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RESEARCH FACILITIES
UTP has some of the best research facilities to foster
strong research culture and to encourage cutting-edge
research in the areas of engineering, science and
technology.
High Throughput Microreactor
Pilot Plant Biodiesel Reactor
Thermal Energy Storage (TES) System
Swirling Fluidized Bed (SFB) Experimental Setup
Rheometer
E-Beam
High Resolution TEMPhysisorption Analyzer
RESINNEXResearch, Innovation, Exploration
“RESCUE-i Monitoring
System” - equipping
firefighters with
technology that
may save lives
Story on page 8 - 9
UTP Research NewsletterISSN 2289-5116ISSUE 3
January - June 2014
UTP Bags 26 Gold Medals in ITEX 2014
Page 4
Inspiring Researcher Page 11
Opening The Brain of a Fruit Fly
Page 10
ITEX Special Award Page 5
High Impact ResearchPage 6
Prince Court Medical Centre Visit
On 21st May 2014, Prince Court Medical
Centre (PCMC) representatives visited the
Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging
Research (CISIR). This was one of CISIR
initiatives to develop joint research with
PCMC in various brain research fields. Both
parties planned to have joint publications
through collaborative research e�orts.
Seminar on Good Weighing / Titration & Density Practice
On 29th April 2014, Mettler Toledo gave a seminar on good
weighing/titration and density practice. 30 participants
attended the seminar. The topics covered Weighing
Balance, Density Meter, Refractometer, Karl-Fischer Titrator
and Moisture Analyser. Good density and refractometry
practical tips and hints were presented to optimize density
and refractometry results.
NEWS
Book Published by CRC Press
The book “Surface Imaging for Biomedical Applications”
authored by Prof. Ir. Dr. Ahmad Fadzil Mohd Hani (Head, Centre
for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research) bridges the gap
between engineers and clinicians and it o�ers a thorough
analysis of biomedical surface imaging to medical practitioners
as it relates to the diagnosis, detection, and monitoring of skin
conditions and disease.
New MOR Director Appointed for SUREMOR
Prof. Dr. Nasir Syafiq was recently appointed
as the Director of Sustainable Resources MOR
(SUREMOR) taking over from the former
Director, Prof. Dr. Khairun Azizi Azizli.
15
THE ESSENCEFrom the Editor-in-Chief
It is time for this issue of RESINNEX. As per the changes made in the last issue, we have received good feedback about the new format. Now the contents are more visible with vibrant coloured background and high resolution images. Although such formatting details may be normal for seasoned editorial team, however, it is a learning curve for new editorial team like us. We hope that with time RESINNEX will evolve in a publication that is not just news but a publication that is read with interest even by the general public. It is still a long way to go but we hope that we will reach there because of such aspirations of a motivated team.
In this issue we share the good news of achieving 54 awards in International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITEX) which was held in Kuala Lumpur from 8th to 10 May in 2014. We received 26 gold, 25 silver and 2 bronze with one special award. It is an acknowledgement of our researchers who have done very well for themselves. ITEX is a platform to promote and enhance the development and utilisation of inventions and designs. It creates opportunities for networking with local and international inventors and scientists worldwide and maximises exposure of award winning products and technologies to a global audience. Hence the results of ITEX are a big boost for our researchers.
I believe you will find this issue interesting and informative with our featured article which comes from the team led by Associate Professor Dr Ahmad Kamil who is also the Dean of Faculty of Science and information Technology (FSIT). It was a team e�ort that has resulted in getting the TechnoFund. This research will greatly benefit the firefighters in Malaysia and later on at the international level. This is a good example of how research can benefit the people and professions around us. That is why it is important for universities to be involved in research so that the researchers can have a direct impact on the society.
And i must draw your attention to a new section, Inspiring Researchers. This section will feature the researchers from UTP who are involved in breakthrough research. Their research brings recognition both at national and international level. We hope that by sharing the stories of these inspiring researchers, new researchers as well as students will be motivated. Who knows, this inspiration may result in a Nobel Prize one day!
So that’s about it for this issue. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Aamir
THE EDITORIAL
2
RESINNEX is the bi-annual newsletter of Research & Innovation O�ce (RIO), Mission Oriented Research (MOR) and Advanced Technology & Innovation Centre (ATIC). The views and opinions expressed or implied are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University’s management. No article in part or in whole should be reprinted without written permission.
Editorial correspondence, contributions and feedback for improvement can be addressed to:
The Editor-in-Chief, RESINNEXUniversiti Teknologi PETRONAS31750 Bandar Seri IskandarPerak Darul Ridzuan
For enquiries pertaining to the newsletter, kindly contact:Nor Diana Binti Nordian at +605 - 368 7893
Published by UTP Press, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. All rights reserved.
Editor-in-ChiefAssoc. Prof. Dr. Aamir Saeed Malik
EditorNor Diana Nordian
ContributorsRoselind WanNadira NordinNur Nadiah Muhammad Su�Mohd Syafiq AzmiNorlilawati SubohDileep KumarMegat Daharus Megat Idris
Layout and ProductionRaja Moha HaekalChong Yin YinMohamed Azaman Ismail
ProofreadersCorporate Services Department
Editorial Team
14 3
Budget Allocation under MORs and CentresEvery year, budget is allocated for purchase of equipment, consumables, visiting
professors, local and overseas travel in each of the 9 MORs and 13 Centres. The local
and overseas travel allocation is provided for networking and research activities. The
decision for the purchase of the equipment and consumables is done by the MOR
Director or the Head of Centre in consultation with their members.
For more details please contact:
Nor Diana Nordian
+605 - 368 8178
i-GEN (Idea Generation Fund)Fund up to RM 10,000 is provided to those who have novel
idea on breakthrough inventions and technology for a period
of 6 months. For more details, please contact:
Sharizul Azlan
+605 - 368 8164
STIRF(Short Term Internal Research Fund)
Seed fund up to RM 25,000 for junior
researcher to initiate research projects
for a period of 12 months.
URIF(University Internal Research Fund)Competitive grant up to RM 50,000 for
researchers to initiate potential and high
impact research projects for a period up
to 18 months.
YUTP - FRG(Yayasan UTP Fundamental Research Grant)
Grants up to RM 300,000 for researchers to
initiate projects in the field of OGE (Oil, Gas and
Energy) for a maximum period of 36 months.
For more details, please contact:
Graduate Assistantship (GA) & Tuition Fee Assistantship (TFA)UTP o�ers financial assistance to eligible and deserving postgraduate students.
The Graduate Assistantship (GA) scheme (RM 1650 for MS student and RM 2200 for PhD
student) and Tuition Fee Assistantship (TFA) scheme are o�ered to help them with their living
expenses in return for conducting research work and/or teaching services and/or academic
related services. Every lecturer in UTP is allocated a certain number of GA allocation to
provide financial support for their students. For more details please contact:
Muhammad Bahrul Ilmi
+605 - 368 8191
RESEARCH SUPPORT
Hasiah Kamarudin
+605 - 368 8165
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) gathered more
than 1,000 experts from over 40 countries from 3rd to
5th June 2014 for a gathering of presentations,
lectures, panel discussions and debates on research
and innovation in the 3rd World Engineering, Science
and Technology Congress (ESTCON 2014).
The Innovation Pitching session was held in
conjunction with ESTCON 2014. “The innovation
pitching is designed to directly connect researchers
and inventors to potential investors and business
partners. In addition, it will create opportunities that
will enable the university to increase revenue and
create new jobs,” said Datuk Ir. (Dr.) Abdul Rahim
Hashim, Vice Chancellor of UTP.
