• Advances in nano research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2023

Driven by the scaling down of transistor node technology, graphene became of interest to many researchers following the success of its fabrication as graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). However, during the fabrication of GNRs, it is not uncommon to have defects within the GNR structures. Scaling down node technology also changes the modelling approach from the classical Boltzmann transport equation to the quantum transport theory because the quantum confinement effects become significant at sub-10 nanometer dimensions. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of Stone-Wales defects on the electronic properties of GNRs using a tight-binding model, based on Non-Equilibrium Green's Function (NEGF) via numeric computation methods using MATLAB. Armchair and zigzag edge defects are also implemented in the GNR structures to mimic the practical fabrication process. Electronic properties of pristine and defected GNRs of various lengths and widths were computed, including their band structure and density of states (DOS). The results show that Stone-Wales defects cause fluctuation in the band structure and increase the bandgap values for both armchair GNRs (AGNRs) and zigzag GNRs (ZGNRs) at every simulated width. In addition, Stone-Wales defects reduce the numerical computation DOS for both AGNRs and ZGNRs. However, when the lengths of the structures increase with fixed widths, the effect of the Stone-Wales defects become less significant.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.385-399
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• 2023

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), commonly referred to as Boron Nitride Nanoribbons (BNNRs), is an electrical insulator characterized by high thermal stability and a wide bandgap semiconductor property. This study delves into the electronic properties of two BNNR configurations: Armchair BNNRs (ABNNRs) and Zigzag BNNRs (ZBNNRs). Utilizing the nearest-neighbour tight-binding approach and numerical methods, the electronic properties of BNNRs were simulated. A simplifying assumption, the Hamiltonian matrix is used to compute the electronic properties by considering the self-interaction energy of a unit cell and the interaction energy between the unit cells. The edge perturbation is applied to the selected atoms of ABNNRs and ZBNNRs to simulate the electronic properties changes. This simulation work is done by generating a custom script using numerical computational methods in MATLAB software. When benchmarked against a reference study, our results aligned closely in terms of band structure and bandgap energy for ABNNRs. However, variations were observed in the peak values of the continuous curves for the local density of states. This discrepancy can be attributed to the use of numerical methods in our study, in contrast to the semi-analytical approach adopted in the reference work.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.591-597
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• 2023

Pakistan depends heavily on imports for its fuel requirements. In this experiment, catalytic pyrolysis of a blend of feedstock's consisting of date seed, wheat straw, and corn cob was conducted in a fixed bed reactor to produce oil that can be used as an alternative fuel. The main focus was to emphasize the outcome of important variables on the produced oil. The effects of operating conditions on the yield of bio-oil were studied by changing temperature (350-500 ℃), heating rate (10, 15, 20 ℃/min), and particle size (1, 2, 3 mm). Moreover, ZnO was used as a catalyst in the process. First, the thermal degradation of the feedstock was investigated by TGA and DTG analysis at 10 ℃/min of different particle sizes of 1, 2, and 3mm from a temperature range of 0 to 1000 ℃. The optimum temperature was found to be 450 ℃ for maximum degradation, and the oil yield was indicated to be around 37%. It was deduced from the experiment that the maximum production of bio-oil was 32.21% at a temperature of 450 ℃, a particle size of 1mm, and a heating rate of 15 ℃/min. When using the catalyst under the same operating conditions, the bio-oil production increased to 41.05%. The heating value of the produced oil was 22 MJ/kg compared to low-quality biodiesel oil, which could be used as a fuel.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.301-308
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• 2024

Ceramic materials are being explored as alternatives to toxic lead sheets for radiation shielding due to their favorable properties like durability, thermal stability, and aesthetic appeal. However, crafting effective ceramics for radiation shielding entails complex processes, raising production costs. To investigate local viability, this study evaluated Malaysian ceramic tiles for shielding in diagnostic X-ray rooms. Different ceramics in terms of density and thickness were selected from local manufacturers. Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) characterized ceramic compositions, while Monte Carlo Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (MC PHITS) simulations determined Linear Attenuation Coefficient (LAC), Half-value Layer (HVL), Mass Attenuation Coefficient (MAC), and Mean Free Path (MFP) within the 40-150 kV energy range. Comparative analysis between MC PHITS simulations and real setups was conducted. The C3-S9 ceramic sample, known for homogeneous full-color structure, showcased superior shielding attributes, attributed to its high density and iron content. Notably, energy levels considerably impacted radiation penetration. Overall, C3-S9 demonstrated strong shielding performance, underlining Malaysia's potential ceramic tile resources for X-ray room radiation shielding.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1390-1411
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• 2024

