2026-02-26
Leong Kah Meng, Ng Khai Le, Jahanzeb Sheikh, Ngeu Chee Hau @ Yeo Chee Hau, Tan Tian Swee, Kang Eng Siew, Chan Bun Seng, Chng Chern Wei, Jose-Javier Serrano Olmedo, Vasanthan A/L Maruthapillai
In year 2023, around 2.2 billion people globally have near or distance visual impairment. Previous systems lacked comprehensive functionality, focusing only on basic obstacle detection or standalone features like fall detection. Moreover, the studies struggled with bulky designs, poor low-light performance, and limited environmental awareness. To address these challenges, the study develops ObstaSense, a wearable Electronic-Travel-Aid (ETA) for obstacle detection and navigation assistance. The system employed TensorFlow Lite, a Raspberry Pi-5, and a Pi-Camera Module-V3 to detect objects (e.g., people, potholes, vehicles) and relay avoidance instructions via Bluetooth earbuds. Its Real-Time Navigation (RTN) feature combined Global Positioning System (GPS), a compass sensor, and Plus Codes for precise guidance, enhanced by Google’s Speech-To-Text (STT) and Text-to-Speech (TTS). Operating at 4–10 Frames Per Second (FPS), ObstaSense further integrated the Gemini Application programming interface (API) for multilingual (50-languages) image-to-text conversion. The system achieved consistent results by leveraging precise RTN functionality, which uses compass sensor data and vibration feedback to guide users accurately. Offline dataset training and evaluation were conducted solely to support the deployment of a real-time embedded assistive system on Raspberry Pi 5. Obstacle avoidance performance varied across rows, with the highest accuracy (100%) in the first row, followed by 66.7% in the third row and 50% in the second row. ObstaSense aids visually impaired, elderly, and cognitively impaired users, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 10 for inclusive well-being.
2026-02-26
Nik Ihtisyam Majdah Nik Razi, Naji Arafat Mahat, Aida Rasyidah Azman, Roswanira Abdul Wahab, Habeebat Adekilekun Oyewusi, Azzmer Azzar Abdul Hamid, Norita Nordin
Developing latent fingermarks on wet, non-porous substrates presents significant challenges, and conventional Small Particle Reagent (SPR) method often involves toxic components. Existing nanobio-based reagents for fingermark development exhibit a limited fatty acid spectrum. Consequently, investigating the broader ligand specificity of Rhizomucor miehei lipase (RML) nanoconjugate (nanobio-based reagent1, NBR-1) as a potential fingermark biosensor is pertinent. Molecular docking analysis determined the binding affinities of NBR-1 for decanoic, palmitic, docosanoic, and stearic acids to be -4.9, -5.5, -6.1, and -6.8 kcal/mol, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations, assessed via root mean square deviation (RMSD), root mean square fluctuation (RMSF), radius of gyration (Rg), hydrogen bond count, and Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA) analysis, confirmed stable complex formation in all cases, evidenced by consistent hydrogen bonding (distances: 2.2–3.4 Å). NBR-1 characterization by Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy revealed that RML immobilization on F-MWCNTs (NBR-1) was evidenced by a shift of the amide C=O stretch from 1640 to 1653 cm⁻¹ and by the reduced intensity and broadening of the carboxylate C–O peak at 1256 cm⁻¹, confirming polypeptide chain presence. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy demonstrated the increment in the RML thickness, providing evidence for successful RML molecule attachment to the F-MWCNT surface. Under controlled laboratory conditions, the synthesized NBR-1 reagent successfully developed latent fingermarks (exhibiting low background noise) on glass slides submerged in water for periods of 7 and 14 days. These empirical findings corroborate the initial bioinformatic predictions. Therefore, the results robustly validate NBR-1 as a promising candidate technology for visualizing latent fingermarks, specifically on water-immersed, wet non-porous surfaces, in forensic contexts.