According to Dr. Zulkifli Mohamed Hashim, Deputy
Secretary General (Science) of Ministry of Science,
Technology and Innovation (MOSTI),“ESTCON 2014’s
Innovation Pitching is in line with MOSTI’s
commercialisation year with the theme - Science,
Technology and Innovation for Wealth Creation. This
initiative provides opportunities to technopreneurs to
commercialise their R&D products while addressing
key issues of commercialisation.”
A total of 26 innovation pitches were carried out during
the congress, with three innovations now in
discussions for commercialisation.
ESTCON 2014Innovation Pitching & Exhibition
NEWS
“ESTCON 2014’s Innovation
Pitching is in line with MOSTI’s commercialisation year with the
theme - Science, Technology and
Innovation for Wealth Creation.”
4 13
HYDROVIEW by Aquabotix, Inc. USA
CISIR exploring underwater robotics and sub-sea surveillanceBy Dr. Syed Saad Azhar Ali
Malaysia has a very long coastal line nearly 5000 KM including East and West Malaysia. It is suggested that huge oil and gas reserves may be lying beneath the water bed. Malaysia is already engaged in deep sea exploration for oil and gas. The deep sea installations and operations require sophisticated underwater robotics, especially for pipeline corrosion inspection. Moreover, Malaysia hosts a number of ports with hundreds of ships and vessels docking every day requiring periodic inspection of their hulls. It is the need of time to expand the o� shore exploration.
Therefore, members of Visual Surveillance and Monitoring at CISIR have started probing into underwater robotics and sub-sea surveillance. One of the projects undergoing this stream is related to intelligent maneuvering of unmanned underwater vehicle. Underwater vehicles (UWVs) have proven to be a vital element in a number of underwater applications such as marine science, underwater search and rescue, oil and gas exploration etc. The UWV motion control is very critical during operation. The movement of the underwater vehicle is subject to several uncertainties. The parameters are
dependent on the added or removed payload, as well as the type of the capabilities installed. The highly dynamic nature of water portrays significant disturbances to the vehicle such as underwater currents and waves. Moreover, the UWV is a multivariable system.
The multivariable nature of UWV, complexity of dynamics and the e�ects of hydrodynamic disturbances call for a controller that is capable of controlling the UWV in a dynamic hydrodynamic environment yet keeping the controller structure simple. The project is based on a recently developed control-oriented U-model tested on a specialized UWV HYDROVIEW by Aquabotix, Inc, USA. The
project is led by Dr. Syed Saad Azhar Ali and funded by Fundamental Research Grant Scheme as well as UTP’s Short Term Internal Research Fund. The success of this project would open doors to numerous underwater operations. Specifically, the suppression of disturbances will allow the use of UWV even in turbulent seas. This will remove the restriction of underwater operation with severe weather and sea conditions.
+605 - 368 7838
“The deep sea installations
and operations require sophisticated underwater robotics, especially for
pipeline corrosion
inspection.”
No. Project Leader Project Title ITEX Category
1 Dr Hanita Daud PAMOSYS - T Biotechnology, Health and Fitness
2 AP Dr Faiz Ahmad NANO CERAMIC FILLERS BASED INTUMESCENT FIRE RETARDANT COATING FOR STRUCTURES
Building and Construction
3 AP Dr Salah E. Zoorob VEGEBLOCK Building and Construction
4 Prof Ir Dr Muhd Fadhil Nuruddin FLEX-RPC Building and Construction
5 AP Dr Cecilia Devi Wilfred AMINO ACIDS POLYMERIZED IONIC LIQUIDS (APILS) FOR CO2 CAPTURE Chemicals
6 AP Dr Chong Fai Kait PHOTO_DES: DEEP DESULFURIZATION PHOTO SYSTEM Chemicals
7 AP Dr Isa M Tan FOMAX Chemicals
8 AP Dr Wan Fatimah Wan Ahmad MATHDS Educational Items
9 AP Dr John Ojur Dennis CMOS COMPATIBLE MEMS MAGNETOMETER Electricity / Electronics
10 Prof Dr Norani Muti Mohamed CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) IONIZATION-CNT DETECTOR (ICD) Electricity / Electronics
11 AP Dr Suzana Yusup IN-SITU CONVERSION OF PLASTIC AND AGRICULTURAL WASTE TO SYNGAS (W2E) Environmental and Renewable Energy
12 AP Dr Suzana Yusup INTEGRATED METHYL ESTER BLENDING SYSTEM USING HYDRODYNAMIC CAVITATION
Environmental and Renewable Energy
13 Prof Dr Abd Rashid Abd Aziz FREE PISTON LINEAR GENERATOR Environmental and Renewable Energy
14 AP Dr Aamir Saeed Malik TRACK3D I.C.T and Multimedia
15 AP Dr Dayang Rohaya Awang Rambli AR ALPHABEES I.C.T and Multimedia
16 AP Dr Ibrahima Faye VIDEO INPAINTING BASED ON GLCM I.C.T and Multimedia
17 AP Dr Irraivan Elamvazuthi MENSA I.C.T and Multimedia
18 Dr Satirenjit Kaur Johl MYCGSCORE I.C.T and Multimedia
19 Dr Teh Hee Min AN INNOVATIVE OCEAN WAVE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM: HFLOAT Industrial Design
20 AP Dr Ahmad Majdi Abdul Rani SPROCKET RING CHAIN Manufacturing Process
21 AP Dr Fawnizu Azmadi Hussin IROBOT & EROBOT Manufacturing Process
22 Prof Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib IOLI OIL - UPGRADING BASE OIL FROM GROUP I API CLASS TO GROUP II / III BY LIQUID EXTRACTION WITH IONIC LIQUID
Manufacturing Process
23 AP Ir Dr Mokhtar Che Ismail PH SENSOR DEVICE FOR CORROSION MONITORING Materials
24 Prof Dr Nasir Shafiq POZZO-CEM MK Materials
25 Prof Dr Nasir Shafiq PETROASH CEMENT Materials
26 Dr Wong Peng Wen DR MICROWAVE FILTER Telecommunications
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS researchers continued their excellent achievements in research and innovation when they bagged 26 gold, 25 silver, 2 bronze medals and a special award for Best Invention in Information & Communication Technology (ICT) in the 2014 International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITEX 2014), held from 8th to 10th May 2014. Organised annually by MINDS (Malaysian Invention & Design Society), ITEX 2014 attracted participations from 47 institutions in Malaysia and more than 1000 inventions from various countries. Below is the list of the 26 gold medal recipients:
ACHIEVEMENTS OF UTP RESEARCHERS CONTRIBUTIONS FROM UTP RESEARCHERS
12 5
Portable Diabetic Retinopathy Grading SystemBy Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fawnizu Azmadi Hussin
The research on Computerized Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) Monitoring and Grading System started in 2007 by the team consisting of Professor Ir. Dr. Ahmad Fadzil Mohd Hani, Professor P. A. Venkatachalam and Ms. Lila Iznita Izhar and a team from Hospital Selayang led by Dr. Nor Fariza Binti Ngah. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) funded the project under their TechnoFund grant scheme. The developed software prototype system was successfully tested and validated under an observational clinical study involving 256 patients. The computerized DR grading system was able to grade the severity of DR into six levels, namely no DR, mild non-proliferative DR (NPDR), moderate NPDR, severe NPDR, and proliferative DR. The computerized DR monitoring and system was awarded Malaysian patent.
