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- PublicationThe Effect Of Innovation And Government Subsidies On Financing Constraints Of Agricultural Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises In China: The Interaction Effect Of Digital Finance(2024-07)The agricultural sector is crucial for achieving many of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. While impressive agricultural production has been achieved, China still needs to transform the agricultural sector to be more sustainable, which requires the agricultural Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to play an essential role. However, the problem of financing constraints limits the effect of agricultural SMEs. Meanwhile, firm innovation, which is important for agricultural sustainability transformation, is likely to exacerbate financing difficulties. Therefore, as the primary objective, this study investigates the impact of innovation on financing constraints using 186 agricultural enterprises that are listed in the New Third Board of China (also known as NEEQs) from 2011 to 2021. Using GMM estimation, the results show that innovation helps to alleviate the financing constraints of agricultural SMEs. Furthermore, heterogeneous analysis on the effects of different types of innovation indicates that the invention patent, compared with non-patent, is more effective in alleviating financing constraints. In supporting agricultural development, the Chinese government has granted subsidies for eligible enterprises.
- PublicationThe Impact Of Counselling On The Dignity Of The Elderly In Singapore(2024-07)The rise in Singapore’s ageing population has led its government to introduce various initiatives to lower the burden on the health sector and the national economy. As one of the primary approaches in social work, counselling addresses the issues underlying elderly individuals’ emotional management and decision-making. Regardless, elderly Singaporeans experience a lack of counselling assistance. The paucity of evidence-based data to elucidate the effects of counselling on older adults’ emotional management explains why this vulnerable population’s perspectives of counselling and advanced care planning (ACP) remain unreported. This convergent parallel mixed-method study aims to develop an intervention that optimally delivers advanced care planning (ACP) and counselling to enhance elderly Singaporeans’ emotional management and decision making. The specific objectives involved examinations of (1) perspectives regarding ACP, end-of-life care, counselling, and their impact on emotional management and decision-making, (2) accessibility and receptiveness toward counselling, and (3) competencies in emotional management among elderly individuals in Singapore. Twenty-five elderly individuals receiving care in the community via Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) were purposively sampled from the Senior Activity Centres (SACs) located in eastern Singapore to participate in the semi-structured interview.
- PublicationTowards IR4.0 implementation for smart manufacturing and predictive maintenance(2024-08)This thesis explores the development and implementation of a smart manufacturing system aimed at enhancing predictive maintenance and operational efficiency. Using Industry 4.0 technologies, the system integrates Firebase Authentication for secure access, Google Sheets for real-time data storage, and a user friendly GUI for data visualization. The research involved collecting and analysing FFT vibration and temperature data from a milling machine using an Arduino Nano Wi-Fi Microprocessor, ADXL345 vibration sensor, and RTD Probe Temperature Sensor. The FFT analysis identified the machine's natural frequency at 25Hz and established upper limits for vibration magnitudes. The results from three samples collected under load conditions indicated that while the machine generally operated within acceptable parameters, Sample 3 revealed anomalies with one point on the X axis and five points on the Y-axis exceeding the upper limits. Additionally, the temperature peaked at around 80 degrees, suggesting potential issues such as misalignment, imbalance, or inadequate cooling and lubrication. These findings underscore the necessity of continuous monitoring and proactive maintenance. The study demonstrates that integrating real-time data acquisition and cloud-based storage in manufacturing processes can significantly improve the ability to prevent machine failures, thereby enhancing overall operational efficiency and machinery longevity. This research lays a solid foundation for the broader implementation of smart manufacturing systems, contributing to the advancement of predictive maintenance practices in the industry.
- PublicationUniversal suction cup for non uniform surface topology(2024-07)Universal suction cups are integral tools in various industries due to their ability to adhere to non-porous surface. However, their performance is often compromised on non-uniform surface or uneven surface which includes the surface of a mounted printed circuit board. This research aims to develop an innovative design for a universal suction cup and mechanical arm support that maintains strong adhesion towards non-uniform surface. The study involves designing a universal suction cup that caters the non-uniform surface topology primarily the mounted printed circuit board, designing a mechanical arm that enhances the performance of universal suction cup and test the maximum weight lifted by the universal suction cup. The universal suction cup is tested with increasing weight to identify the maximum weight lifted. Inclusion of mechanical arms that hold four universal suction cups, the result indicates it can lift mounted printed circuit board that showcase its ability to cater the non uniform surface thanks to the miniature size of the universal suction cup. The finding of the study suggests that the universal suction cup design can be widely applied in industries requiring reliable temporary adhesion which includes mounted printed circuit board, potentially reducing the need for specialized equipment. This research contributes to the advancement of adhesion technology and offers practical solutions for expanding the functionality of the universal suction cup.
- PublicationStudy on digital implementation space vector pulse width modulation with three phase inverter(2024-07)Three-phase inverters frequently use pulse width modulation (PWM), a control technique that modifies pulse width to manage output voltage, improve system efficiency, and lower energy consumption. Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM) is a widely used techniques in power electronics for regulating the output voltage inverters. However, improving SPWM to meet the efficiency and harmonic distortion standards of modern power systems presents challenge. SPWM often introduces harmonic components to the output waveform, resulting in higher losses. Due to its higher performance features, Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation (SVPWM) has increasingly replaced Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM). Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation (SVPWM) in three-phase inverters is typically accomplished using a two-level technique due to its efficiency and ease of use. This technique maps necessary output voltage vectors to available inverter switching states directly, simplifying the construction of hardware and software. Compared to higher level approaches, two-level SVPWM improves real-time performance by lowering switching losses and representing different combinations of inverter switching states with a fixed set of voltage levels. Two-level SVPWM is the recommended option for three-phase inverters due to its user-friendly design, dependability, and efficient DC to AC power conversion, which guarantees a consistent and excellent output under a range of operating circumstances. This research work was aimed to show that SVPWM is better version for SPWM in three-phase inverters in DC bus utilization and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD).
