Beyond ubiquitous computing: The Malaysian HoneyBee project for Innovative Digital Economy

In the proposed advanced computing environment, known as the HoneyBee Platform, various computing devices using single or multiple interfaces and technologies/standards need to communicate and cooperate efficiently with a certain level of security and safety measures. These computing devices may be supported by different types of operating systems with different features and levels of security support. In order to ensure that all operations within the environment can be carried out seamlessly in an ad-hoc manner, there is a need for a common mobile platform to be developed. The purpose of this long-term project is to investigate and implement a new functional layered model of the common mobile platform with secured and trusted ensemble computing architecture for an innovative Digital Economic Environment in the Malaysian context. This mobile platform includes a lightweight operating system to provide a common virtual environment, a middleware for providing basic functionalities of routing, resource and network management, as well as to provide security, privacy and a trusted environment. A generic application programming interface is provided for application developers to access underlying resources. The aim is for the developed platform to act as the building block for an ensemble environment, upon which higher level applications could be built. Considered as the most essential project in a series of related projects towards a more digital socio-economy in Malaysia, this article presents the design of the target computational platform as well as the conceptual framework for the HoneyBee project.     

Crystal structure and microwave dielectric properties of (Ba1−αSrα)6−3xSm8+2xTi18O54 solid solutions

The tungstenbronze-type-like (Ba_1−αSr_α)_6−3xR_8+2xTi₁₈O₅₄ (R = rare earth) solid solutions have been studied. Microwave dielectric properties of these solid solutions link to the substitution of large cations such as Ba ions by small Sr ions. In these solid solutions for x = 0, the quality factor (Q·f) exibits extremely low due to the inner strain resulting by the occupation of large Ba ions at relatively small A1-sites. However, dielectric constant (ɛ_r) of this composition show a high value. In this paper, improvement of quality factor (Q·f) by substituting small Sr ions for Ba ions in (Ba_1−αSr_α)_6−3xSm_8+2xTi₁₈O₅₄ solid solutions, where x = 0, is reported. In addition, the relationship between crystal structure and microwave dielectric properties is discussed from the viewpoint of structural formula and occupational state of large cations such as Ba, Sr and Sm in A1-sites.     

Android平台i-Jetty服务器在智能家居中的应用研究

针对智能家居系统架构复杂、开发难度较大等问题,提出了一种基于Android平台嵌入式Web服务器i-Jetty的智能家居系统方案。在ARM硬件平台及Android软件平台上,采用i-Jetty服务器实现了家居环境信息网络远程监控功能。系统以Mini6410开发板为中央控制器、服务器和室内监控平台,采用蓝牙与被控设备进行通信,通过Linux层驱动加载、Android本地服务和Web服务的联合编程,实现对传感器数据的获取、家电控制和信息发布。实验结果证明了方案的可行性和实用性。     

Immobilization of mushroom polyphenol oxidase on poly(allyl glycidyl ether-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) macroporous beaded copolymers

Functional, macroporous, beaded copolymers containing epoxy groups were synthesized for immobilization of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) from edible mushroom (Agaricus bisporus). The effect of incorporation of two different sets of monomers such as glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and allyl glycidyl ether (AGE) and the effect of cross-linking agent ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDM) with varying cross-link densities on binding and expression of mushroom PPO activity were studied. The effect of porogen viz. cyclohexanol and hexanol on PPO immobilization was studied. AGE copolymers with hexanol as a porogen were found to give higher binding and expression of PPO activity than GE polymers. Cross-linking of amino groups of enzyme with 5% glutaraldehyde for 6 h gave a stable binding of PPO on AGE-75(Hex) polymer with storage half-life of approximately 25 days. Under optimum conditions, AGE-75(Hex) polymer gave 70.3% of activity yield while percent retention of PPO activity was found to be 83.5%. Immobilized PPO showed a broader pH, higher temperature and excellent storage stability.     

The preparation of coupled WO3/TiO2 photocatalyst by ball milling

The coupled photocatalyst WO₃/TiO₂ is prepared by ball milling by doping WO₃ into TiO₂ and using H₂O solution as disperser. The coupled photocatalyst WO₃/TiO₂ is characterized by UV–VIS diffuse reflection spectrum, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the optimum percentage of WO₃ doped is 3% and that the photocatalytic activity of the coupled WO₃/TiO₂ photocatalyst is much higher than that of TiO₂ and WO₃–TiO₂ with no ball milling. Compared with TiO₂, the photoexcited wavelength range of the WO₃/TiO₂ photocatalyst red-shifts about 50 nm, and the light absorption intensity is also improved. The crystal phase of TiO₂ is not changed and new crystal phases are not found during the process of ball milling. WO₃ and TiO₂ coupled highly, forming the WO₃/TiO₂ photocatalyst. The increased photocatalytic activity of the coupled photocatalyst may be attributed to the enhance charge separation efficiency and the extend wavelength range of photoexcitation.     