2026-02-26
Athena Dana, Nor Azimah Mohd Zain, Tan Xin Kun
In this study, we revealed multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria isolated from three sewage treatment plants (STPs) against ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, tetracycline, and sulfamethoxazole. The antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) result shows that these isolates are distinctly highly resistant to sulfamethoxazole for influent (100%) and effluent (80-100%) samples for the first sampling (S1), while the lowest resistance (0%), resistant to chloramphenicol in some locations, in the second sampling (S2). Among the culturable isolates, multi-resistant bacteria were screened through AST, and these species were identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. From the cumulative multi-resistant isolates, 45.45% are known opportunistic bacteria species from the Enterobacteriaceae family ( Citrobacter sp ., Serratia sp ., Enterococcus sp ., and Escherichia sp .), while 27.27% are Aeromonadaceae and Pseudomonadaceae , respectively. This study reveals the prevalence of culturable multi-resistant opportunistic bacteria in influent and effluents of the three selected STPs for both sampling times.
2026-02-26
Chan Wai Hao, Dzuliana Fatin Jamil, Salah Uddin, Norhaliza Abu Bakar, Rozaini Roslan
Cardiovascular diseases include various heart and blood vessel disorders. Arterial stenosis, caused by the buildup of fatty deposits and other materials, narrows arteries and disrupts normal blood flow, leading to increased wall shear stress and flow disturbances. In this study, the Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivative is applied to analyze blood flow with copper nanoparticles in an inclined stenosed artery. Blood is modeled as a non-Newtonian Casson fluid under a uniform magnetic field and pressure gradient. Using the Laplace and Hankel transform techniques, analytical solutions for blood and magnetic particle velocities are obtained, and the effects of flow parameters, Hartmann number, time, Casson fluid parameter, and fractional order are presented graphically. Validation against limiting cases shows good agreement with previous studies. The results demonstrate that blood and particle velocities increase with fractional order, time, and Casson fluid parameter, but decrease with higher Hartmann number, with blood velocity generally exceeding particle velocity. These findings are useful for designing targeted drug delivery systems by understanding the behavior of non-Newtonian nanofluids in stenosed arteries under magnetic fields.
2026-02-26
Vikneswari Someetheram, Muhammad Fadhil Marsani, Muhammad Wafiy Adli, Mohd Radhie Mohd Salleh, Basri Badyalina
The rise in river water levels is a critical indicator for flood risk and early warning systems particularly in flood-prone areas such as the Kemaman River in Terengganu, Malaysia. This study aims to develop a reliable forecasting model to predict daily water level fluctuations and enhance flood preparedness. A total of 3,287 daily water level observations between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2009 were used as the unit of analysis. The research addresses the limitation of traditional Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models in capturing non-linear and seasonal structures by proposing a hybrid forecasting model that integrates the ARIMA model with Seasonal and Trend Decomposition using Loess (STL). This hybrid ARIMA-STL model improves the ability to capture underlying seasonal patterns and long-term trends in water level data. The findings reveal that the hybrid model offers more accurate and stable predictions compared to the standalone ARIMA model that is effective for early warning systems and water resource management. This study fills a research gap by applying STL decomposition to enhance classical time series forecasting in hydrology that highlights the novelty of integrating statistical and decomposition techniques for improved daily river water level prediction.
2026-02-26
Vepy Asyana, Mohammad Haekal, Nila Prasetya Aryani, Deni Hardiansyah, Abdul Waris, Freddy Haryanto
This study aimed to systematically evaluate scanner-induced variability in radiomic features extracted from multicenter [18F]-FDG PET scanners (Siemens, Philips, and GE) and to determine which interpolation method, when combined with ComBat harmonization, most effectively reduces feature variability across scanners. Pre-treated [¹⁸F]-FDG PET scans from 167 stage IIB/III NSCLC patients were obtained from The Cancer Imaging Archive (ACRIN 6668/RTOG 0235 trial). Primary tumors were delineated semi-automatically. The images and masks were resampled into isotropic voxel sizes of 0.5 × 0.5 × 0.5 mm³ using three interpolation methods, namely B-spline, Gaussian, and Nearest Neighbor. A total of 105 radiomic features were extracted. ComBat harmonization was applied to correct for batch effects between scanners. Statistical analysis included the Kruskal–Wallis test, effect size ε², and coefficient of variation (CV) to evaluate variability between scanners before and after ComBat harmonization. ComBat harmonization consistently reduced the variability of radiomic features that emerge from scanner differences. After ComBat harmonization, the Nearest Neighbor interpolation method demonstrated the best performance compared with the B-spline and Gaussian methods. Only 1 out of 105 radiomic features (~0.95%) remained a p-value < 0.05, while approximately 95 of 105 features (90.5%) had CV < 10%. The Nearest Neighbor method also produced the lowest average CV value compared to the B-spline and Gaussian. Radiomic features extracted from different types of scanners can increase radiomic feature variability. The use of Nearest Neighbor interpolation with ComBat harmonization is more effective in reducing radiomic feature variability between different scanners.
