Explore the vast range of titles available.

Study on robot navigation has been progressing significantly. However, research of autonomous navigation is still lacking in environments with changing layout. For supporting robot navigation system, rotational and translational motion estimation need to be improved. Low cost sensor such as Kinect can be used as alternative to laser to percept changing in the vicinity of robot. There is still problem in developing motion estimation using Kinect. Narrowness in the sensor field of view limits its ability to track robot motion. This problem emerges specially in translational motion estimation. This paper aims to develop a simple approach based on RGB-D data for translational motion estimation of a Kinect sensor. RGB-D data consist of RGB and Depth images. In previous research, camera was positioned in the direction of longitudinal translational motion. This paper differs from previous works in terms of sensor setting that is placed in the direction of lateral translation movements. Point features are matched between pairs of RGB frame to get interesting pixels. Depth image provides distance information for these pixels in synchronization with feature tracking process. Law of cosines is then applied to these depth pixels to get position translation. Results show that our approach have decreased RMSE to 0.0382 meter better than previous works. In the future research, this translational motion estimation system will be implemented in mobile robot system to support navigation function.

Biopolymers, especially polysaccharides (e.g., gum Arabic), are widely applied as drug carriers in drug delivery systems due to their advantages. Curcumin, with high antioxidant ability but limited solubility and bioavailability in the body, can be encapsulated in gum Arabic to improve its solubility and bioavailability. When curcumin is encapsulated in gum Arabic, it is essential to understand how it works in various conditions. As a result, in Simulated Intestinal Fluid and Simulated Gastric Fluid conditions, we investigated the potential of gum Arabic as the drug carrier of curcumin. This study was conducted by varying the gum Arabic concentrations, i.e., 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, and 40%, to encapsulate 0.1 mg/mL of curcumin. Under both conditions, the greater the gum Arabic concentration, the greater the encapsulation efficiency and antioxidant activity of curcumin, but the worse the gum Arabic loading capacity. To achieve excellent encapsulation efficiency, loading capacity, and antioxidant activity, the data advises that 10% is the best feasible gum Arabic concentration. Regarding the antioxidant activity of curcumin, the findings imply that a high concentration of gum Arabic was effective, and the Simulated Intestinal Fluid brought an excellent surrounding compared to the Simulated Gastric Fluid solution. Moreover, the gum Arabic releases curcumin faster in the Simulated Gastric Fluid condition.

The increasing use of plastic over the last few decades has had an impact of plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems. Plastic pollutions may be in the form of microplastics either from primary or secondary sources. These microplastics will indirectly affect human health through the food chain. This research was aimed at evaluating the interaction between microplastic and microalgae that are a source of food supplements. The experiment was conducted by investigating the impact of microplastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) on microalga Spirulina sp. cultivated in fresh water and saline water (7 ppt salinity) for 14 days. The growth rate and morphology of Spirulina sp. and PET were evaluated. The result showed that the presence of PET and salinity decreased Spirulina sp. growth rate in cultivation by 0.174 day −1 and reduced nutrient removal rates. However, the salinity system on medium-added PET was indicated that there are influences of Spirulina sp. against PET, where PET can be degraded by Spirulina sp. in the state of water with a salinity 7 ppt. FTIR graphic seems if there is any peak declination within PET augmentation in media with 0 ppt salinization. Nonetheless, the peak augmentation happened within PET augmentation in media with 7 ppt salinity. This signifies if there is an augmentation of PET salinization can be degraded by Spirulina sp. as the polysaccharide sources. PET is resistant to degradation due to its aromatic group. Based on the results scanning electron microscope (SEM), Spirulina sp. which growth with PET had a more uneven shape compared with a control variable.

One of the quality standard indicators for biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester, FAME) product specifications is monoglyceride content. Monoglycerides (MG) are residuals of the vegetable oil reactant that do not react completely in the process of making biodiesel, so that they become contaminants in biodiesel. The lower the monoglycerides in the biodiesel product, the better the quality of the biodiesel. In Indonesia’s B40 program, one scenario of adding 10% biodiesel is using FAME distillate on top of 30% regular FAME. The monoglyceride content in the FAME distillate for the B40 mixture was determined not to exceed 0.3 %wt. Distillation technique is one of the effective methods for reducing monoglyceride level in FAME. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of laboratory scale distillation with columns of 1 and 30 plates in reducing the monoglycerides concentrations. Refining FAME by true boiling point (TBP) distillation with 30 plates column under 5 mmHg vacuum at reflux ratio of 1; 2-3 showed that monoglyceride levels decreased significantly at the distillate fraction of 240-325 °C, from an initial level of 0.83 wt.% to 0.17 wt.%. Pour point temperature increased 2 times from the original biodiesel pour point temperature. The pour point temperature of distillate fractions of 240-325 °C, 325-330 °C and 330-335 °C were 12 °C, 21 °C and 24 °C, respectively. At the 340-345 °C distillate fraction, the pour point dropped drastically to 3 °C. By using 1 plate distillation column under operating 5 mmHg vacuum at a recovery rate of 90 %v, monoglycerides with an initial level of 0.83 wt.% can be reduced to 0.59 wt.%. distillate recovery. As the recovery rate of distillation level reduced to 86 vol%, the monoglycerides concentration was 0.29 wt.%.