Based on the inputs of the Hospital Selayang team, the prototype needed to be portable and easy to use for the purpose of nationwide mass screening.
For this purpose, the Portable DR Grading system (version 2) project was started in October 2011, which was led by Associate Professor Dr. Fawnizu Azmadi Hussin, whose expertise is on electronic design & test, and embedded system. After a two-year development until late 2013, the prototype of Android-based portable DR
grading system was successfully tested on a 10.1-inch Google Nexus 10 tablet. In addition, the USB interface between the fundus camera (that takes retinal images of the eye) and the Android tablet has been eliminated in version 3.0, in favor of the WiFi interface.
The software was optimized by exploiting the specific hardware features of the advanced Arm core such as NEON and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Enhanced parallel programming methods such as multi-threading and the usage of native language (Android applications are normally based on Java) were also part of the optimization methods. A patent has been filed in Malaysia for this invention as well as Gold medal awarded at ITEX.
+605 - 368 7811
“Based on the inputs of the
Hospital Selayang team, the
prototype needed to be
portable and easy to use for
the purpose of nationwide
mass screening.”
Dr. Fawnizu with the Portable DR Grading system at ITEX exhibition
Features of MyCGScore:- Corporate benchmarking- Investment decision support- In-depth company analysis- Enforcement assistance- Governance risk indicator- Firm performance analysis- Company ranking- Sustainability indicator
Potential beneficiaries:- Institutional Investors- Malaysian public listed companies- Regulatory bodies and CG institutions- Shareholder bodies
Dr. Satirenjit Kaur Johl of the Management & Humanities Department was awarded the “Hariram Jayaran Award for Best Invention in Information & Communication Technology (ICT)” for her product called Malaysian Corporate Governance Scoring System (MyCGScore). This special award is given to only one recipient in the ICT category. Therefore, it is a notable achievement to be selected for such an award.
MyCGScore assists investors in making wiser investment decisions when considering the prospects of corporate governance practices in Malaysian public-listed companies (PLCs). MyCGScore is based on an index developed prior to the development of the product and this index has adapted the best of various corporate governance indexes and codes (Singapore index on CG, MSWG, index, UK combined code and MCCG).
Special Award: Malaysian Corporate Governance Scoring System (MyCGScore)
“MyCGScore assists investors in
making wiser investment decisions
when considering the prospects of
corporate governance practices in
Malaysian public-listed companies.”
For more information regarding
MyCGScore, please contact:
Dr. Satirenjit Kaur Johl
+605 - 368 7756
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM UTP RESEARCHERS ACHIEVEMENTS OF UTP RESEARCHERS
6 11
With the exponential growth of the global
population, the agricultural sector is bound
to use ever larger quantities of fertilizers to
augment the food supply, which
consequently increases food production
costs. Urea, when applied to crops is
vulnerable to losses from volatilization and
leaching. Current methods also reduce
nitrogen use e�ciency (NUE) by plants
which limits crop yields and, moreover,
contributes towards environmental
pollution in terms of hazardous gaseous
emissions and water eutrophication. An
approach that o�sets this pollution while
also enhancing NUE is the use of controlled
release urea (CRU) for which several
methods and materials have been reported.
The physical intromission of urea granules
in an appropriate coating material is one
such technique that produces controlled
release coated urea (CRCU). The
development of CRCU is a green
technology that not only reduces nitrogen
loss caused by volatilization and leaching,
but also alters the kinetics of nitrogen
release, which, in turn, provides nutrients to
plants at a pace that is more compatible
with their metabolic needs. This review
covers the research quantum regarding the
physical coating of original urea granules.
Special emphasis is placed on the latest
coating methods as well as release
experiments and mechanisms with an
integrated critical analyses followed by
suggestions for future research.
Review on materials & methods to produce controlled release coated urea fertilizerAuthors: Azeem B, KuShaari K, Man ZB, Basit A, Thanh TH
Journal: Journal of Controlled Release
Impact Factor: 7.261
Buildings all around the world consume a
significant amount of energy, which is
more or less one-third of the total primary
energy resources. This has raised concerns
over energy supplies, rapid energy resource
depletion, rising building service demands,
improved comfort life styles along with the
increased time spent in buildings;
consequently, this has shown a rising
energy demand in the near future.
However, contemporary buildings’ energy
e�ciency has been fast tracked solution to
cope/limit the rising energy demand of this
sector. Building energy e�ciency has
turned out to be a multi-faceted problem,
when provided with the limitation for the
satisfaction of the indoor comfort index.
However, the comfort level for occupants
and their behavior have a significant e�ect
on the energy consumption pattern. It is
generally perceived that energy unaware
activities can also add one-third to the
building’s energy performance.
Researchers and investigators have been
working with this issue for over a decade;
yet it remains a challenge. This review
paper presents a comprehensive and
significant research conducted on
state-of-the-art intelligent control systems
for energy and comfort management in
smart energy buildings (SEB’s). It also aims
at providing a building research community
for better understanding and up-to-date
knowledge for energy and comfort related
trends and future directions. The main table
summarizes 121 works closely related to
the mentioned issue. Key areas focused on
include comfort parameters, control
systems, intelligent computational
methods, simulation tools, occupants’
behavior and preferences, building types,
supply source considerations and countries
research interest in this sector. Trends for
future developments and existing research
in this area have been broadly studied and
depicted in a graphical layout. In addition,
prospective future advancements and gaps
have also been discussed comprehensively.
A review on optimized control systems for building energy and comfort management of smart sustainable buildingsAuthors: Pervez Hameed Shaikh, Nursyarizal Bin Mohd Nor, Perumal Nallagownden, Irraivan
Elamvazuthi, Taib Ibrahim
Journal: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Impact Factor: 5.510
Abstract:
Abstract:
What is your motivation for research?I am always determined to be at par with the top researchers in my research area (MEMS Research) such as Kurt Peterson (father of fundamental MEMS) and Gary K. Fedder (inventor of CMOS-MEMS). They are my source of inspiration to always work hard and keep up with MEMS trends and technology.
The research that i am involved in have significant impact on the environmental and health i.e. reduction of chemicals from batteries and the economy as usage of batteries and maintenance costs will be reduced.
What is your advise to others?Malaysia has limited resources for MEMS processing and fabrication, therefore I would like to advise the younger researchers and students to explore this area and take up career in MEMS. Furthermore, I also want to encourage working and doing research in a team as it is beneficial in term of equipment and knowledge sharing.
Achievements• Book Chapter = 2
• Published Journals = 16
• Published Conference Paper = 45
• Patent Filed = 5
• Research Funding as Main PI = RM 548,000.00
• Industrial Consultation = 3
• Awards (3 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze)
• Science Direct Top 25 List of Most Downloaded Articles (Ranked 15th), June 2013, Elsevier & Science Direct.
• 1st runner-up (Fire Fighting Robot) @ RM2000.00, Apr 2013, Malaysia International Robot Competitions (MiROC 2013), Universiti Malaysia Perlis.
• Provost for a Graduate Student Research Award USD2000.00, Apr 2009, O�ce of the Vice Provost for Grant, Contracts & Sponsored Research, Oakland University, Michigan, USA.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Haris Md KhirPhD in System Engineering (Oakland University, USA)
Age:46 years old
Email:[email protected]
Position:Group Head for Health Cluster MOR Nanotechnology
Specializations:Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems (NEMS)Actuator / Sensor Design and Fabrication
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Haris Md KhirMOR Nanotechnology
HIGH IMPACT RESEARCH INSPIRING RESEARCHER
10 7
Boron removal by electrocoagulation and recoveryAuthors: Isa MH, Ezechi EH, Ahmed Z, Magram SF, Kutty SR.