Underwater Wireless Sensors Networks (UWSNs) are deployed in remotely monitored environment such as water level monitoring, ocean current identification, oil detection, habitat monitoring and numerous military applications. Providing scalable and efficient routing is very challenging in UWSNs due to the harsh underwater environment. The biggest difficulties are the nodes inherent movement due to water current, long delay in data transmission, low bandwidth of the acoustic signal, high error rate and energy scarcity in battery powered nodes. Many routing protocols have been proposed to solve the aforementioned problems. There are three broad categories of routing protocols namely depth based, energy based and vector-based routing. Vector Based Forwarding protocols perform routing through virtual pipeline by defining their radius which give proper direction to packets communication. We proposed a routing protocol termed as Path-Oriented Energy Scaled Expanded Vector Based Forwarding (PESEVBF). PESEVBF takes into account all parameters; holding time, the source nodes packets routing path and void holes creation on the second hop; PESEVBF not only considers the packet upward advancement but also focus on density of the forwarded nodes in terms of number of potential forwarding and suppressed nodes for path selection. Node selection in resultant holding time is based on minimum Path Factor (PF) value. Moreover, the suppressed node will be selected for packet forwarding to avoid the void holes occurrences on the second hop. Performance of PESEVBF is compared with other routing protocols using matrices such as energy consumption, packet delivery ratio, packets dropping ratio and duplicate packets creation indicating considerable performance improvement.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.187-193
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• 2023

Large software systems are being produced with a noticeably higher level of quality with component-based software engineering (CBSE), which places a strong emphasis on breaking down engineered systems into logical or functional components with clearly defined interfaces for inter-component communication. The component-based software engineering is applicable for the commercial products of open-source software. Software metrics play a major role in application development which improves the quantitative measurement of analyzing, scheduling, and reiterating the software module. This methodology will provide an improved result in the process, of better quality and higher usage of software development. The major concern is about the software complexity which is focused on the development and deployment of software. Software metrics will provide an accurate result of software quality, risk, reliability, functionality, and reusability of the component. The proposed metrics are used to assess many aspects of the process, including efficiency, reusability, product interaction, and process complexity. The details description of the various software quality metrics that may be found in the literature on software engineering. In this study, it is explored the advantages and disadvantages of the various software metrics. The topic of component-based software engineering is discussed in this paper along with metrics for software quality, object-oriented metrics, and improved performance.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.157-174
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• 2024

This study investigates the influence of varying concentrations of boric acid (BA) preservative on the physical and mechanical properties of light red meranti (LRM) found in Sarawak. LRM or Shorea leprosula samples were treated with various concentrations of BA via the dip diffusion method using American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The physical property, particularly the retention rate and mechanical properties, bending strength, modulus of elasticity (MOE), tensile and compression strength parallel to grain of impregnated and control samples were tested to determine the effects of BA preservative. The retention rate was found to increase with increasing BA concentration and higher surface area to volume ratio. The mechanical properties in terms of the MOE and tensile strength parallel to grain were found to be greater than those of the control samples, whereas the bending strength and tensile strength parallel to grain were lower. Amongst the results, only the retention rate and MOE showed significant interaction effects at 5% level of significance between all factors tested (samples size and BA concentration for retention rate and BA concentration for MOE).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.1017-1028
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• 2024