Haplodiploid inheritance, in which females are diploid and males are haploid, is found in all species of Hymenoptera. Sex in haplodiploids is commonly determined by the alleles present at a complementary sex determination (CSD) locus, with heterozygosity triggering the female developmental pathway. The identity of this locus differs among taxa and is only known in a few species. Here, we map a single CSD locus to a 2 kbp region in the genome of the red mason bee Osmia bicornis. It overlaps the long noncoding RNA ANTSR , which has been identified as the sex-determining gene in the invasive ant Linepithema humile . This locus is homozygous in diploid males and exhibits extremely high levels of haplotype diversity, consistent with the action of frequency-dependent selection. The elevated levels of heterozygosity in the CSD locus enable us to fine-map potentially functional genetic variation within it. We also identify elevated levels of genetic diversity in the ortholog of the CSD locus in five other bee and ant genera, suggesting that it may govern sex determination widely in Hymenoptera. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that ANTSR evolved a role in sex determination over 150 million years ago and is the ancestral sex-determination locus of bees and ants.

This study aims to develop an automated control system for hydroponic growing media to optimize temperature and nutrient conditions tailored to various plant types. The control method proposed in this study uses the Proportional Integral Derivative (PID). PID control allows for precise adjustments in temperature and nutrient levels, enhancing plant growth. A web-based interface enables users to monitor and adjust the system settings according to their chosen plant type. The vegetables planted for the trial testing of this system are caisim, pok choy, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower, which can grow in lowlands and highlands. Users will also get a reminder of the estimated harvest of plants being planted through the monitoring website so that users do not have to bother calculating the length of the planting process. The system achieves a remarkable control accuracy of 99.9% in maintaining optimal conditions, although it struggles to cool water to the desired 25℃ during peak daytime temperatures. This is because the Peltier work is very dependent on the ambient temperature. Future research may explore alternative cooling methods or adjustments to the Peltier for a more efficient cooling process or continue to use the Peltier but think about a better heat exchange concept in both the heat exchanger water so that the hot water resulting from the cooling process using the Peltier does not settle in one container. It is expected to make it easier for someone to grow vegetables for food-oriented development (FOD) and urban farming.

In this study, the physicochemical, microstructural, mineralogical, thermal, and kinetic properties of three newly discovered coals from Akunza (AKZ), Ome (OME), and Shiga (SHG) in Nigeria were examined for potential energy recovery. Physicochemical analysis revealed high combustible but low levels of polluting elements. The higher heating values ranged from 18.65 MJ/kg (AKZ) to 26.59 MJ/kg (SHG). Microstructure and mineralogical analyses revealed particles with a rough texture, surface, and glassy lustre, which could be ascribed to metals, quartz, and kaolinite minerals. The major elements (C, O, Si, and Al), along with minor elements (Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, S, and Ti) detected are associated with clays, salts, or the porphyrin constituents of coal. Thermal analysis showed mass loss ( M L ) ranges from 30.51% to 87.57% and residual mass ( R M ) from 12.44% to 69.49% under combustion (oxidative) and pyrolysis (non-oxidative) TGA conditions due to thermal degradation of organic matter and macerals (vitrinite, inertinite and liptinite). Kinetic analysis revealed the coals are highly reactive under the oxidative and non-oxidative conditions based on the Coats–Redfern Model. The activation energy ( E a ) ranged from 23.81 to 89.56 kJ/mol, whereas the pre-exponential factor ( k o ) was from 6.77 × 10 –4 /min to 1.72 × 10 3 /min under pyrolysis and combustion conditions. In conclusion, the coals are practical feedstocks for either energy recovery or industrial applications.

This study investigates the extent to which ESG performance is associated with the proportion of women and independent members on corporate boards, with board-specific skills and board-background skills disclosure examined as potential moderating variables. Using panel data analysis, the research covers 285 firm-year observations, drawing on data from Refinitiv Eikon from 2015 to 2023. The regression models were first estimated using the standard fixed effect estimation with lagged independent variables and firm-level clustered standard errors. To complement the baseline analysis, the double-demeaned interaction effect models were also employed to avoid spurious interaction caused by the potential correlation between moderators and time-invariant unobserved heterogeneity. The findings indicate that gender diversity on corporate boards is positively associated with ESG performance, particularly in the environmental dimension. The proposed moderating mechanisms are not supported, as board-specific skills do not consistently strengthen the influence of gender diversity, and board-background skills disclosure does not enhance the effects of either gender diversity or board independence. The study contributes to corporate governance and sustainability research by incorporating board-specific skills and background skills disclosure as moderating factors within a two-tier governance structure.

The fasting and Eid al-Fitr celebration has a strong public dimension for their traditional characteristics in Islamic communal celebrations. This study used field research from interviews with the two largest mass organisations in Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, and the statements of mass media. This research shows that contestation of religious symbols is not something that needs to be debated but it should broaden the understanding of the differences that must be respected in order to build brotherhood not, division. Contestation of religious symbols between the hisab [astronomical calculations] and the ru'yat [sighting a new crescent moon] is a competition between religious organisations, to strengthen their position, social legitimacy and religious authority in the public sphere. The government has to take the initiative to compromise the policy between the two Islamic organisations to reach a methodological agreement in order to minimise social tensions.

This study aims to examine the association between banks and firms in a loan. Our data set was pooled cross section data from 2014 to 2016, with long-term loans of firms listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange as a unit of analysis. We estimate our regression model using ordinary least square (OLS) estimator. The results revealed that lower-risk banks tend to associate with riskier but well-performing firms. Similarly, lower-capital banks tend to associate with riskier but well-performing firms. These results are quite contrary to previous studies conducted in developed countries. Lower risk banks have relationship with riskier and well-performing firms in condition that the amount of loan is small enough to be considered safe. Meanwhile, lower capital banks in this study, especially in Indonesia, may face the geographical problem which drives cost so high that makes banks charge higher interest to possibly riskier firms. This study makes contribution by providing evidence from a relative fragmented credit market. Future research on this topic is encouraged to look out more detail especially in the causality interpretation.