Instruction Set Extension of a Low-End Reconfigurable Microcontroller in Bit-Sorting Implementation

The microcontroller-based system is currently having a tremendous boost with the revelation of platforms such as the Internet of Things. Low-end families of microcontroller architecture are still in demand albeit less technologically advanced due to its better I/O better application and control. However, there is clearly a lack of computational capability of the low-end architecture that will affect the pre-processing stage of the received data. The purpose of this research is to combine the best feature of an 8-bit microcontroller architecture together with the computationally complex operations without incurring extra resources. The modules’ integration is implemented using instruction set architecture (ISA) extension technique and is developed on the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Extensive simulations were performed with the and a comprehensive methodology is proposed. It was found that the ISA extension from 12-bit to 16-bit has produced a faster execution time with fewer resource utilization when implementing the bit-sorting algorithm. The overall development process used in this research is flexible enough for further investigation either by extending its module to more complex algorithms or evaluating other designs of its components

Comparison of supercritical and near-critical carbon dioxide extraction of carotenoid enriched wheat bran oil

Supercritical and near-critical carbon dioxide (CO2) extraction were carried out to extract oil from wheat bran. The extraction temperatures for supercritical and near-critical CO2 were 35 - 45°C and 25 - 30°C, respectively. The applied pressure was ranging from 10 to 30 MPa for both supercritical and near-critical CO2 extraction. The extraction was performed in a semi batch process with a CO2 flow rate of 26.81 g/min for 1.5 h. The oil obtained from wheat bran at different extraction conditions was quantitatively measured to  investigate the solubility of oil at supercritical and near-critical CO2. The highest solubility was found at near-critical condition. The fatty acid compositions of wheat bran oil were measured by gas chromatography (GC). Linoleic, palmitic, oleic and γ-linolenic acid were the major fatty acids of wheat bran oil. Total carotenoid was measured spectrophotometerically. Highest yield of total carotenoid was found at 45°C and 30 MPa.Key words: Supercritical and near-critical carbon dioxide, wheat bran oil, total carotenoid

Application Specific Instruction Set Processor (ASIP) Design in an 8-bit Softcore Microcontroller

The microcontroller-based system is currently having a tremendous boost in demand in line with the Industrial Revolution 4.0. Although more applications seem to concentrate on software algorithms and wireless connectivity, the hardware side of the system is still occupied by microcontroller variants. With huge alternatives being offered to setup a microcontroller system, having a softcore microcontroller is extremely beneficial especially when considering the rapid advancement in computer technology. Although the 8-bit microcontroller has less computational capability compare to other high-end microcontroller families, it has an advantage in low code density for I/O application and control. The purpose of this research is to combine the best feature of the 8-bit architecture together with efficient arithmetic operations in the implementation of moving average filter. The modules’ integration is implemented using ASIP design without occurring extra board space and is developed using the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) as the single chip solutions. It was found that the revised microcontroller architecture has produced a faster execution time and similar maximum frequency when benchmarked with its predecessor. The overall ASIP design procedures used in this research provides flexibility for further development, either by extending its module to incorporate more complex algorithms or by upgrading current designs of its components

NGC3801 caught in the act: A post-merger starforming early-type galaxy with AGN-jet feedback

In the current models of galaxy formation and evolution, AGN feedback is crucial to reproduce galaxy luminosity function, colour-magnitude relation and M-sigma relation. However, if AGN-feedback can indeed expel and heat up significant amount of cool molecular gas and consequently quench star formation, is yet to be demonstrated observationally. Only in four cases so far (Cen A, NGC 3801, NGC 6764 and Mrk 6), X-ray observations have found evidences of jet-driven shocks heating the ISM. We chose the least-explored galaxy, NGC 3801, and present the first ultraviolet imaging and stellar population analysisis of this galaxy from GALEX data. We find this merger-remnant early-type galaxy to have an intriguing spiral-wisp of young star forming regions (age ranging from 100--500 Myr). Taking clues from dust/PAH, HI and CO emission images we interpret NGC 3801 to have a kinamatically decoupled core or an extremely warped gas disk. From the HST data we also show evidence of ionised gas outflow similar to that observed in HI and molecular gas (CO) data, which may have caused the decline of star formation leading to the red optical colour of the galaxy. However, from these panchromatic data we interpret that the expanding shock shells from the young ($\sim$2.4 million years) radio jets are yet to reach the outer gaseous regions of the galaxy. It seems, we observe this galaxy at a rare stage of its evolutionary sequence where post-merger star formation has already declined and new powerful jet feedback is about to affect the gaseous star forming outer disk within the next 10 Myr, to further transform it into a red-and-dead early-type galaxy.Comment: 5 pages letter paper, 4 figures, 1 table, (submitted