Journal: Water Resource
Impact Factor: 5.32
This work investigated the removal of
boron from wastewater and its recovery by
electrocoagulation and hydrothermal
mineralization methods respectively. The
experimental design was developed using
Box-Behnken Model. An initial study was
performed based on four preselected
variables (pH, current density,
concentration and time) using synthetic
wastewater. Response surface
methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate
the e�ect of process variables and their
interaction on boron removal. The
optimum conditions were obtained as pH
6.3, current density 17.4 mA/cm(2), and
time 89 min. At these applied optimum
conditions, 99.7% boron removal from an
initial concentration of 10.4 mg/L was
achieved. The process was e�ectively
optimized by RSM with a desirability value
of 1.0. The results showed that boron
removal e�ciency enhanced with increase
in current density and treatment time.
Removal e�ciency also increased when pH
was increased from 4 to 7 and subsequently
decreased at pH 10. Adsorption kinetics
study revealed that the reaction followed
pseudo second order kinetic model;
evidenced by high correlation and
goodness of fit. Thermodynamics study
showed that mechanism of boron
adsorption was chemisorption and the
reaction was endothermic in nature.
Furthermore, the adsorption process was
spontaneous as indicated by negative
values of the adsorption free energy.
Treatment of real produced water using
electrocoagulation resulted in 98% boron
removal. The hydrothermal mineralization
study showed that borate minerals (Inyoite,
Takadaite and Nifontovite) can be
recovered as recyclable precipitate from
electrocoagulation flocs of produced
water.
Osteoarthritis (OA) can be characterised by
the gradual loss of articular cartilage (AC).
At the early stages of OA, physiological (loss
of proteoglycan associated with loss of
sodium) and morphological (thickness,
surface curvature, volume) changes in AC
have been measured. Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI) at >3Tesla provides an
excellent anatomy (morphology) and
quantification of various compositions
(physiology). This work aims to investigate
the possibilities of combined assessment of
AC morphology and physiology using
23Na/1H coil at 1.5Tesla MRI. It has been
investigated that the use of multinuclear
(23Na and 1H) MR knee data can overcome
the low and varying intensity in MR images.
This approach enables AC regions to be
automatically segmented with advanced
image processing techniques.
Reconstructed 3D articular cartilage
models can be used to assess morphology
of AC in di�erent compartments.
3D articular cartilage reconstruction using in vivo multinuclear MR imagesAuthors: Ahmad Fadzil M. Hani, Dileep Kumar, Aamir Saeed Malik, N. Walter, R. Razak, A. Kiflie
Journal: Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
Impact Factor: 4.663
Abstract:
Abstract:
From an engineer’s perspective, the brain is the most amazing living system because it is capable of extremely complex operation, is highly energy and space e�cient (requiring a fraction of the energy consumed by a tablet computer), is capable of self-repair and also possesses tremendous capacity for self-improvement via learning.
During my stay at Stanford University, to reverse engineer the brain, we took an engineering approach by making many measurements of neuronal activity in the brain on a simpler model system, namely the fruit fly brain. We have advanced this delicate and time consuming process by creating an automated robotic system capable of preparing hundreds of flies for live brain imaging. We hope that findings from analysis of these measurements will lead to new insights about fundamental principles of operation in the human brain.
Here is an image of a living fruit fly which was automatically captured and held by the robotic system which we designed. This fly is now under behavioral observation, its movements controlling a trackball are recorded and correlated with a variety of sensory stimuli. The robotic system is also capable of automatically tethering and performing microsurgery on flies in preparation for real-time imaging of brain activity simultaneously while the fly is behaving. The automated fly handling platform will be a useful tool to acquire orders of magnitude more brain activity data from the fruit fly model system, for analysis and inference of fundamental principles of how a brain works.
Dr. Ho Tatt WeiPhD in Electrical Engineering
(Stanford University, USA)
Age:33 years old
Email:[email protected]
Position:Chairman, Organising Comittee of
Workshop for Intelligent Signal and Imaging for Biomedical Applications
(WISIBA)
Specialisations:Biotechnology and Biomedical Systems
“The automated fly handling platform will be a useful tool to acquire orders of magnitude more brain activity data from the fruit fly model system, for analysis and inference of fundamental principles of how a brain works”
Opening the Brain of a Fruit Fly
BREAKTHROUGH RESEARCH HIGH IMPACT RESEARCH
Dr. Ho Tatt WeiMOR Biomedical Technology
8 9
Dr Kamil
Dr Irraivan
Dr Hanita
Dr Nursyarizal
Dr Jafreezal
FEATURED ARTICLE
A team of UTP researchers has been awarded the TechnoFund grant to develop and commercialise a research project by utilising ICT to assist firefighters on duty in hazardous fire breakout environment, dubbed as RESCUE-i Monitoring System.
According to the project leader, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Kamil Mahmood, “RESCUE-i Monitoring System is basically a development of wise digital control system for monitoring rescuers during their
operation. It is a real time system which integrates software modules, hardware sensors and data communication through radio network.”
Dr. Kamil said “Rescuers themselves are prone to casualties leading to
fatality due to poor health monitoring system. Firefighters in Malaysia are still using manual operation in tracking and
monitoring their firemen on duty.” He also added that by providing an e�cient monitoring system, the emergency response team for example, can gauge the oxygen level of each firefighter and their current heart BPM in their fire suit. This will help in making informed decisions whether to pull out the compromised firemen and evacuate the fire scene, therefore significantly reducing the number
of personnel casualties during a rescue mission.
“This system is expected to monitor up to 50 firemen at one time and with every minute of real time data logging for each person. We are ready to accommodate firefighters at catastrophic disaster scale.” said Dr. Kamil.
Project Title:
RESCUE-i Monitoring System
Project Leader:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Kamil Mahmood
Team Members:
Dr. Hanita Daud
Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Nursyarizal Mohd Nor
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Irraivan Elamvazuthi
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jafreezal Jaafar
Amount Granted:
RM 1,132,900
Funding Agency:
Ministry of Science, Technology and
Innovation (MOSTI)
Dr. Kamil, who is also the Dean of
Faculty of Science and
Information Technology (FSIT)
emphasized that this project is
the sum of the collaborative
e�orts given by the team
members which comprises of
experts from various research
disciplines. He said that
teamwork is very important and
the project would not be
possible without the support and
contributions of team members.
The TechnoFund grant awarded
by MOSTI (Ministry of Science,
Technology and Innovation) is
worth RM 1,132,900 and is a
2-year project to be completed
and commercialised with an
industrial collaborator, Semarak
Motivasi Sdn Bhd.
TechnoFund grant awarded to UTP for
RESCUE-i Monitoring System
“This project is the sum of the collaborative e�orts given by the team members which comprises of experts from various research disciplines. Teamwork is very important and the project would not be possible without the support and contributions of team members.”
“Rescuers themselves are
prone to casualties
leading to fatality due to
poor health monitoring
system. Firefighters in
Malaysia are still using
manual operation in
tracking and monitoring
their firemen on duty.”