2026-02-26
Sri Wahyuningsih, Bambang Rentoaji, Rarastoeti Pratiwi, L. Hartanto Nugroho
The leaves and roots of A. spinosus and A. viridis on Buru Island (Wallacea region) as antidiabetics have received little attention. The goal of this study was to identify active chemicals in the leaves and roots of these two plant species that could be used as antidiabetic nutraceuticals. The method in this research used five approaches: LC-HRMS, chemometric analysis, volcano plot, Venn diagram, and in silico. The results showed that the roots of both plant species had the highest chemical diversity, especially in the acid, lipid, and derivative groups. The specific compounds identified consisted of LAS (8), LAV, RAS (13), and RAV (14). In silico analysis indicated 25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 and ursolic acid from the RAS sample as two of the best potential antidiabetic alternatives, with binding energies of (-10.1 kcal/mol) and (-9.7 kcal/mol) to the COX-2 protein, respectively. On the other hand, the positive control (diclofenac) showed a weaker binding energy of -7.5 kcal/mol. In conclusion, 25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 and ursolic acid compounds have a strong inhibitory effect on COX-2 protein, indicating that they are viable natural candidates for the development of future antidiabetic therapies.
2026-02-26
Madukpe Vine Nwabuisi, Nur Fariha Syaqina Mohd Zulkepli, Ummu Atiqah Mohd Roslan, Mohd Uzair Rusli
Sea turtle hatching success is influenced by a complex combination of environmental, biological, and anthropogenic factors, making it essential to understand its dynamics for effective conservation planning. This study utilizes Ball Mapper, a topological data analysis (TDA) tool, alongside the Isolation Forest anomaly detection algorithm to investigate 10 years (2013–2023) of high-dimensional ecological data from a coastal sea turtle nesting site. The dataset includes monthly records of hatch rates, predator activity, fungal presence, and flooding events. The Ball Mapper topological graphs revealed consistent seasonal trends, with April, May, and June exhibiting the highest hatching success across years. Meanwhile, months like January and February showed consistently lower outcomes and shared structural similarities in the data topology. Isolation Forest identified months with extreme ecological stressors as anomalies; however, months such as May and June 2016 still achieved high hatching success, suggesting that the presence of some predators may have also played a role in natural biocontrol. The TDA and anomaly-based approaches provided a better understanding of the complex relationships driving hatching success, uncovering patterns not easily detected by conventional methods. By visualizing temporal and ecological variation in hatching outcomes, the research supports data-driven strategies to enhance sea turtle conservation in the face of increasing environmental variability and ecological pressure.
2026-02-26
Yuti Jirawattanapalin, Suvimol Phanyeam
This study is intended to propose a formula for the Average Run Length (ARL) of the Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) control chart when the observed data follow an autoregressive model of order p with quadratic trend. This research emphasizes the fundamental importance of developing precise ARL computation techniques with optimal processing efficiency, as ARL remains the predominant criterion for control chart performance evaluation. The derivation of the explicit ARL formula employs Fredholm’s integral equation methodology, with solution uniqueness assured through the application of Banach’s Fixed Point Theorem. Performance validation involves comparative analysis against approximate ARL values obtained via Numerical Integral Equation (NIE) approaches, specifically utilizing the Midpoint rule technique. The efficiency of the explicit formula of ARL is evaluated using two criteria: absolute percentage difference and CPU Time. The empirical results confirm that the ARL values derived from the explicit formula closely approximate those obtained via numerical integral equation methods, exhibiting an absolute percentage difference of less than 0.001%. Computationally, the proposed explicit formula achieves processing times of approximately 0.001 seconds, while the Midpoint rule method takes 2-3 seconds. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that the proposed explicit ARL formulas for EWMA charts provide accuracy comparable to the NIE method while significantly reducing computational time. This confirms the efficiency and practice applicability to the explicit formulas for monitoring real-world data, such as pneumonia cases at Siriraj Hospital.
