Fuzzy logic for thermal process

The main purpose of this project is to compare the performance of current proportional-integral-derivative (PID) method that widely used in industry with the Fuzzy Logic Control as an alternative

PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND TRACKING PROTOTYPE FOR SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) INTEGRATED RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM (PEMANTAU)

The purpose of this project is to develop a monitoring and tracking system for renewable energy generation system. The system is called as PEMANTAU, which stands for Performance Monitoring and Tracking Prototype for Integrated Renewable Energy System, consisting of tools for measurements, analysis, and controls of the renewable electricity generating system. PEMANTAU is an important tool for monitoring the performance of solar electricity generating system, for optimum operation. The idea of PEMANTAU is to provide capability to capture important data for analysis which can be used for optimizing the renewable electricity generating system. It is important now to realize that optimization and improvements to the renewable energy system efficiency will bring the change to the nation where, energy consumption today is too dependent on the fossil type of energy. This project is also to support the strategic plan framework of the 10th Malaysia Plan that emphasizes on the importance of using renewable energy to meet Malaysia’s growing energy demand and to reduce the nation's reliance and utilization of fossil fuel for power generation. The earlier phase of PEMANTAU will support a solar-based electricity generating system. This will serve as an early prototype to build the platform for the renewable electricity system. Solar electricity is proved to be an ideal source of potential future electricity. Thus a quick method using simulation is needed to model the impact of solar energy where it can be used to help distribution planners to perform the necessary research and improvements. This report will demonstrate and document all the functionalities and explain methods of the real time monitoring system that models resulting from output to the end user. The GUI-based is designed to make the representation of data more user-friendly. It acquires the measured data which have been transmitted wirelessly. Overall, the objectives of this project have been fully achieved, whereby the PEMANTAU system has been successfully designed and tested. PEMANTAU can be further improved by extending it for other renewable energy based systems

Prediction the individual component distillation curves of the blended feed using a hybrid GDM-PcLE method

A comprehensive knowledge of the properties and characterisations of the individual component in the blended feed is primary importance because different feedstock blending yields different products palate. Crude oil / condensate distillation unit optimization is an uphill task because unavailability of cheaper and reliable on line feed and product analyzers. Furthermore, laboratory analysis for feedstock characterization is very costly and time consuming. Alternatively, feed synthesis technique is used to reconcile the entire range of feed distillation curves by back blending the product streams from the actual column operation. The TBP and SG correlation are widely been used to estimate other bulk properties because they give the most accurate results. Due to highly nonlinear behaviour, methods like linear regression, non linear regression and rigorous models are adopted to predict TBP and SG distillation curves. The latter could give better accuracy results, but it is more complex, lengthy and costly to be implemented. In addition, the rigorous model commercially available such as PetrosimTM and Hysis 3.1TM are only being used to predict blended feed distillation curves, not for the individual component. Thus, a hybrid approach is proposed to overcome the deficiency of current methods and practices. The proposed method integrates the most versatile General Distribution Model (GDM) with a Pseudo-component Linear Equation (PcLE) method to predict the entire range individual component TBP and SG distillation curves of the blended feed from the readily available plant data, which are routinely taken by refiners. The predicted results given by hybrid GDM-PcLE model are almost agreeable with the lab results. A case study using the proposed short cut feed synthesis procedure and hybrid GDM-PcLE model showed additional 5% Naphtha yield can be achieved by changing the current feed blending ratio and product cut points. The accuracy of the predicting results can be improved if the distillates samples are to be carried out simultaneously and the flow meters are calibrated and corrected the measurements to density and temperature of the measuring devices. Since PcLE method is simple and open application, it can be easily integrated with iCONTM to enhance its application predicting the pure component TBP and other distillation curves from blended feed

The ranging behaviour of Tyto alba in oil palm under baiting with anticoagulant rodenticides, warfarin and brodifacoum and a biorodenticide Sarcocystis singaporensis (Zaman & Colley, 1975)