From left to right: Dr. Hanita, Industrial collaborator - Semarak Motivasi Sdn Bhd and Dr. Kamil
8 9
Dr Kamil
Dr Irraivan
Dr Hanita
Dr Nursyarizal
Dr Jafreezal
FEATURED ARTICLE
A team of UTP researchers has been awarded the TechnoFund grant to develop and commercialise a research project by utilising ICT to assist firefighters on duty in hazardous fire breakout environment, dubbed as RESCUE-i Monitoring System.
According to the project leader, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Kamil Mahmood, “RESCUE-i Monitoring System is basically a development of wise digital control system for monitoring rescuers during their
operation. It is a real time system which integrates software modules, hardware sensors and data communication through radio network.”
Dr. Kamil said “Rescuers themselves are prone to casualties leading to
fatality due to poor health monitoring system. Firefighters in Malaysia are still using manual operation in tracking and
monitoring their firemen on duty.” He also added that by providing an e�cient monitoring system, the emergency response team for example, can gauge the oxygen level of each firefighter and their current heart BPM in their fire suit. This will help in making informed decisions whether to pull out the compromised firemen and evacuate the fire scene, therefore significantly reducing the number
of personnel casualties during a rescue mission.
“This system is expected to monitor up to 50 firemen at one time and with every minute of real time data logging for each person. We are ready to accommodate firefighters at catastrophic disaster scale.” said Dr. Kamil.
Project Title:
RESCUE-i Monitoring System
Project Leader:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Kamil Mahmood
Team Members:
Dr. Hanita Daud
Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Nursyarizal Mohd Nor
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Irraivan Elamvazuthi
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jafreezal Jaafar
Amount Granted:
RM 1,132,900
Funding Agency:
Ministry of Science, Technology and
Innovation (MOSTI)
Dr. Kamil, who is also the Dean of
Faculty of Science and
Information Technology (FSIT)
emphasised that this project is
the sum of the collaborative
e�orts given by the team
members which comprises of
experts from various research
disciplines. He said that
teamwork is very important and
the project would not be
possible without the support and
contributions of team members.
The TechnoFund grant awarded
by MOSTI (Ministry of Science,
Technology and Innovation) is
worth RM 1,132,900 and is a
2-year project to be completed
and commercialised with an
industrial collaborator, Semarak
Motivasi Sdn Bhd.
TechnoFund grant awarded to UTP for
RESCUE-i Monitoring System
“This project is the sum of the collaborative e�orts given by the team members which comprises of experts from various research disciplines. Teamwork is very important and the project would not be possible without the support and contributions of team members.”
“Rescuers themselves are
prone to casualties
leading to fatality due to
poor health monitoring
system. Firefighters in
Malaysia are still using
manual operation in
tracking and monitoring
their firemen on duty.”
From left to right: Dr. Hanita, Industrial collaborator - Semarak Motivasi Sdn Bhd and Dr. Kamil
10 7
Boron removal by electrocoagulation and recoveryAuthors: Isa MH, Ezechi EH, Ahmed Z, Magram SF, Kutty SR.
Journal: Water Resource
Impact Factor: 5.32
This work investigated the removal of
boron from wastewater and its recovery by
electrocoagulation and hydrothermal
mineralization methods respectively. The
experimental design was developed using
Box-Behnken Model. An initial study was
performed based on four preselected
variables (pH, current density,
concentration and time) using synthetic
wastewater. Response surface
methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate
the e�ect of process variables and their
interaction on boron removal. The
optimum conditions were obtained as pH
6.3, current density 17.4 mA/cm(2), and
time 89 min. At these applied optimum
conditions, 99.7% boron removal from an
initial concentration of 10.4 mg/L was
achieved. The process was e�ectively
optimized by RSM with a desirability value
of 1.0. The results showed that boron
removal e�ciency enhanced with increase
in current density and treatment time.
Removal e�ciency also increased when pH
was increased from 4 to 7 and subsequently
decreased at pH 10. Adsorption kinetics
study revealed that the reaction followed
pseudo second order kinetic model;
evidenced by high correlation and
goodness of fit. Thermodynamics study
showed that mechanism of boron
adsorption was chemisorption and the
reaction was endothermic in nature.
Furthermore, the adsorption process was
spontaneous as indicated by negative
values of the adsorption free energy.
Treatment of real produced water using
electrocoagulation resulted in 98% boron
removal. The hydrothermal mineralization
study showed that borate minerals (Inyoite,
Takadaite and Nifontovite) can be
recovered as recyclable precipitate from
electrocoagulation flocs of produced
water.
Osteoarthritis (OA) can be characterised by
the gradual loss of articular cartilage (AC).
At the early stages of OA, physiological (loss
of proteoglycan associated with loss of
sodium) and morphological (thickness,
surface curvature, volume) changes in AC
have been measured. Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI) at >3Tesla provides an
excellent anatomy (morphology) and
quantification of various compositions
(physiology). This work aims to investigate
the possibilities of combined assessment of
AC morphology and physiology using
23Na/1H coil at 1.5Tesla MRI. It has been
investigated that the use of multinuclear
(23Na and 1H) MR knee data can overcome
the low and varying intensity in MR images.
This approach enables AC regions to be
automatically segmented with advanced
image processing techniques.
Reconstructed 3D articular cartilage
models can be used to assess morphology
of AC in di�erent compartments.
3D articular cartilage reconstruction using in vivo multinuclear MR imagesAuthors: Ahmad Fadzil M. Hani, Dileep Kumar, Aamir Saeed Malik, N. Walter, R. Razak, A. Kiflie
Journal: Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
Impact Factor: 4.663
Abstract:
Abstract:
From an engineer’s perspective, the brain is the most amazing living system because it is capable of extremely complex operation, is highly energy and space e�cient (requiring a fraction of the energy consumed by a tablet computer), is capable of self-repair and also possesses tremendous capacity for self-improvement via learning.
During my stay at Stanford University, to reverse engineer the brain, we took an engineering approach by making many measurements of neuronal activity in the brain on a simpler model system, namely the fruit fly brain. We have advanced this delicate and time consuming process by creating an automated robotic system capable of preparing hundreds of flies for live brain imaging. We hope that findings from analysis of these measurements will lead to new insights about fundamental principles of operation in the human brain.
Here is an image of a living fruit fly which was automatically captured and held by the robotic system which we designed. This fly is now under behavioral observation, its movements controlling a trackball are recorded and correlated with a variety of sensory stimuli. The robotic system is also capable of automatically tethering and performing microsurgery on flies in preparation for real-time imaging of brain activity simultaneously while the fly is behaving. The automated fly handling platform will be a useful tool to acquire orders of magnitude more brain activity data from the fruit fly model system, for analysis and inference of fundamental principles of how a brain works.
Dr. Ho Tatt WeiPhD in Electrical Engineering
(Stanford University, USA)
Age:33 years old
Email:[email protected]
Position:Chairman, Organising Comittee of
Workshop for Intelligent Signal and Imaging for Biomedical Applications
(WISIBA)
Specializations:Biotechnology and Biomedical Systems
“The automated fly handling platform will be a useful tool to acquire orders of magnitude more brain activity data from the fruit fly model system, for analysis and inference of fundamental principles of how a brain works”
Opening the Brain of a Fruit Fly
BREAKTHROUGH RESEARCH HIGH IMPACT RESEARCH
Dr. Ho Tatt WeiMOR Biomedical Technology
6 11
With the exponential growth of the global
population, the agricultural sector is bound
to use ever larger quantities of fertilizers to
augment the food supply, which
consequently increases food production
costs. Urea, when applied to crops is
vulnerable to losses from volatilization and
leaching. Current methods also reduce
nitrogen use e�ciency (NUE) by plants
which limits crop yields and, moreover,
contributes towards environmental
pollution in terms of hazardous gaseous
emissions and water eutrophication. An
approach that o�sets this pollution while
also enhancing NUE is the use of controlled
release urea (CRU) for which several
methods and materials have been reported.