Efficient synthesis of benzophenone derivatives in Lewis acid ionic liquids

Benzophenone and its derivatives were prepared via Friedel–Crafts acylation reactions using ionic liquids (ILs) of BmimCl–FeCl₃, BmimCl–AlCl₃ and BmimCl–ZnCl₂ as dual catalyst–solvent. Among them, BmimCl–FeCl₃ showed much higher catalytic activity than that observed for the other two ILs, and in conventional organic solvents. In these reaction systems, good to excellent yields (up to 97%) of acylation products were obtained in a short reaction time. This method features high yield, a simple product isolation procedure, ILs reusability and reduced waste discharge, thus rendering this catalytic system both efficient and environmentally friendly.     

旅行商问题中巡回路径的数据结构

旅行商问题中巡回路径的数据结构对局部启发式算法的效率起着非常关键的作用。巡回路径的数据结构必须能够查询一条回路中每个城市的相对顺序,并且能够将一条回路中的部分城市逆序。分析了数组表示法、伸展树表示法和两级树表示法表示巡回路径时各种基本操作的实现过程及时间复杂度。数组表示法能够在常数时间内确定一条回路中每个城市的相对顺序,但是最坏情况下完成逆序操作需要Ω（n）时间,不适用于大规模的旅行商问题。伸展树表示法执行查询和更新操作的平摊时间复杂度是O（logn）,适用于极大规模的旅行商问题。而两级树表示法在最坏情况下每一个更新操作的时间复杂度是O（n^0.5）,适用于大规模的旅行商问题。     

Structure and microwave dielectric properties of La(2−x)/3Nax(Mg1/2W1/2)O3

The structure evolution, sintering behavior and microwave dielectric properties of La_(2−x)/3Na_x(Mg_1/2W_1/2)O₃ (x = 0–0.5) were investigated in this paper. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that all samples exhibit single phase, and the structure changed from orthorhombic when 0 ≤ x < 0.3 to monoclinic phase when 0.3 ≤ x ≤ 0.5. The size and ordering degree of A/B-site domains decrease with the increase in x value. The sintering temperature of the Na-doped samples increased compared to the pure La_2/3(Mg_1/2W_1/2)O₃ (LMW) due to the estimated decrease in the concentration of A-site vacancies. The addition of Na⁺ ion does not affect the dielectric permittivity greatly. The Q × f value decreases with the increase in x value, although the estimated concentration of A-site vacancies decreases with increasing x, which may be ascribed to the decrease of A/B-site ordering and domain size with the increase in x. The temperature coefficient of resonant frequency changed from negative values into positive values with the increase in x value.     

热敏微胶囊热响应特性研究

将热敏微胶囊作为基本显影单元,影像稳定性和分辨率得到了提高,影像形成速度也更符合数字化成像的要求。本文结合热敏技术、微胶囊技术,将染料前体微胶囊化,制备出粒径在1μm以下的热敏微胶囊。测量了囊壁的玻璃化温度,对显影后的影像进行了对比,测量了不同显影温度下的影像密度,分析了影像密度随显影温度变化的关系。     

A song of ice and vessels: Seasonal trends in the soundscape of the western arm of Lake Superior

The soundscapes of marine systems have been studied for decades to determine spatial and temporal patterns of biological, geological, and anthropogenic activity. However, comparatively little is known about freshwater soundscapes. Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake by surface area and home to a variety of aquatic animals. The Twin Ports of Duluth and Superior, located in the western arm of Lake Superior, are annually closed because of ice cover, providing a unique opportunity to explore sound levels in the absence of vessel traffic. Passive acoustic monitoring was conducted over 15 months between November 2018 and March 2020 to investigate seasonal patterns. Sound pressure levels were significantly lower (8 dB) at low frequencies (<100 Hz) during the winter and spring months (when ice cover increased). Quieter ambient sound pressure levels may provide an acoustic refuge to soniferous animals, especially those that vocalise during winter spawning. During the ice-free months, commercial shipping introduces a near continuous source of sound, increasing sound levels by up to 25 dB (at frequencies < 1,000 Hz). Climate change is expected to further reduce ice cover and thickness allowing the shipping season into the Twin Ports to be extended, thus warranting concern about the effect of noise from vessel activity on aquatic life. This study provides a baseline of the soundscape in the western arm of Lake Superior, against which scientists and environmental managers can assess future changes to this important habitat.