This study investigated the ranging behaviour of Tyto alba in oil palm under three different rodenticide applications. For this purpose, four treatment plots were established in the FELCRA oil palm plantation in Seberang Perak. Three plots were baited each with warfarin, brodifacoum and a protozoan based biorodenticide, Sarcocystis singaporensis, plus a fourth non-baited control plot. For each plot, a pair of T. alba was attached with radio transmitters and tracked for three nights with a radiotracking equipment. Radio locations were plotted on a 1:66 scale map. These radio locations were used to determine the home range size, the core area size, the mean distance moved from one radio location to the next and the furthest radio location from the nest box or the centre of activity. Data were analysed with the help of the software BIOTAS. The home ranges were analysed using the method of Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP), the Harmonic Mean (HM) and the Kernel estimator. The home range sizes of the chemical rodenticide areas were consistently larger than the biorodenticide and the non-treated control areas. For males, the home sizes calculated using the MCP method were 60.51 ha; 36.95 ha; 18.19 ha and 15.22 ha for the brodifacoum, warfarin, control and biorodenticide treated plots, respectively. As for the females, the corresponding home range sizes were 69.39 ha, 52.50 ha, 28.80 ha, and 49.85 ha. Meanwhile, the home range sizes of the females were significantly larger than those of the males when calculated using the MCP and HM methods. The core area size, which is conventionally treated as the defended area around the nest box, yielded male core area sizes of 16.43 ha, 9.0 ha, 4.48 ha and 1.39 ha for brodifacoum, warfarin, control and biorodenticide treated plots respectively, based on the MCP method. The corresponding core area sizes for the females were 28.55 ha, 37.17 ha, 11.21 ha and 19.02 ha. The females tend to move over a longer distance compared to that of the males; however, the mean distances travelled by the females and males were not significantly different. The data suggest that the furthest radio locations of the females from the nest box were greater than that of the males in all the treatment plots. The difference between the furthest radio locations of the females and males were significant. These data suggest that in areas treated with chemical rodenticide, T. alba has to engage in greater exploratory flight resulting in larger home range size, core area size and greater distance between the radio locations to secure enough prey to meet their energetic demands

Armus dual roles in autophagy and E-cadherin degradation: distinct partners, regulation and implications for cancer patients

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Invasion, metastasis and apoptotic evasion are cancer hallmarks. Tumour cell metastasis requires loss of E-cadherin cell-cell adhesion receptor. Apoptotic evasion can be mediated by up-regulation of autophagy, which maintains cellular energy during metabolic stress in cancer cells. Armus is a TBC/RabGAP protein that regulates both E-cadherin degradation and autophagy by controlling lysosome fusion with late vesicular compartments or autophagosomes. Understanding Armus function in these degradative processes during tumourigenesis may lead to combinatorial inhibition of oncogenic pathways and novel therapeutic targets. Here I address: (i) whether Armus participates in E-cadherin deregulation downstream of oncogenes, (ii) potential mechanisms through which Armus can switch between its function at junctions and autophagosomes and (iii) potential strategies to inhibit Armus intracellular localisation. I found that Armus is involved in Src and H-Ras disruption of E-cadherin junctions in keratinocytes. Armus binds to α-catenin at junctions, while at autophagosomes Armus interacts with autophagy marker, LC3. Incubation with Armus peptides containing LC3-interacting motifs partially blocks Armus function in autophagy. Mutation of the specific residues mediating α-catenin association reduces Armus localisation at cell-cell contacts. The close juxtaposition of LC3 and α-catenin binding at PH domain at Armus N-terminus may suggest additional roles. Armus N-terminus and RabGAP domain interact directly, and residue K480 is critical for binding. This intramolecular interaction may form a closed conformation, and Armus activation may require the release of this auto-inhibition. It is tempting to suggest that protein interactions at the PH domain such as LC3 and α-catenin may modulate Armus auto-inhibition. Alternatively, the phosphoinositide repertoire interacting with the PH domain may contribute to Armus intracellular distribution and activation. Further insights into Armus activation may provide greater understanding of its function in distinct cellular events with implications for tumourigenesis.Open Acces

Fuzzy logic for thermal process

The main purpose of this project is to compare the performance of current proportional-integral-derivative (PID) method that widely used in industry with the Fuzzy Logic Control as an alternative