The physical intromission of urea granules
in an appropriate coating material is one
such technique that produces controlled
release coated urea (CRCU). The
development of CRCU is a green
technology that not only reduces nitrogen
loss caused by volatilization and leaching,
but also alters the kinetics of nitrogen
release, which, in turn, provides nutrients to
plants at a pace that is more compatible
with their metabolic needs. This review
covers the research quantum regarding the
physical coating of original urea granules.
Special emphasis is placed on the latest
coating methods as well as release
experiments and mechanisms with an
integrated critical analyses followed by
suggestions for future research.
Review on materials & methods to produce controlled release coated urea fertilizerAuthors: Azeem B, KuShaari K, Man ZB, Basit A, Thanh TH
Journal: Journal of Controlled Release
Impact Factor: 7.261
Buildings all around the world consume a
significant amount of energy, which is
more or less one-third of the total primary
energy resources. This has raised concerns
over energy supplies, rapid energy resource
depletion, rising building service demands,
improved comfort life styles along with the
increased time spent in buildings;
consequently, this has shown a rising
energy demand in the near future.
However, contemporary buildings’ energy
e�ciency has been fast tracked solution to
cope/limit the rising energy demand of this
sector. Building energy e�ciency has
turned out to be a multi-faceted problem,
when provided with the limitation for the
satisfaction of the indoor comfort index.
However, the comfort level for occupants
and their behavior have a significant e�ect
on the energy consumption pattern. It is
generally perceived that energy unaware
activities can also add one-third to the
building’s energy performance.
Researchers and investigators have been
working with this issue for over a decade;
yet it remains a challenge. This review
paper presents a comprehensive and
significant research conducted on
state-of-the-art intelligent control systems
for energy and comfort management in
smart energy buildings (SEB’s). It also aims
at providing a building research community
for better understanding and up-to-date
knowledge for energy and comfort related
trends and future directions. The main table
summarizes 121 works closely related to
the mentioned issue. Key areas focused on
include comfort parameters, control
systems, intelligent computational
methods, simulation tools, occupants’
behavior and preferences, building types,
supply source considerations and countries
research interest in this sector. Trends for
future developments and existing research
in this area have been broadly studied and
depicted in a graphical layout. In addition,
prospective future advancements and gaps
have also been discussed comprehensively.
A review on optimized control systems for building energy and comfort management of smart sustainable buildingsAuthors: Pervez Hameed Shaikh, Nursyarizal Bin Mohd Nor, Perumal Nallagownden, Irraivan
Elamvazuthi, Taib Ibrahim
Journal: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Impact Factor: 5.510
Abstract:
Abstract:
What is your motivation for research?I am always determined to be at par with the top researchers in my research area (MEMS Research) such as Kurt Peterson (Father of fundamental MEMS) and Gary K. Fedder (Inventor of CMOS-MEMS). They are my source of inspiration to always work hard and keep up with MEMS trends and technology.
The research that i am involved in has significant impact on the environmental and health i.e. reduction of chemicals from batteries and the economy as usage of batteries and maintenance costs will be reduced.
What is your advise to others?Malaysia has limited resources for MEMS processing and fabrication, therefore I would like to advise the younger researchers and students to explore this area and take up career in MEMS. Furthermore, I also want to encourage working and doing research in a team as it is beneficial in term of equipment and knowledge sharing.
Achievements• Book Chapter = 2
• Published Journals = 16
• Published Conference Paper = 45
• Patent Filed = 5
• Research Funding as Main PI = RM 548,000.00
• Industrial Consultation = 3
• Awards (3 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze)
• Science Direct Top 25 List of Most Downloaded Articles (Ranked 15th), June 2013, Elsevier & Science Direct.
• 1st runner-up (Fire Fighting Robot) @ RM2000.00, Apr 2013, Malaysia International Robot Competitions (MiROC 2013), Universiti Malaysia Perlis.
• Provost for a Graduate Student Research Award USD2000.00, Apr 2009, O�ce of the Vice Provost for Grant, Contracts & Sponsored Research, Oakland University, Michigan, USA.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Haris Md KhirPhD in System Engineering (Oakland University, USA)
Age:46 years old
Email:[email protected]
Position:Group Head for Health Cluster MOR Nanotechnology
Specialisations:Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems (NEMS)Actuator / Sensor Design and Fabrication
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Haris Md KhirMOR Nanotechnology
HIGH IMPACT RESEARCH INSPIRING RESEARCHER
12 5
Portable Diabetic Retinopathy Grading SystemBy Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fawnizu Azmadi Hussin
The research on Computerized Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) Monitoring and Grading System started in 2007 by the team consisting of Professor Ir. Dr. Ahmad Fadzil Mohd Hani, Professor P. A. Venkatachalam and Ms. Lila Iznita Izhar and a team from Hospital Selayang led by Dr. Nor Fariza Binti Ngah. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) funded the project under their TechnoFund grant scheme. The developed software prototype system was successfully tested and validated under an observational clinical study involving 256 patients. The computerized DR grading system was able to grade the severity of DR into six levels, namely no DR, mild non-proliferative DR (NPDR), moderate NPDR, severe NPDR, and proliferative DR. The computerized DR monitoring and system was awarded Malaysian patent.
Based on the inputs of the Hospital Selayang team, the prototype needed to be portable and easy to use for the purpose of nationwide mass screening.
For this purpose, the Portable DR Grading system (version 2) project was started in October 2011, which was led by Associate Professor Dr. Fawnizu Azmadi Hussin, whose expertise is on electronic design & test, and embedded system. After a two-year development until late 2013, the prototype of Android-based portable DR
grading system was successfully tested on a 10.1-inch Google Nexus 10 tablet. In addition, the USB interface between the fundus camera (that takes retinal images of the eye) and the Android tablet has been eliminated in version 3.0, in favor of the WiFi interface.
The software was optimized by exploiting the specific hardware features of the advanced Arm core such as NEON and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Enhanced parallel programming methods such as multi-threading and the usage of native language (Android applications are normally based on Java) were also part of the optimization methods. A patent has been filed in Malaysia for this invention as well as Gold medal awarded at ITEX.
+605 - 368 7811
“Based on the inputs of the
Hospital Selayang team, the
prototype needed to be
portable and easy to use for
the purpose of nationwide
mass screening.”
Dr. Fawnizu with the Portable DR Grading system at ITEX exhibition
Features of MyCGScore:- Corporate benchmarking- Investment decision support- In-depth company analysis- Enforcement assistance- Governance risk indicator- Firm performance analysis- Company ranking- Sustainability indicator
Potential beneficiaries:- Institutional Investors- Malaysian public listed companies- Regulatory bodies and CG institutions- Shareholder bodies
Dr. Satirenjit Kaur Johl of the Management & Humanities Department was awarded the “Hariram Jayaran Award for Best Invention in Information & Communication Technology (ICT)” for her product called Malaysian Corporate Governance Scoring System (MyCGScore). This special award is given to only one recipient in the ICT category. Therefore, it is a notable achievement to be selected for such an award.