Discovery of a spiral-host episodic radio-galaxy

We report the discovery of a unique radio galaxy at z=0.137, which could possibly be the second spiral-host large radio galaxy and also the second triple-double episodic radio galaxy. The host galaxy shows signs of recent star formation in the UV but is optically red and is the brightest galaxy of a possible cluster. The outer relic radio lobes of this galaxy, separated by ~1 Mpc, show evidence of spectral flattening and a high fraction of linear polarisation. We interpret that these relic lobes have experienced re-acceleration of particles and compression of the magnetic field due to shocks in the cluster outskirts. From the morphology of the relics and galaxy distribution, we argue that re-acceleration is unlikely to be due to a cluster-cluster merger and suggest the possibility of accretion shocks. The source was identified from SDSS, GALEX, NVSS and FIRST survey data but we also present follow up optical observations with the Lulin telescope and 325 MHz low frequency radio observations with the GMRT. We briefly discuss the scientific potential of this example in understanding the evolution of galaxies and clusters by accretion, mergers, star formation, and AGN feedback.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter

Prevalence, awareness and control of hypertension in Malaysia from 1980-2018: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Hypertension is a common public health problem worldwide and is a well-known risk factor for increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, contributing to high morbidity and mortality. However, there has been no systematic review and meta-analysis of a multiethnic population such as that of Malaysia. Aim: To determine the trend in prevalence, awareness and control rate of hypertension in Malaysia. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted in six databases (PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, CINAHL, Malaysian Medical Repository and Malaysia Citation Index) for articles published between 1980 and 2018. Two authors reviewed the studies and performed quality assessment and data extraction independently. Pooled estimates of hypertension prevalence, awareness and control rate were calculated using the DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Results: We included 56 studies involving a total of 241796 participants. The overall pooled prevalence of hypertension aged ≥ 18 years was 29.7%. The prevalence of hypertension was the lowest in the 1980s (16.2%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 13.4, 19.0), increasing up to 36.8% (95%CI: 6.1, 67.5) in the 1990s, then decreasing to 28.7% (95%CI: 21.7, 35.8) in the 2000s and 26.8% (95%CI: 21.3, 32.3) in the 2010s. The prevalence of awareness was 51.4% (95%CI: 46.6, 56.3), while 33.3% (95%CI: 28.4, 38.2) of those on treatment had achieved control of their blood pressure. Conclusion: In Malaysia, three in ten adults aged ≥ 18 years have hypertension, while four in ten adults aged ≥ 30 years have hypertension. Five out of ten people are aware of their hypertension status and only one-third of those under treatment achieved control of their hypertension. Concerted efforts by policymakers and healthcare professionals to improve awareness and control of hypertension should be of high priority

