Autonomous vehicle convoy using Lego Mindstorms

ABSTRACT -Autonomous vehicle convoy is a future driving and technology system that have been researched and developed for decades to solve problems in our transportation system nowadays. The increasing of road traffic has contributed to traffic congestion and more severely causes accidents. The aims of this study are to develop convoy algorithm and demonstrate autonomous vehicle convoy system using the LEGO Mindstorms Education EV3 by performing convoy experiment using small scaled car. The convoy or platooning need to satisfy the range of constraints by keeping the control parameters. It consists of one leader and two followers which have to maintain speed and safe distance while moving at designated route

Effects of u-shaped subgrade concrete panel on subgrade deformation

California Bearing Ratio of subgrade lesser than 5% requires a treatment work either by stabilisation or strengthening method. In this study, the latter concept was chosen for the application of U-shaped Subgrade Concrete Panel as it is a method that has less disturbance to the native soil. As the name suggested, this U-shaped Subgrade Concrete Panel is a precast U-shaped concrete panel to be installed into the subgrade soil in an inverted direction. It is divided into two sections; the horizontal panel and vertical webs beneath the panel. Hence, the objective of this paper is to present the effect of applying the U-shaped Subgrade Concrete Panel into subgrade soil with a CBR value of less than 3%. There are 3 sizes of control panel used; square panel with dimension of 150 mm x 150 mm x 50 mm, 300 mm x 300 mm x 50 mm, and 600 mm x 600 mm x 70 mm, and 6 types of U-shaped Subgrade Concrete Panel; square area of 150 mm x 150 mm, 300 mm x 300 mm, and 600 mm x 600 mm. While the depth of the U-shaped Subgrade Concrete Panel varies from 100 mm, 125 mm, 150 mm, 200 mm, 270 mm, and 370 mm. The static load test was applied to centre, edge, and corner point of the panel, as to study the interlocking effect when it is subjected to a localised load. As the study was conducted in the laboratory, the condition of the subgrade soil fully controlled by monitoring the moisture content and the density of the soil in the test box. Settlement of the subgrade soil after compactions was observed and recorded as part of the initial conditions before the static load test was applied to the panel. After the compaction of the subgrade, it shows that a longer web section had caused lesser settlement compared to the control panel, indicating better resistance towards lateral movement under the U-shaped Subgrade Concrete Panel

An adaptive delayed acknowledgment strategy to improve TCP performance in multi-hop wireless networks.

In multi-hop wireless networks, transmission control protocol (TCP) suffers from performance deterioration due to poor wireless channel characteristics. Earlier studies have shown that the small TCP acknowledgments consume as much wireless resources as the long TCP data packets. Moreover, generating an acknowledgment (ACK) for each incoming data packet reduces the performance of TCP. The main factor affecting TCP performance in multi-hop wireless networks is the contention and collision between ACK and data packets that share the same path. Thus, lowering the number of ACKs using the delayed acknowledgment option defined in IETF RFC 1122 will improve TCP performance. However, large cumulative ACKs will induce packet loss due to retransmission time-out at the sender side of TCP. Motivated by this understanding, we propose a new TCP receiver with an adaptive delayed ACK strategy to improve TCP performance in multi-hop wireless networks. Extensive simulations have been done to prove and evaluate our strategy over different topologies. The simulation results demonstrate that our strategy can improve TCP performance significantly

Groundwater resources assessment using integrated geophysical techniques in the southwestern region of Peninsular Malaysia.

Combined geophysical techniques such as multi-electrode resistivity, induced polarization, and borehole geophysical techniques were carried out on volcano-sedimentary rocks in the north of Gemas as part of the groundwater resource’s investigations. The result identifies four resistivity units: the tuffaceous mudstone, tuffaceous sandstone, the tuff bed, and the shale layer. Two types of aquifer systems in terms of storage were identified within the area: one within a fracture system (tuff), which is the leaky area through which vertical flow of groundwater occurs, and an intergranular property of the sandy material of the aquifer which includes sandstone and tuffaceous sandstone. The result also reveals that the aquifer occupies a surface area of about 3,250,555 m2 with a mean depth of 43.71 m and a net volume of 9.798 × 107 m3. From the approximate volume of the porous zone (28 %) and the total aquifer volume, a usable capacity of (274.339 ± 30.177) × 107 m3 of water in the study area can be deduced. This study provides useful information that can be used to develop a much broader understanding of the nature of groundwater potential in the area and their relationship with the local geology

Risk Factors for Nipah Virus Encephalitis in Bangladesh1

Patients in Goalando were likely infected by direct contact with fruit bats or their secretions, rather than through contact with an intermediate host

Impact of primary kidney disease on the effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease: secondary analyses of the EMPA-KIDNEY trial