MyCGScore assists investors in making wiser investment decisions when considering the prospects of corporate governance practices in Malaysian public-listed companies (PLCs). MyCGScore is based on an index developed prior to the development of the product and this index has adapted the best of various corporate governance indexes and codes (Singapore index on CG, MSWG, index, UK combined code and MCCG).
Special Award: Malaysian Corporate Governance Scoring System (MyCGScore)
“MyCGScore assists investors in
making wiser investment decisions
when considering the prospects of
corporate governance practices in
Malaysian public-listed companies.”
For more information regarding
MyCGScore, please contact:
Dr. Satirenjit Kaur Johl
+605 - 368 7756
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM UTP RESEARCHERS ACHIEVEMENTS OF UTP RESEARCHERS
4 13
HYDROVIEW by Aquabotix, Inc. USA
CISIR exploring underwater robotics and sub-sea surveillanceBy Dr. Syed Saad Azhar Ali
Malaysia has a very long coastal line nearly 5000 KM including East and West Malaysia. It is suggested that huge oil and gas reserves may be lying beneath the water bed. Malaysia is already engaged in deep sea exploration for oil and gas. The deep sea installations and operations require sophisticated underwater robotics, especially for pipeline corrosion inspection. Moreover, Malaysia hosts a number of ports with hundreds of ships and vessels docking every day requiring periodic inspection of their hulls. It is the need of time to expand the o� shore exploration.
Therefore, members of Visual Surveillance and Monitoring at CISIR have started probing into underwater robotics and sub-sea surveillance. One of the projects undergoing this stream is related to intelligent maneuvering of unmanned underwater vehicle. Underwater vehicles (UWVs) have proven to be a vital element in a number of underwater applications such as marine science, underwater search and rescue, oil and gas exploration etc. The UWV motion control is very critical during operation. The movement of the underwater vehicle is subject to several uncertainties. The parameters are
dependent on the added or removed payload, as well as the type of the capabilities installed. The highly dynamic nature of water portrays significant disturbances to the vehicle such as underwater currents and waves. Moreover, the UWV is a multivariable system.
The multivariable nature of UWV, complexity of dynamics and the e�ects of hydrodynamic disturbances call for a controller that is capable of controlling the UWV in a dynamic hydrodynamic environment yet keeping the controller structure simple. The project is based on a recently developed control-oriented U-model tested on a specialized UWV HYDROVIEW by Aquabotix, Inc, USA. The
project is led by Dr. Syed Saad Azhar Ali and funded by Fundamental Research Grant Scheme as well as UTP’s Short Term Internal Research Fund. The success of this project would open doors to numerous underwater operations. Specifically, the suppression of disturbances will allow the use of UWV even in turbulent seas. This will remove the restriction of underwater operation with severe weather and sea conditions.
+605 - 368 7838
“The deep sea installations
and operations require sophisticated underwater robotics, especially for
pipeline corrosion
inspection.”
No. Project Leader Project Title ITEX Category
1 Dr Hanita Daud PAMOSYS - T Biotechnology, Health and Fitness
2 AP Dr Faiz Ahmad NANO CERAMIC FILLERS BASED INTUMESCENT FIRE RETARDANT COATING FOR STRUCTURES
Building and Construction
3 AP Dr Salah E. Zoorob VEGEBLOCK Building and Construction
4 Prof Ir Dr Muhd Fadhil Nuruddin FLEX-RPC Building and Construction
5 AP Dr Cecilia Devi Wilfred AMINO ACIDS POLYMERIZED IONIC LIQUIDS (APILS) FOR CO2 CAPTURE Chemicals
6 AP Dr Chong Fai Kait PHOTO_DES: DEEP DESULFURIZATION PHOTO SYSTEM Chemicals
7 AP Dr Isa M Tan FOMAX Chemicals
8 AP Dr Wan Fatimah Wan Ahmad MATHDS Educational Items
9 AP Dr John Ojur Dennis CMOS COMPATIBLE MEMS MAGNETOMETER Electricity / Electronics
10 Prof Dr Norani Muti Mohamed CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) IONIZATION-CNT DETECTOR (ICD) Electricity / Electronics
11 AP Dr Suzana Yusup IN-SITU CONVERSION OF PLASTIC AND AGRICULTURAL WASTE TO SYNGAS (W2E) Environmental and Renewable Energy
12 AP Dr Suzana Yusup INTEGRATED METHYL ESTER BLENDING SYSTEM USING HYDRODYNAMIC CAVITATION
Environmental and Renewable Energy
13 Prof Dr Abd Rashid Abd Aziz FREE PISTON LINEAR GENERATOR Environmental and Renewable Energy
14 AP Dr Aamir Saeed Malik TRACK3D I.C.T and Multimedia
15 AP Dr Dayang Rohaya Awang Rambli AR ALPHABEES I.C.T and Multimedia
16 AP Dr Ibrahima Faye VIDEO INPAINTING BASED ON GLCM I.C.T and Multimedia
17 AP Dr Irraivan Elamvazuthi MENSA I.C.T and Multimedia
18 Dr Satirenjit Kaur Johl MYCGSCORE I.C.T and Multimedia
19 Dr Teh Hee Min AN INNOVATIVE OCEAN WAVE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM: HFLOAT Industrial Design
20 AP Dr Ahmad Majdi Abdul Rani SPROCKET RING CHAIN Manufacturing Process
21 AP Dr Fawnizu Azmadi Hussin IROBOT & EROBOT Manufacturing Process
22 Prof Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib IOLI OIL - UPGRADING BASE OIL FROM GROUP I API CLASS TO GROUP II / III BY LIQUID EXTRACTION WITH IONIC LIQUID
Manufacturing Process
23 AP Ir Dr Mokhtar Che Ismail PH SENSOR DEVICE FOR CORROSION MONITORING Materials
24 Prof Dr Nasir Shafiq POZZO-CEM MK Materials
25 Prof Dr Nasir Shafiq PETROASH CEMENT Materials
26 Dr Wong Peng Wen DR MICROWAVE FILTER Telecommunications
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS researchers continued their excellent achievements in research and innovation when they bagged 26 gold, 25 silver, 2 bronze medals and a special award for Best Invention in Information & Communication Technology (ICT) in the 2014 International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITEX 2014), held from 8th to 10th May 2014. Organized annually by MINDS (Malaysian Invention & Design Society), ITEX 2014 attracted participations from 47 institutions in Malaysia and more than 1000 inventions from various countries. Below is the list of the 26 gold medal recipients:
ACHIEVEMENTS OF UTP RESEARCHERS CONTRIBUTIONS FROM UTP RESEARCHERS
14 3
Budget Allocation under MORs and CentresEvery year, budget is allocated for purchase of equipment, consumables, visiting
professors, local and overseas travel in each of the 9 MORs and 13 Centres. The local
and overseas travel allocation is provided for networking and research activities. The
decision for the purchase of the equipment and consumables is done by the MOR
Director or the Head of Centre in consultation with their members.
For more details please contact:
Nor Diana Nordian
+605 - 368 8178
i-GEN (Idea Generation Fund)Fund up to RM 10,000 is provided to those who have novel
idea on breakthrough inventions and technology for a period
of 6 months. For more details, please contact:
Sharizul Azlan
+605 - 368 8164
STIRF(Short Term Internal Research Fund)
Seed fund up to RM 25,000 for junior
researcher to initiate research projects
for a period of 12 months.
URIF(University Internal Research Fund)Competitive grant up to RM 50,000 for
researchers to initiate potential and high
impact research projects for a period up
to 18 months.