Lignocellulolytic enzymes play a crucial role in efficiently converting lignocellulose into valuable platform molecules in various industries. However, they are limited by their production yields, costs, and stability. Consequently, their production by producers adapted to local environments and the choice of low-cost raw materials can address these limitations. Due to the large amounts of olive stones (OS) generated in Morocco which are still undervalued, Penicillium crustosum, Fusarium nygamai, Trichoderma capillare, and Aspergillus calidoustus, are cultivated under different fermentation techniques using this by-product as a local lignocellulosic substrate. Based on a multilevel factorial design, their potential to produce lignocellulolytic enzymes during 15 days of dark incubation was evaluated. The results revealed that P. crustosum expressed a maximum total cellulase activity of 10.9 IU/ml under sequential fermentation (SF) and 3.6 IU/ml of β-glucosidase activity under submerged fermentation (SmF). F. nygamai recorded the best laccase activity of 9 IU/ml under solid-state fermentation (SSF). Unlike T. capillare, SF was the inducive culture for the former activity with 7.6 IU/ml. A. calidoustus produced, respectively, 1,009 ㎍/ml of proteins and 11.5 IU/ml of endoglucanase activity as the best results achieved. Optimum cellulase production took place after the 5th day under SF, while ligninases occurred between the 9th and the 11th days under SSF. This study reports for the first time the lignocellulolytic activities of F. nygamai and A. calidoustus. Furthermore, it underlines the potential of the four fungi as biomass decomposers for environmentally-friendly applications, emphasizing the efficiency of OS as an inducing substrate for enzyme production.

• Journal of Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.175-181
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• 2023

Objective: Endovascular treatment of cerebrovascular diseases is often challenging due to small caliber, tortuous distal vessels. Several devices and techniques have evolved to overcome these challenges. Recently, a low profile dual lumen microballoon catheter, specifically designed for distal navigation is employed for neurovascular procedures. Due to its recent advent, scarce data is available on clinical utility and safety of Scepter Mini. The aim of this case series is to report our initial experience with Scepter Mini in the management of various cerebrovascular diseases. Methods: All interventional neurovascular cases performed using Scepter Mini between January 2020 till April 2021 were included. Data regarding patient demographics, procedural details and complications was retrospectively collected from patient's electronic medical record and procedure reports. Results: Total twelve embolization procedures were performed in eleven patients, including six brain arteriovenous malformation, two dural arteriovenous fistula, one vein of Galen malformation and three hyper-vascular glomus tumor embolizations. All procedures were successfully performed with adequate penetration of the embolic agent. Complete embolization was performed in six procedures, while intended partial embolization was performed in the rest of procedures. Scepter Mini was solely used in ten procedures, however in the other two embolization procedures it was used as an additional conjunct tool to complete the intended embolization. No balloon related complication was observed in any procedure. Conclusions: Scepter Mini dual lumen microballoon catheter is safe and feasible for delivery of liquid embolic agents for cerebrovascular embolization procedures.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.137-147
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• 2024

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are considered a promising alternative to graphene for future nanoelectronic applications. However, GNRs-based device modeling is still at an early stage. This research models the electronic properties of n-doped rough-edged 13-armchair graphene nanoribbons (13-AGNRs) and quantum transport properties of n-doped rough-edged 13-armchair graphene nanoribbon field-effect transistors (13-AGNRFETs) at different doping concentrations. Step-up and edge doping are used to incorporate doping within the nanostructure. The numerical real-space nearest-neighbour tight-binding (NNTB) method constructs the Hamiltonian operator matrix, which computes electronic properties, including the sub-band structure and bandgap. Quantum transport properties are subsequently computed using the self-consistent solution of the two-dimensional Poisson and Schrödinger equations within the non-equilibrium Green's function method. The finite difference method solves the Poisson equation, while the successive over-relaxation method speeds up the convergence process. Performance metrics of the device are then computed. The results show that highly doped, rough-edged 13-AGNRs exhibit a lower bandgap. Moreover, n-doped rough-edged 13-AGNRFETs with a channel of higher doping concentration have better gate control and are less affected by leakage current because they demonstrate a higher current ratio and lower off-current. Furthermore, highly n-doped rough-edged 13-AGNRFETs have better channel control and are less affected by the short channel effect due to the lower value of subthreshold swing and drain-induced barrier lowering. The inclusion of dopants enhances the on-current by introducing more charge carriers in the highly n-doped, rough-edged channel. This research highlights the importance of optimizing doping concentrations for enhancing GNRFET-based device performance, making them viable for applications in nanoelectronics.