Использование арахисового масла в качестве присадки к дизельному топливу

Abstract. As part of the environmental requirements for reducing the toxicity of exhaust gases of internal combustion engines, including diesel engines of tractor and combine harvesters, great attention is paid to various ways of reducing harmful substances in the exhaust gases combustion products. The problem of using energy-saving resources, including renewable energy, various types of alternative fuels is currently solved. In several ways these include using vegetable oils from various agricultural crops, one of which is peanut oil. Its use can help to solve two urgent problems: reducing the toxicity of exhaust gases of internal combustion engines. (Research objective) To analyze the properties of peanut oil as an additive to diesel fuel and evaluate the performance of a diesel engine using this type of fuel. (Materials and methods) The properties of peanut oil differ from those of diesel fuel by higher viscosity and lower heat value. To compensate for these shortcomings, kerosene has been added to the mixture of diesel fuel with peanut oil. In cold climatic conditions, the use of pure peanut oil is difficult, since its cloud point is 3.3 degrees Celsius, which is 20 degrees higher than that of diesel fuel. In the blend composition, the cloud point of the fuel decreases, which makes it possible to use it in colder conditions. (Results and discussion) The authors have conducted a study on the tractor engine D-120 coupled with a brake balancer installation without additional engine adjustments. As a result, they have obtained the characteristics of the engine working on fuel with the addition of peanut oil. The authors have compared the results of the engine operation on pure and mixed diesel fuel, revealed indicators of operating efficiency and toxicity of exhaust gases. (Conclusions) It has been proved experimentally that the addition of peanut oil to diesel fuel leads to a decrease in the specific effective fuel consumption, and also reduces the emission of soot and nitrogen oxides, while the engine power decreases slightly.Реферат. В рамках экологических требований к снижению токсичности отработанных газов двигателей внутреннего сгорания, в том числе тракторных и комбайновых дизелей, большое внимание уделяют различным способам снижения вредных веществ в продуктах сгорания топлива. Решается задача использования энергосберегающих ресурсов, в том числе возобновляемых источников энергии, различных альтернативных видов топлива. К ним относятся растительные масла сельскохозяйственных культур, в том числе арахисовое. (Цель исследования) Проанализировать свойства арахисового масла как добавки к дизельному топливу и оценить показатели работы дизеля на топливе с добавками арахисового масла. (Материалы и методы) Арахисовое масло отличается от дизельного топлива более высокой вязкостью и меньшей теплотой сгорания. В смесь дизельного топлива с арахисовым маслом добавляли керосин для компенсации этих недостатков. В холодных климатических условиях использование арахисового масла в чистом виде затруднено, так как для него температура помутнения составляет 3,3 градуса Цельсия, что на 20 градусов выше, чем у дизельного топлива. В смесевом составе температура помутнения топлива понижается, что позволяет использовать его в более холодных условиях. (Результаты и обсуждение) Провели исследование на тракторном двигателе Д-120 в паре с тормозной балансирной установкой без дополнительных регулировок двигателя. Получили характеристики двигателя при работе на топливе с добавкой арахисового масла. Сравнили результаты работы двигателя на чистом дизельном топливе и смесевом, выявили показатели эффективности работы и токсичности отработанных газов. (Выводы) Экспериментально доказали, что добавка арахисового масла к дизельному топливу сокращает удельный эффективный расход топлива, а также уменьшает выброс сажи и оксидов азота, при этом мощность двигателя снижается незначительно

Statistical Properties of the GALEX/SDSS matched source catalogs, and classification of the UV sources

We use the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) Medium and All-Sky-Imaging Survey (MIS & AIS) data from the first public data release (GR1), matched to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR3 catalog, to perform source classification. The GALEX surveys provide photometry in far- and near-UV bands and the SDSS in five optical bands (u,g,r,i,z). The GR1/DR3 overlapping areas are 363[83]deg^2 for the GALEX AIS[MIS], for sources within the 0.5deg central area of the GALEX fields. Our sample covers mostly |b|>30deg galactic latitudes. We present statistical properties of the GALEX/SDSS matched sources catalog, containing >2x10^6 objects detected in at least one UV band. We classify the matched sources by comparing the seven-band photometry to model colors constructed for different classes of astrophysical objects. For sources with photometric errors <0.3 mag, the corresponding typical AB-magnitude limits are m_FUV~21.5, m_NUV~22.5 for AIS, and m_FUV~24, m_NUV~24.5 for MIS. At AIS depth, the number of Galactic and extragalactic objects are comparable, but the latter predominate in the MIS. Based on our stellar models, we estimate the GALEX surveys detect hot White Dwarfs throughout the Milky Way halo (down to a radius of 0.04 R_sun at MIS depth), providing an unprecedented improvement in the Galactic WD census. Their observed surface density is consistent with Milky Way model predictions. We also select low-redshift QSO candidates, extending the known QSO samples to lower magnitudes, and providing candidates for detailed z~1 follow-up investigations. SDSS optical spectra available for a large subsample confirm the classification for the photometrically selected candidates with 97% purity for single hot stars, ~45%(AIS)/31%(MIS) for binaries containing a hot star and a cooler companion, and about 85% for QSOs.Comment: 33 pages, 11 figures, accepted for the GALEX special issue of ApJS. For a version with full resolution figures see http://dolomiti.pha.jhu.edu/publgoto.htm

Moderate-to-high levels of pretreatment HIV drug resistance in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.

CAPRISA, 2019.Abstract available in PDF