study in this paper. The data obtained will be served as the purpose of modeling the transport of particulate matter for obtaining permits and prevention of significant deterioration to the environment

The level of creativity in English writing among Jordanian secondary school students

The aim of this study is to explore the level of creativity in English writing among Jordanian secondary school students.The researchers have used a random sample of 100 students of secondary school students in Irbid and Amman cities in Jordan.Adapetd Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) was used to measure their creativity in English writing.TTCT test is thought to be the best test to evaluate the creativity dimensions of students in writing.TTCT assesses fluency or the number of ideas; flexibility, the variety of categories in the answers; and originality, which consists in considering innovative answers, neither familiar nor inappropriate.The results of the study showed that the respondents fall in the moderate level of creativity

Framework for Harm Elimination in Light of the Islamic Legal Maxims

Islamic legal maxims (qawāʿʿid fiqhiyyah) provide necessary basis for extracting legal injunctions on the unprecedented cases (fiqh al-nawāzil) and make it possible for the jurists to forego the need of memorizing copious fiqh treatises. In light of this fact, this article attempts to design a framework for harm elimination, utilizing the related legal maxims, which will be arguably of great use in developing an outlook that enables a person to tackle the many challenges he or she finds in the course of removal of harm. After explaining the concept and definition of Islamic legal maxims in general, this research surveys in detail the universal legal maxim “harm must be eliminated”, covering its role and significance in the theories of fiqh and its scope and application in contemporary issues. Employing descriptive, analytical and critical methods, this study categorizes the legal maxims related to the harm elimination into three: (1) maxims related to prevention of harm before its occurrence, (2) maxims related to elimination of harm after it has taken place and (3) maxims related to minimization of harm if complete removal is impractical. Likewise, this research analyses the sub-maxims of harm elimination, discussing their legal bases, various purposes for which they operate, related uṣūlī principles and legal examples, providing at the end a flowchart that represents a sequence of five steps useful in the course of removal of harm

Effects of physical treatments on the hydrophobicity of kenaf whole stem paper surface using stearic acid.

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is a relatively new industrial crop which has been identified as an alternative source of fiber in the papermaking industry in Malaysia. In this study, experimental unbleached kenaf kraft paper samples were used as a substrate to produce water-resistant paper by employing a special coating. In the preparation of the coating formulation, commercially precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) was used as the filler, in addition to 0 to 0.32 w/w g of hydrophobic stearic acid (SA). Polymer latex (PL) was added at 0.4 to 0.16 w/w g into the coating compound to control the surface roughness of the samples. The paper morphology was examined by employing a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Hydrophobic kenaf kraft paper prepared in this study had water contact angle (θ) greater than 90°. Hydrophobic paper made with formulation PL4c resulted in the highest value contact angle of 147°. The process of surface coating by dipping increased the water contact angle and this treated paper achieved a high hydrophobic level. For mechanical properties, the coated kenaf paper showed decreasing tensile strength as the addition of stearic acid increased

Towards an Adaptive Design of Quality, Productivity and Economic Aspects When Machining AISI 4340 Steel With Wiper Inserts

The continuous pursue of sustainable manufacturing is motivating the utilization of new advanced technology, especially for hard to cut materials. In this study, an adaptive approach for optimization of machining process of AISI 4340 using wiper inserts is proposed. This approach is based on advance yet intuitive modeling and optimization techniques. The approach is based on Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA), as well as Linear Programming Techniques for Multidimensional Analysis of Preference (LINMAP), for modeling, optimization and multi-criteria decision making respectively. This integrated approach, to best of the authors’ knowledge, has been deployed for the first time to adaptively serve different designs of manufacturing processes. Such designs have different orientations, namely cost, quality, productivity, and balanced orientation. The capability of the proposed approach to serving such diverse requirements answers one of the most accelerating demands in the manufacturing community due to the dynamics of the uprising smart production lines. Besides, the proposed approach is presented in a straightforward manner that can be extended easily to other design orientations as well as other engineering applications. Based on the proposed design, a balanced general setting of 197.4 m/min, 0.95 mm, and 0.168 mm/rev was recommended along with other settings for more sophisticated requirements. Confirmatory experiments showed a good agreement (i.e., no more than 7% deviation) with the predicted optimum responses. This shows the validity of the proposed approach as a viable tool for designers to promote holistic and sustainable process design