Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

About: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia is a education organization based out in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Membrane & Adsorption. The organization has 21644 authors who have published 39500 publications receiving 520635 citations.

A hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm-artificial neural network for forecasting the blast-produced ground vibration

Abstract: Drilling and blasting is an inseparable part of the rock fragmentation process in open-pit mines. Prediction of blast-produced ground vibration is considered as an important issue in blasting works. The aim of this study is to propose a hybrid model for predicting blast-produced ground vibration in the Miduk copper mine, Iran, using combination of the artificial neural network (ANN) combined with artificial bee colony (ABC) (codename ABC-ANN). Here, ABC was used as an optimization algorithm to adjust weights and biases of the ANN. The predicted values of ground vibration by ANN and ABC-ANN models were also compared with several empirical models. In this regard, 89 blasting events were monitored and values of two influential factors on ground vibration, i.e., maximum charge weight used per delay (MC) and distance between monitoring station and blasting-point (DI) together with their peak particle velocity values (as an index of ground vibration) were carefully measured. The results of the predictive models have been compared with the data at hand using mean absolute percentage error, root mean squared error and coefficient of correlation (R2) criteria. Eventually, it was indicated that the constructed ABC-ANN model outperforms the other models in terms of the prediction accuracy and the generalization capability.

Biological process of soil improvement in civil engineering: A review

Abstract: The concept of using biological process in soil improvement which is known as bio-mediated soil improvement technique has shown greater potential in geotechnical engineering applications in terms of performance and environmental sustainability. This paper presents a review on the soil microorganisms responsible for this process, and factors that affect their metabolic activities and geometric compatibility with the soil particle sizes. Two mechanisms of biomineralization, i.e. biologically controlled and biologically induced mineralization, were also discussed. Environmental and other factors that may be encountered in situ during microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) and their influences on the process were identified and presented. Improvements in the engineering properties of soil such as strength/stiffness and permeability as evaluated in some studies were explored. Potential applications of the process in geotechnical engineering and the challenges of field application of the process were identified.

Whale optimization algorithm: a systematic review of contemporary applications, modifications and developments

Abstract: Whale optimization algorithm (WOA) is a recently developed swarm-based meta-heuristic algorithm that is based on the bubble-net hunting maneuver technique—of humpback whales—for solving the complex optimization problems. It has been widely accepted swarm intelligence technique in various engineering fields due to its simple structure, less required operator, fast convergence speed and better balancing capability between exploration and exploitation phases. Owing to its optimal performance and efficiency, the applications of the algorithm have extensively been utilized in multidisciplinary fields in the recent past. This paper investigates further into WOA of its applications, modifications, and hybridizations across various fields of engineering. The description of the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities to support future research are also explored. The Systematic Literature Review is opted as a method to disseminate the findings and gap from the existing literature. The authors select eighty-two (82) articles as a primary studies out of nine hundred and thirty-nine (939) articles between 2016 and 2020. As per our result, WOA-based techniques are applied in 5 fields and 17 subfields of various engineering domains. 61% work has been found on modification, 27% on hybridization and 12% on multi-objective variants of WOA techniques. The growing research trend on WOA is expected to continue into the future. The review presented in the paper has the potential to motivate expert researchers to propose more novel WOA-based algorithms, and it can serve as an initial reading material for a novice researcher.

Blended Learning or E-Learning?

Abstract: ICT or Information and Communication Technology has pervaded the fields of education. In recent years the term “e-learning” has emerged as a result of the integration of ICT in the education fields. Following the application this technology into teaching, some pitfalls have been identified and this have led to the “Blended learning” phenomenon. However, the preference on this new method has been debated quite extensively. The aim of this paper is to investigate the advantages of blended learning over face-to-face instruction through reviews of related literature. The present survey revealed that blended learning is more favorable than pure e-learning and offers many advantages for learners like producing a sense of community or belonging. This study concludes that blended learning can be considered as an efficient approach of distance learning in terms of students’ learning experience, student-student interaction as well as student-instructor interaction and is likely to emerge as the predominant education model in the future.