Autonomous underwater vehicle Manoeuvrability studies

This research project is aimed to understanding the manoeuvrability of AUV and develop mathematical model to describe behaviour of vehicle interaction with the operating environment. A hovering type of AUV was defined base on the operation need of the AUV where it is likely to be applied in underwater research and exploring activities. Due to the increase demand of AUV, major efforts have been made in developing AUV in overcoming the challenging scientific and engineering problems caused by the unstructured ocean environment. The theoretical modeling of the AUV had being developed via Newtonian mechanics approach and the 6-DOF dynamic equations of motion are derived throughout the process. The governing equations mainly constitute terms of rigid body inertia matrix, hydrodynamic damping matrix, restoring forces and moments, environmental and propulsion forces and moments. Subsequently, a feasible 3-D solid modeling of the AUV had been designed through iterative method with CAD and CAE verification. Fluid interactions and manoeuvrability design analysis was achieved through implementation of CFD tool, COSMOSFloWorks. The theoretical modeling developed had been simplified under several relevant assumptions and the second order non-linear differential . equation solved using the programming software MA TI.AB to investigate the translational motion of the vehicle in the surging direction. The result from the model is the AUV motion relation, drag force and lift coefficient that could be utilized in the further AUV prototype development. The solid 3D design of the AUV had been achieved through spiral design process of iterative method. The method involves design statement, preliminary design, conceptual design and detailed design. Fundamental hydrodynamic knowledge had been applied to facilitate the design of the AUV. The optimum thruster location had been identified and the optimum design achieved. The scope of physical solid modeling had been effectively implemented via CAD software. SolidWorks licence by Universiti Malaysia Sabah had been utilized as the CAD platform in developing the AUV 3D model Stalling phenomena had also been identified as 15° through simulation software, COSMOSFloWorks. The stall pitching angle defines where the unstable manoeuvring of the vehicle will occur. COSMOSFloWorks also had been utilized to examine the effect of current velocities towards the AUV lift and drag coefficients. The simulation was conducted at various Reynolds number and various pitching angles. The investigation has found that the lift coefficient and drag coefficient increases as the pitching angle increases, but the considered range of Reynolds number had no significant effect on these hydrodynamic coefficients. These results were important for the design of better guidance and control systems for the AUV to achieve effective manoeuvring in current flow environment

Metabarcoding mosquitoes: MinION sequencing of bulk samples gives accurate species profiles for vector surveillance (Culicidae)

Mosquitoes (Family: Culicidae) are dominant vectors of pathogens, and their surveillance has been incorporated into major disease control programs worldwide. However, routine, species-level identification of mosquitoes is often a bottleneck for management, and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) platforms and DNA metabarcoding can revolutionize this process. MinION nanopore technologies promise on-site sequencing and rapid sample processing rates ideal for time-sensitive biosurveillance. Here, we benchmark the results of DNA metabarcoding on the MinION against the Illumina MiSeq platform, which is known for its higher sequencing accuracy. We used metazoan COI mini-barcode primers to carry out DNA metabarcoding of mosquito bulk samples caught during a real vector survey, then compared the mosquito species profiles recovered on each sequencing platform. We also tested the influence of using different trap lures, storage methods, and pooling different specimen body parts on the number of species recovered. We report that mosquito species-level identifications were highly congruent between MinION and Illumina (93% overlap). We also find that CO2 gas cylinders outperformed biogenic CO2 sources significantly, by two-fold. Notably, we demonstrated the feasibility of detecting zoonotic reservoirs and pathogen signals from mosquito bulk samples. We present the first use of DNA metabarcoding on the MinION for vector surveillance and discuss future applications

Trajectory pattern mining via clustering based on similarity function for transportation surveillance