The impact of watershed hydrology on landscape development

Nowadays, numbers of study have been made to the soil or the impact of geomorphology on the hydrological process of stream flow such as sea, river and others, but much less concentration that have given to the opposite which is the impact and effect of hydrological process on the evolution of stream flow topography. Therefore, the study of changes of geomorphology is important to the development of our country. The problem is rises when the landscape development analysis and modeling Is neglected when there are extremely natural disasters happen but in silent the impact or effect on the deposition on the river bed can be important particularly when threshold are involved in the development. To determine the process of runoff, the area of sediment should be analyze so that the area of watershed and flow rate is suitable and does not give effect to the surrounding. The main objective of this study was to validate the changes of sediment or river bed is according to the flow rate of the stream flow. The specific objectives as follows; To establish the time series of river changes maps using Arc GIS, and to analyse the relationship of hydrological process (i.e. flow of stream) to the river changes. In this study, the stream and sediments location of the study area for the last four years were obtained from Google Earth image. The flow rate of stream flow of study area (Sungai Kuantan, Bukit Kenau, Kuantan, Pahang) obtained from the Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran Malaysia (JPS). The flow rate were analysed based on the minimum, maximum and mean of flow rate of the year. The sediment area values changes derived from the Arc GIS show a relationship to the maximum, minimum and mean of the flow rate. From this relationship, arithmetic equation could be derived as 0.0000789Q for the relation between the flow rate and the changes of the sediment area values which is the Q is the flow rate of the stream flow. Therefore, the flow rate could affect the changes in the area of sediment

Agents’ factors that predict customer-orientation behaviour at Ikhlas Consultant and Services (ICS), Bukit Katil, Melaka / Nurul Naim Mohd Yusof

Agents are employees who act as a representative of the company. However, none of us know the behaviour of agents when they come to approach us or run the product toward the customers. For them, to approach customers is a challenging to them as they need to have high self confident level and the physical and mental support from various factors. Most important factors is self motivation inside themselves while another support is from the commitment of employers or company towards them. This research was conducted for the purposed to know the behaviour of agents’ prediction on customer-orientation at Ikhlas Consultant and Services (ICS), Bukit Katil Melaka. The main objective of this research was to identify the individual factors of agents’ behaviour towards customers by study the factors of organizational commitment, self-monitoring and intrinsic motivation of agents. The respondent of this study was the agents whose work at the Ikhlas Consultant & Services (ICS). From the questionnaires distributed and the feedback gathered from 50 takaful agents were used to test the hypothesized relationship as well as the frequency of the commitment to the organization. From the findings, the academic and managerial implication of this study is discussed and has been provided with conclusion and recommendation

Multilevel capacitor-clamped DC-DC boost converter structure with soft-switching technique implementation for high power density achievement

This research presents the proposed 4-level capacitor-clamped DC-DC boost converter (CCBC) with soft-switching implementation for high power density achievement. The proposed 4-level CCBC has an ability to reduce the size and volume of passive components and have similar characteristics with the conventional DC-DC converter. Principally, the inductance and inductor volume are directly proportional with each other as well as the capacitance and capacitor volume. By considering high switching frequency, passive components’ volume can be reduced. Thus, the converter volume of the proposed 4-level CCBC can be reduced greatly when high switching frequency is applied. However, the switching devices suffer high semiconductor losses when hard-switching technique is used. Consequently, the cooling device volume is increased as well. Due to this problem, this study also proposes soft-switching technique in the 4-level CCBC for semiconductor loss reduction. The combination of optimum design of passive components and cooling devices may lead to the highest power density of the proposed converter. A 400 W of the 4-level CCBC converter is designed and experimentally verified. The result shows that with the inductor current ripple fixed at 1.04 A, the required inductances of the proposed 4-level CCBC and conventional boost converters are 0.11 mH and 1 mH, respectively, where the reduction of inductances is 80.75%. Consequently, the volume of inductor in the 4-level CCBC is reduced by considering the same switching frequency as the conventional DC-DC boost converter. The efficiency of the 4-level CCBC in hard-switching and soft-switching techniques for switching frequency of 500 kHz are 94.81% and 95.38%, respectively. On the other hand, by considering the Pareto-Front method, the achieved maximum power density of the proposed soft-switching technique for the 4-level CCBC is 6.51 kW/dm3 at 800 kHz switching frequency with efficiency of 97.20%. Thus, the maximum high power density and efficiency of the proposed soft-switching technique for 4-level CCBC are determined in this study