Background: The EMPA KIDNEY trial showed that empagliflozin reduced the risk of the primary composite outcome of kidney disease progression or cardiovascular death in patients with chronic kidney disease mainly through slowing progression. We aimed to assess how effects of empagliflozin might differ by primary kidney disease across its broad population. Methods: EMPA-KIDNEY, a randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial, was conducted at 241 centres in eight countries (Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the UK, and the USA). Patients were eligible if their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 20 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or 45 to less than 90 mL/min per 1·73 m2 with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) of 200 mg/g or higher at screening. They were randomly assigned (1:1) to 10 mg oral empagliflozin once daily or matching placebo. Effects on kidney disease progression (defined as a sustained ≥40% eGFR decline from randomisation, end-stage kidney disease, a sustained eGFR below 10 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or death from kidney failure) were assessed using prespecified Cox models, and eGFR slope analyses used shared parameter models. Subgroup comparisons were performed by including relevant interaction terms in models. EMPA-KIDNEY is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03594110. Findings: Between May 15, 2019, and April 16, 2021, 6609 participants were randomly assigned and followed up for a median of 2·0 years (IQR 1·5–2·4). Prespecified subgroupings by primary kidney disease included 2057 (31·1%) participants with diabetic kidney disease, 1669 (25·3%) with glomerular disease, 1445 (21·9%) with hypertensive or renovascular disease, and 1438 (21·8%) with other or unknown causes. Kidney disease progression occurred in 384 (11·6%) of 3304 patients in the empagliflozin group and 504 (15·2%) of 3305 patients in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·71 [95% CI 0·62–0·81]), with no evidence that the relative effect size varied significantly by primary kidney disease (pheterogeneity=0·62). The between-group difference in chronic eGFR slopes (ie, from 2 months to final follow-up) was 1·37 mL/min per 1·73 m2 per year (95% CI 1·16–1·59), representing a 50% (42–58) reduction in the rate of chronic eGFR decline. This relative effect of empagliflozin on chronic eGFR slope was similar in analyses by different primary kidney diseases, including in explorations by type of glomerular disease and diabetes (p values for heterogeneity all >0·1). Interpretation: In a broad range of patients with chronic kidney disease at risk of progression, including a wide range of non-diabetic causes of chronic kidney disease, empagliflozin reduced risk of kidney disease progression. Relative effect sizes were broadly similar irrespective of the cause of primary kidney disease, suggesting that SGLT2 inhibitors should be part of a standard of care to minimise risk of kidney failure in chronic kidney disease. Funding: Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, and UK Medical Research Council

Phylogenomic analysis of a 55.1 kb 19-gene dataset resolves a monophyletic Fusarium that includes the Fusarium solani Species Complex

Scientific communication is facilitated by a data-driven, scientifically sound taxonomy that considers the end-user¿s needs and established successful practice. In 2013, the Fusarium community voiced near unanimous support for a concept of Fusarium that represented a clade comprising all agriculturally and clinically important Fusarium species, including the F. solani species complex (FSSC). Subsequently, this concept was challenged in 2015 by one research group who proposed dividing the genus Fusarium into seven genera, including the FSSC described as members of the genus Neocosmospora, with subsequent justification in 2018 based on claims that the 2013 concept of Fusarium is polyphyletic. Here, we test this claim and provide a phylogeny based on exonic nucleotide sequences of 19 orthologous protein-coding genes that strongly support the monophyly of Fusarium including the FSSC. We reassert the practical and scientific argument in support of a genus Fusarium that includes the FSSC and several other basal lineages, consistent with the longstanding use of this name among plant pathologists, medical mycologists, quarantine officials, regulatory agencies, students, and researchers with a stake in its taxonomy. In recognition of this monophyly, 40 species described as genus Neocosmospora were recombined in genus Fusarium, and nine others were renamed Fusarium. Here the global Fusarium community voices strong support for the inclusion of the FSSC in Fusarium, as it remains the best scientific, nomenclatural, and practical taxonomic option availabl

Practical training and the audit expectations gap: The case of accounting undergraduates of Universiti Utara Malaysia

The accounting profession has long faced the issue of an audit expectation gap; being the gap between the quality of the profession’s performance, its objectives and results, and that which the society expects.The profession believes that the gap could be reduced over time through education.Studies have been carried out overseas and in Malaysia to determine the effect of education in narrowing the audit expectation gap. Extending the knowledge acquired, this paper investigates whether academic internship programs could reduce the audit expectation gap in Malaysia.Using a pre-post method, the research instrument adapted from Ferguson et al.(2000) is administered to the Universiti Utara Malaysia’s accounting students at the beginning and end of their internship program.The results show there is a significant change in perceptions among students after the internship program. However, changes in perceptions do not warrant an internship program as a means of reducing the audit expectation gap as misperceptions are still found among respondents on issues of auditing after the completion of the internship program. Nevertheless, an internship program can still be used to complement audit education in a university as it is an ideal way to expose students to professional issues and enables them to have a better insight of the actual performance and duties of auditors