Recently, surveillance on moving vehicles for traffic flow monitoring has emerging in rapid rate. A comprehensive traffic data, that is vehicle trajectory, is selected as reliable data for discovering the underlying pattern via trajectory mining. As the task of monitoring moving vehicles via vehicle trajectory dataset can be tedious, researchers are keen to provide solutions that reducing the tedious task performed by the traffic operators. One of the solutions is to group the vehicle trajectory data according to the shape of the patterns. This grouping task is called as clustering. Each of the clusters formed represents a pattern. In this paper, the analysis of the implemented clustering algorithm on the trajectory data with similarity function is presented. Discussion on the issues concerning the trajectory clustering is also presented

SUMO ENHANCEMENT FOR VEHICULAR COMMUNICATION DEVELOPMENT

It is normal that every family is having at least one vehicle at their home as vehicles have become a daily needs for all of us. However, this also leads to the increased of road accidents where major causes are related to human errors which can be prevented. To tackle with this problem, vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) is introduced with the aim to make vehicles intelligent. In order to study the algorithm in VANET, a mobility simulator is needed for simulation purpose. In this case, SUMO is proved to be a good simulation tool in generating VANET environment while MATLAB is good for algorithm development. Yet, to develop a good simulation platform, modification on SUMO files are necessary. This paper discusses on the procedures in creating a left-hand traffic (LHT) simulation file that is suitable to be used in Malaysia. LHT simulation is not easy to achieve as modification on the road connection and traffic light files are required. This paper also showed the results of the simulation after SUMO files modification. Apart from that, this paper also showed the simulation of VANET environment using SUMO and MATLAB through a third party interfacing named TraCI4Matlab, which allows communication between MATLAB and SUMO simulator

Adaptive Modulation with Moments based Signal-to-Noise Ratio Estimator

Abstract -Adaptive modulation techniques in wireless communications are reactive ways designed in communication systems to thrive in unpredictable channel environments. The attractive use of adaptive communications will prove to bring more robustness and flexibility compared to fixed modulation schemes. In order for adaptive modulation to work correctly, it requires an accurate estimation of the channel condition at the receivers' end to make decisions and take action. Channel state information (CSI) has several of other uses in wireless communication systems. Accordingly, a communication link which adapts the degree of modulation scheme according to the estimated signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values is proposed. The system estimates the current channel condition in the form of CSI and feedback to the transmitter. Hence, the objective of the adaptive system is to stay opportunistic in favourable circumstances while achieving acceptable quality margin in a time-varying communication link. In this paper, the overall system is measured using metrics of spectral efficiency and average bit error rate. Monte Carlo simulations of different signals and channel conditions corroborate our analysis and discussion

Effect of Ethrel as a Flower Induction Agent on the Growth and Quality of Fresh Golden Pineapple (MD2) in Malaysia

Ethrel was proposed as a good flowering agent to induce the flowering of various fresh pineapples. However, very limited research studies have been carried out on the effect of this inducing agent on the growth of the golden pineapple or Millie Dillard (MD2) in Malaysia, with none in Sarawak. To address this research gap, this study aims to investigate the effect of ethrel on the growth and fruit quality of MD2 pineapples growth in Miri, Sarawak. In this study, ethrel acts as an induction agent that was applied to induce the pineapples at maturity around 11 months after planting (MAP). Moreover, these induced pineapples were harvested 15 MAPs, whereas no pineapples were available for harvesting from the control group that was induced by natural flowering. These results showed that ethrel provided a higher yield in the number of pineapples compared to natural flowering, classifying them as Grade B pineapples. For the growth and fruit quality of the MD2 pineapples, it was found that the average values for the total soluble solids (TSS), total titratable acidity (TTA), pH, diameter, height with a crown, and whole fruit fresh weights with the crown of the pineapples were 16.48 Brix, 0.54 %, pH 3.89, 11.7 cm, 40.3 cm, and 1.4 kg, respectively. Furthermore, the average TSS to TTA ratio was 32.52, which was within the range of 5.5 to 66.4, indicating that the pineapples were sweet with prospects for commercial selling. Hence, it can be concluded that using ethrel as an induction agent is significant in Malaysia