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- ItemParametric And Non-Parametric Techniques In Estimating Technical Efficiency Of Crude Palm Oil Production In Malaysia(Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2019-05)The main purpose of this study is to apply parametric and non-parametric techniques in evaluating the technical efficiency (TE) of crude palm oil (CPO) production by the states in Malaysia. To achieve this, the parametric stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) approach as well as the non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic data envelopment analysis (SDEA) methods were applied. This study involves a panel data consisting of 12 CPO producing states in Malaysia, over a 18 year time period from year 1999 to 2016. The output variable chosen was the annual CPO production and the input variables considered were plantation area, fruit mill capacity, labour and time variable. We found fruit mill capacity, labour and time as input variables that significantly affect the level of CPO output. Plantation area was proven to be statistically insignificant. Technical efficiency was found to be increasing over time. It was also found that the inefficiencies in the industry were mainly caused by ‘pure’ technical inefficiency rather than scale inefficiency. The outputs produced from SFA, DEA and SDEA were compared. The overall mean TE of SFA, DEA and SDEA are 0.79, 0.88 and 0.97 respectively. It was found that DEA produced efficiency values that have weak positive correlation to both the efficiency scores produce from SFA and SDEA. Meanwhile, the results from SFA and SDEA were uncorrelated. We discovered that the choice of technique in efficiency measurement greatly influences the efficiency values estimated and the efficiency rankings of the states.
- PublicationAnalisis prestasi dan perbandingan bagi sistem perhubungan data jalur lebar bertalian tetap ( xdsl dan modem kabel)(2007-03-01)The rapid development of data communication nowadays and the higher demand from users has motivated the research in data communication. This project will present brief introduction to two competitive fixed line broadband implementations which are cable modem and also digital subscriber line (DSL). A deep research regarding the characteristics of these technologies will be performed in terms of their advantages and disadvantages. Among various types of digital subscriber line (xDSL), Asymmetry digital subscriber line (ADSL) is focused because of its popularity. This performance analysis concentrates on the factors that affect the services. For ADSL technology, tests are being carried out to prove that the performance is affected by loop length and also noise issue. Besides, attention is drew in their impairment issues especially crosstalk issue for ADSL. Crosstalk is severe phenomenon for DSL technology due to copper technology. Thus, crosstalk modeling is performed to discuss the performance of ADSL in crosstalk environment. Method is proposed to mitigate crosstalk in ADSL system. By carrying out this study, both technologies are being compared. The comparison will indirectly give ideas to enhance the existing services. Besides, both operators can be benefited by being equipped with a clearer knowledge about these technologies.
- ItemPhysicochemical And Antibacterial Properties Of Calamansi Lime And Pandan Leaf Essential Oil Nanoemulsions(Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2021-06)In this study, the physicochemical properties including particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), particle size distribution, zeta potential, turbidity, viscosity and morphology, as well as antibacterial activity of calamansi lime (Citrofortunella microcarpa) and pandan leaf (Pandanus amaryllifolius) EO nanoemulsions prepared using spontaneous emulsification method were investigated.
- ItemAn Investigation Of The Hipoglycamic Activity Of An Extract Of Silk Of Maize Cob(1980-01)~8 experiment l.ooked WO the possibl.e ~7Caemic activit7 o~ the aqueous eXtract of' the aUk of' maize cob oD normal. tasted rat. ai1d &u.oxan-induced diabetic rat.. Marked l.olreriDg o't blood gl.ucoa. l.eYel.a (by 58%, 5 hours after oral administration 4 ml./kg o£ silk o't :aui.ize cob extract) in normal. fasted rata but not in alioxaninduced diabetic~'· rats '-.ere. obs~ed when the suk o't maize Cob extraet were orally administered to theae rat8~
- ItemAn investigation on lector (leakage control transistors) technique(2019-05)Battery power is one of the important criteria to be considered by the users when they want to purchase their own portable devices. In order, to maximise the battery life, the manufacturer need to consider the low power requirement on their designed. There are two types of power consumption in CMOS circuit, there are static and dynamic power consumption. Leakage power consumption is one of the major problem when designing low power CMOS circuit. There are many techniques that can overcome the leakage power consumption issue such as sleep transistor technique, forced stack technique, sleepy stack technique, sleepy keeper technique and LECTOR technique. This project will focused on LECTOR technique. LECTOR (Leakage Control Transistor) is one of the technique that can reduce leakage power consumption in CMOS circuit by reducing the leakage current. In this technique, the CMOS circuit will have two extra leakage control transistors, which are self-controlled, in the path from supply to ground which introduce resistances. The objective of this work is to investigate on the implementation of the leakage control transistor (LECTOR) on NAND gate circuit using 130 nm technology and to make comparison of the LECTOR incorporated CMOS circuits with conventional NAND gate circuit in terms of power consumption. The conventional NAND gate and NAND gate implemented with LECTOR technique will be designed in this project. The static and dynamic power consumption was measured in both circuits and the comparison was made. The static and dynamic power consumption for NAND gate circuits is 162.64 picoWatt and 17.75 microWatt, respectively while for NAND gate with LECTOR technique is 141.67 picoWatt and 13.5 microWatt, respectively. From the results obtained, it show that LECTOR technique can be used in the industry for portable devices manufacturing to improve the battery life for that portable devices.