YUTP - FRG(Yayasan UTP Fundamental Research Grant)
Grants up to RM 300,000 for researchers to
initiate projects in the field of OGE (Oil, Gas and
Energy) for a maximum period of 36 months.
For more details, please contact:
Graduate Assistantship (GA) & Tuition Fee Assistantship (TFA)UTP o�ers financial assistance to eligible and deserving postgraduate students.
The Graduate Assistantship (GA) scheme (RM 1650 for MS student and RM 2200 for PhD
student) and Tuition Fee Assistantship (TFA) scheme are o�ered to help them with their living
expenses in return for conducting research work and/or teaching services and/or academic
related services. Every lecturer in UTP is allocated a certain number of GA allocation to
provide financial support for their students. For more details please contact:
Muhammad Bahrul Ilmi
+605 - 368 8191
RESEARCH SUPPORT
Hasiah Kamarudin
+605 - 368 8165
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) gathered more
than 1,000 experts from over 40 countries from 3rd to
5th June 2014 for a gathering of presentations,
lectures, panel discussions and debates on research
and innovation in the 3rd World Engineering, Science
and Technology Congress (ESTCON 2014).
The Innovation Pitching session was held in
conjunction with ESTCON 2014. “The innovation
pitching is designed to directly connect researchers
and inventors to potential investors and business
partners. In addition, it will create opportunities that
will enable the university to increase revenue and
create new jobs,” said Datuk Ir. (Dr.) Abdul Rahim
Hashim, Vice Chancellor of UTP.
According to Dr. Zulkifli Mohamed Hashim, Deputy
Secretary General (Science) of Ministry of Science,
Technology and Innovation (MOSTI),“ESTCON 2014’s
Innovation Pitching is in line with MOSTI’s
commercialisation year with the theme - Science,
Technology and Innovation for Wealth Creation. This
initiative provides opportunities to technopreneurs to
commercialise their R&D products while addressing
key issues of commercialisation.”
A total of 26 innovation pitches were carried out during
the congress, with three innovations now in
discussions for commercialisation.
ESTCON 2014Innovation Pitching & Exhibition
NEWS
“ESTCON 2014’s Innovation
Pitching is in line with MOSTI’s commercialisation year with the
theme - Science, Technology and
Innovation for Wealth Creation.”
Prince Court Medical Centre Visit
On 21st May 2014, Prince Court Medical
Centre (PCMC) representatives visited the
Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging
Research (CISIR). This was one of CISIR
initiatives to develop joint research with
PCMC in various brain research fields. Both
parties planned to have joint publications
through collaborative research e�orts.
Seminar on Good Weighing / Titration & Density Practice
On 29th April 2014, Mettler Toledo gave a seminar on good
weighing/titration and density practice. 30 participants
attended the seminar. The topics covered Weighing
Balance, Density Meter, Refractometer, Karl-Fischer Titrator
and Moisture Analyser. Good density and refractometry
practical tips and hints were presented to optimize density
and refractometry results.
NEWS
Book Published by CRC Press
The book “Surface Imaging for Biomedical Applications”
authored by Prof. Ir. Dr. Ahmad Fadzil Mohd Hani (Head, Centre
for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research) bridges the gap
between engineers and clinicians and it o�ers a thorough
analysis of biomedical surface imaging to medical practitioners
as it relates to the diagnosis, detection, and monitoring of skin
conditions and disease.
New MOR Director Appointed for SUREMOR
Prof. Dr. Nasir Syafiq was recently appointed
as the Director of Sustainable Resources MOR
(SUREMOR) taking over from the former
Director, Prof. Dr. Khairun Azizi Azizli.
15
THE ESSENCEFrom the Editor-in-Chief
It is time for this issue of RESINNEX. As per the changes made in the last issue, we have received good feedback about the new format. Now the contents are more visible with vibrant coloured background and high resolution images. Although such formatting details may be normal for seasoned editorial team, however, it is a learning curve for new editorial team like us. We hope that with time RESINNEX will evolve in a publication that is not just news but a publication that is read with interest even by the general public. It is still a long way to go but we hope that we will reach there because of such aspirations of a motivated team.
In this issue we share the good news of achieving 54 awards in International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITEX) which was held in Kuala Lumpur from 8th to 10 May in 2014. We received 26 gold, 25 silver and 2 bronze with one special award. It is an acknowledgement of our researchers who have done very well for themselves. ITEX is a platform to promote and enhance the development and utilisation of inventions and designs. It creates opportunities for networking with local and international inventors and scientists worldwide and maximises exposure of award winning products and technologies to a global audience. Hence the results of ITEX are a big boost for our researchers.
I believe you will find this issue interesting and informative with our featured article which comes from the team led by Associate Professor Dr Ahmad Kamil who is also the Dean of Faculty of Science and information Technology (FSIT). It was a team e�ort that has resulted in getting the TechnoFund. This research will greatly benefit the firefighters in Malaysia and later on at the international level. This is a good example of how research can benefit the people and professions around us. That is why it is important for universities to be involved in research so that the researchers can have a direct impact on the society.
And i must draw your attention to a new section, Inspiring Researchers. This section will feature the researchers from UTP who are involved in breakthrough research. Their research brings recognition both at national and international level. We hope that by sharing the stories of these inspiring researchers, new researchers as well as students will be motivated. Who knows, this inspiration may result in a Nobel Prize one day!
So that’s about it for this issue. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Aamir
THE EDITORIAL
2
RESINNEX is the bi-annual newsletter of Research & Innovation O�ce (RIO), Mission Oriented Research (MOR) and Advanced Technology & Innovation Centre (ATIC). The views and opinions expressed or implied are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University’s management. No article in part or in whole should be reprinted without written permission.
Editorial correspondence, contributions and feedback for improvement can be addressed to:
The Editor-in-Chief, RESINNEXUniversiti Teknologi PETRONAS31750 Bandar Seri IskandarPerak Darul Ridzuan
For enquiries pertaining to the newsletter, kindly contact:Nor Diana Binti Nordian at +605 - 368 7893
Published by UTP Press, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. All rights reserved.
Editor-in-ChiefAssoc. Prof. Dr. Aamir Saeed Malik
EditorNor Diana Nordian
ContributorsRoselind WanNadira NordinNur Nadiah Muhammad Su�Mohd Syafiq AzmiNorlilawati SubohDileep KumarMegat Daharus Megat Idris
Layout and ProductionRaja Moha HaekalChong Yin YinMohamed Azaman Ismail
ProofreadersCorporate Services Department
Editorial Team
RESEARCH FACILITIES
UTP has some of the best research facilities to foster
strong research culture and to encourage cutting-edge
research in the areas of engineering, science and
technology.
High Throughput Microreactor
Pilot Plant Biodiesel Reactor
Thermal Energy Storage (TES) System
Swirling Fluidized Bed (SFB) Experimental Setup
Rheometer
E-Beam
High Resolution TEMPhysisorption Analyzer
RESINNEXResearch, Innovation, Exploration
“RESCUE-i Monitoring
System” - equipping
firefighters with
technology that
may save lives
Story on page 8 - 9
UTP Research NewsletterISSN 2289-5116ISSUE 3
January - June 2014
UTP Bags 26 Gold Medals in ITEX 2014
Page 4
Inspiring Researcher Page 11
Opening The Brain of a Fruit Fly
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ITEX Special Award Page 5
High Impact ResearchPage 6
