A decentralized proportional-integral sliding mode tracking controller for a 2 D.O.F robot arm

Trajectory tracking with high accuracy is a very challenging topic in direct drive robot control. This is due to the nonlinearities and input couplings present in the dynamics of the arm. This paper deals with the tracking control of a class of direct-drive robot manipulators. A robust Proportional-Integral (PI) sliding mode control law is derived so that the robot trajectory tracks a desired trajectory as closely as possible despite the highly non-linear and coupled dynamics. The controller is designed using the decentralized approaches. Application to a two degree of freedom direct drive robot arm is considered

Automatic materials tracking practices through RFID implementation in construction projects

Materials tracking for materials management play a vital role and contributed a major portion of the total cost in a construction project. In addition, the improper handling and storage of materials at the construction site has made it difficult to track and locate at the time are needed to carry out construction works. These problems subsequently contribute to the project delays and increase in the total project costs. Thus, this paper seeks to identify problems regarding current material tracking practices in materials management processes. In this paper, ICT and potential implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for automatic materials tracking is also scrutinised. Data for this paper was obtained from the literature review and the case studies conducted in several construction projects. Semi-structured interviews with construction practitioners were carried out in order to gain insights into current problems, information and communication technologies (ICT) implementation, and RFID capability in assisting materials tracking practices. This paper reveals that construction projects in Malaysia are still using manual materials tracking practices, basic ICT implementation, and totally none RFID existence. Thus, there is a need for the application of RFID in order to facilitate materials tracking automatically for enhancing construction industry processes through IR 4.0

Price prediction model of demand and supply in the housing market

Over recent years, the imbalance between housing demand and supply, particularly in the high-cost housing segment, led to the rapid increase in the house prices. This paper has applied the standard theory of consumer demand and supply supplemented using content analysis method to explain the trend of housing demand and supply of housing market in Malaysia. Sampling in the quantitative content analysis is carried out to achieve the objective. Property Market Status Report in the NAPIC website provide a series data for total housing demand and supply for any house type of terrace, detached, cluster and townhouse in the price range between RM50,000 to RM300,000. All data provided cover from the first quarter until the fourth quarter across the year 2006 to 2015 specifically in Peninsular Malaysia only. Each level of the house price has a different equilibrium price so that developers can use it as an indicator based on the housing type. This research will promote ways to achieve the sustainabiliy in construction output overall so that the scholars can improve the equilibrium price model proposed in order to make the Malaysian housing become an affordable

On the Effect of Central Jet in Solid Cone Pressure-Swirl Atomizers / Ahmad H. A. Hamid ...[et al.]

Studies on swirl spray have received considerable attention due to its importance in numerous applications. The present study investigates the characteristics of sprays emanating from solid cone pressure swirl atomizers. Several atomizers with different exit orifice diameter were investigated using water at room temperature as the working fluid. The investigation reveals that the jet emanates from the central port significantly modifies the resulting sprays, particularly for atomizers with smaller exit orifice diameter. It is also found that a reduction in exit orifice diameter results in a significant increase in discharge coefficient and an almost linear increase in air core diameter. A semi-empirical correlation is also proposed to predict the axial velocity in terms of the main atomizer dimensions

Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping Using Direct-Based Method for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

The Direct Sparse Odometry (DSO) technique is a new form of visual odometry that makes use of a direct and sparse structure to achieve precision. In this project, the objective is to apply the DSO algorithm on the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) application. The main studies in this project are focusing on the experimentation for DSO algorithm parameter setting. Another objective is to evaluate the parameter and performance of DSO algorithm. The data evaluation was based on three different environments in the university campus. In this project, the Realsense D435i camera was applied to the RDDRONE-FMUK66 with interface of the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ model to capture the data. This project managed to analyze suitable point values on the active points and gradient parameter setting. The same parameter configuration which concerns on point density and keyframe management have been experimented in the three environment. From this project it is concluded that DSO on UAV can be improved in order to gain a stable data processing to be applied in the algorithm

Enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction performance of anatase–rutile TiO2 heterojunction via charge transfer from rutile to anatase

This is the final version. Available on open access from the Royal Society of Chemistry via the DOI in this recordIn light of recent doubts surrounding the industrial viability of photo(electro)catalysis technology for sustainable hydrogen production, it becomes imperative to align materials development with rationalized synthesis protocols. In this study, we present an innovative technique utilizing atmospheric-pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) to rapidly produce TiO2 in just 5 minutes using pure TiCl4 as the sole reagent. The resulting photoanode exhibits exceptional photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting performance, achieving a photocurrent density of 2.06 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V RHE. Moreover, the photoanode demonstrates sustained operation for 16 hours, leading to the successful collection of 138 μmol of H2 and 62 μmol of O2. These remarkable results are attributed to the controlled formation of an anatase–rutile phase-junction, the presence of well-balanced oxygen vacancies, and the bifrustum nanoparticle–nanoflake structure with a unique light trapping effect and large surface area. Density functional theory calculations confirm that the water-splitting reaction primarily occurs at undercoordinated Ti and O atoms in both anatase and rutile TiO2. Notably, the calculated Gibbs free energy values for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) differ significantly between rutile (−0.86 eV) and anatase TiO2 (0.22 eV). In the heterojunction, charge transfer enhances the HER performance through shared electronic density, resulting in a synergistic effect that surpasses the capabilities of individual surfaces and underscores the importance of electronic interactions within the junction.Universiti Kebangsaan MalaysiaCenter of Excellence for Innovation in ChemistryProgram Management Unit for Human Resources & Institutional Development, Research and InnovationHuman Resource Development in Science Project Science Achievement Scholarship of Thailand (SAST

Revealing the molecular signatures of host-pathogen interactions.

Advances in sequencing technology and genome-wide association studies are now revealing the complex interactions between hosts and pathogen through genomic variation signatures, which arise from evolutionary co-existence

Assessment parameters for coal-fired generation plant site selection

In order to meet future demand for electricity, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) is committedto the long-term strategic planning in locating suitable sites for future development of power stations.Site selection is an important process in the early planning stage of any power plant development asit will have significant implications on the capital investment, operational as well as the environmentand socio-economic costs of the power plant.The aim of this presentation is to briefly describe the ten (10) main assessment parametershaving the most profound effects on the selection of potential coal-fired generation plant sites.These assessment parameters were derived based on a survey of approximately 40 experts, comprisingfrom various specialists such as engineers from TNB, senior officers from Department Of EnvironmentMalaysia (DOE), scientist from University Malaya (UM) and a number of other independentconsultants

Shadow Generation in Mixed Reality: A Comprehensive Survey

This paper provides an overview of the issues and techniques involved in shadow generation in mixed reality environments. Shadow generation techniques in virtual environments are explained briefly. The key factors characterizing the well-known techniques are described in detail and the pros and cons of each technique are discussed. The conceptual perspective, the improvements, and future techniques are also investigated, summarized, and analysed in depth. This paper aims to provide researchers with a solid background on the state-of-the-art implementation of shadows in mixed reality. Thus, this could make it easier to choose the most appropriate method to achieve the aims. It is also hoped that this analysis will help researchers find solutions to the problems facing each technique