2026-02-26
Risa Yunita, Roshanida A. Rahman, Nardiah Rizwana Jaafar, Mohammad Nashriq Jailani, Nur Aizura Mat Alewi, Rosli Md. Illias, Abdul Halim Mohd Yusof, Ni Nyoman Tri Puspaningsih, Mohd Faizal Ahmad Jaafar, Azura Aziz
Glucomannan, derived from Amorphophallus muelleri (AGM), is a highly viscous natural polysaccharide with reduced solubility, which has yet to be fully developed, hence constraining its application across numerous industries. Among the numerous modifications applied to AGM, carboxymethylation via the etherification process has garnered considerable interest owing to its straightforward methodology and its ability to reduce viscosity while enhancing the solubility of glucomannan. This study aims to examine the modification of Amorphophallus muelleri glucomannan by carboxymethylation (CMAGM) through the variation of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and monochloroacetic acid (MCA) to ascertain the degree of substitution and its effects on viscosity and solubility. The degree of substitution was verified by titration methods, which corroborate the findings from Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analyses. The glucomannan yield achieved through acid hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid was 52.4%. The AGM was effectively altered and validated by the emergence of a new peak at 1587–1369 cm⁻¹ in the FT-IR spectra and δ = 3.3-4.1, δ = 8.057 ppm in the NMR spectra, indicative of the COOH functional group due to the modification process. The modification process indicated that the maximum degree of substitution achieved with a NaOH: MCA ratio of 4:2 % w/v was 0.577. It was found that a lower MCA corresponds to a higher degree of substitution. Overall, the carboxymethylation effectively reduced the viscosity and enhanced the solubility of glucomannan.
2026-02-26
Norasikin Othman, Tan Yi Hao, Norul Fatiha Mohamed Noah, Norela Jusoh, Izzat Naim Shamsul Kahar, Sazmin Sufi Suliman, Shuhada A. Idrus-Saidi, Aishah Rosli
Emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) is effective for heavy metal extraction, with efficiency closely linked to stability, which is largely governed by the size of the water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsion globules. The applicability of Hinze-Kolmogorov theory for predicting Sauter mean diameters (D 32 ) of W/O/W emulsion embedded with blended surfactant-nanoparticle was scrutinized. A MATLAB code was developed based on this theory and the experimental data on zinc extraction was used for validation. Afterwards, several parameters such as impeller diameter, agitation speed, interfacial tension, and holdup fraction were investigated. The developed model is viable for predicting globule size, with minimal average absolute relative deviation of less than 5%. The new empirical correlation with C 1 =0.0436 and C 2 =-3.2561 was obtained. Based on the simulation, it can be deduced that the impeller diameter and agitation speed are inversely proportional to the globule size, and smaller interfacial tensions typically produce smaller globules.
2026-02-26
Abdurrahman Azman, Wan Nur Fairuz Alwani Wan Rozali, Farrukh Mukhamedov
This research investigates the dynamics of a quadratic stochastic operator (QSO), namely the b -bistochastic QSO defined on a 1-dimensional simplex as well as the dynamics of a non-homogeneous Markov chain (NHMC) associated with the said QSO. The QSO was first constructed on a 1-dimensional simplex and a fixed-point analysis was performed onto the constructed QSO. The limiting behavior of the QSO was also studied in order to find its rate of convergence. The QSO was then associated with an NHMC to determine its ergodicity by using an ergodicity coefficient called the Dobrushin ergodicity coefficient. The QSO was found to converge to its attracting fixed point at a constant rate of convergence, and the NHMC associated with the QSO was found to be weakly ergodic.