Month: November 2021

Scientists from Japan have proposed a novel approach for finding the best routing paths for vehicles in charge of bicycle rebalancing.

Much research has been dedicated to the bicycle rebalancing problem using a fleet of vehicles. Finding the optimal routing paths for the vehicles is in and of itself a highly complex mathematical problem in the field of combinatorial optimization. One must make sure that the optimization algorithms used can reach a good-enough solution in a reasonable time for a realistically large number of ports and vehicles. Many methods, however, fail to find feasible solutions when multiple constrains are considered simultaneously, such as time, capacity, and loading/unloading constraints for the vehicles (Figure 1).

In a recent study published in MDPI’s Applied Sciences, a team of scientists suggested an innovative twist to the routing problem of bicycle sharing systems using this concept.

Led by Professor Tohru Ikeguchi of Tokyo University of Science, the team comprising PhD student Honami Tsushima from Tokyo University of Science and Associate Professor Takafumi Matsuura from Nippon Institute of Technology, Japan, proposed a new formulation of the routing problem in which the constraints imposed on the routings can be violated. This enabled using the optimization algorithm for exploring what is known as the space of “infeasible solutions.”

Prof. Ikeguchi explains their reasoning, “In real life, if a work can be completed through overtime within a few minutes, we would work beyond the time limit. Similarly, if we are only carrying four bikes and need to supply five, we would still supply the four we have.”

Following this line of thought, the researchers formulated the “soft constraints” variant of the routing problem in bicycle rebalancing. Using this approach, instead of outright excluding solutions that violate constraints, these can be considered valid paths that incur dynamically adjusted penalties and taken into consideration when assessing possible routings. This approach enabled the team to devise an algorithm that can make use of the space of infeasible solutions to speed up the search for optimal or near-optimal solutions.

The researchers evaluated the performance of their method through numerical experiments with benchmark problems including up to 50 ports and three vehicles. The results show that their strategy could find optimal or near-optimal solutions in all cases, and that the algorithm could search both the feasible and infeasible solution spaces efficiently. This paints a brighter future for people in cities with congested traffic in which bicycle sharing systems could become an attractive solution. As Prof. Ikeguchi remarks, “It is likely that bike sharing systems will spread worldwide in the future, and we believe that the routing problem in bicycle rebalancing is an important issue to be solved in modern societies.”

Hopefully, further efforts to improve bicycle sharing systems will alleviate traffic congestion and make people’s lives in big cities healthier and more enjoyable.

Special Interest Group (SIG) is an initiative introduced in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Malaysia, in promoting research culture among groups of researchers.

One of the most prominent and active SIGs in UiTM Cawangan Negeri Sembilan is EMiBio. This SIG is a result of a great synergy among vibrant researchers with a common aim which is to empower modern agriculture by merging modern technologies in maintaining and propagating agricultural growth.

As portrayed in the acronym, EMiBio’s research interest revolves around the field of Agrotechnology with an emphasis on “Environmental MIcroBIOlogy”. Their main vision is to conduct quality research on vital areas within their scope to ensure environmental sustainability.

The prime goal of EMiBio is to assess, practice, and produce the latest agricultural innovations to eventually assist in economic generation especially through the agricultural sector.

The EMiBio SIG group recently has successfully organized two sharing sessions through the International Webinar Towards Greener Earth series. The webinars are aligned with EMiBio’s intention to share knowledge with the global community on the importance of modern agriculture technology. The knowledge sharing sessions were targeted to cultivate interest and educate future generations in appreciating the importance of agrotechnology especially during this aggressive modernization era.

The first virtual session was held on September 9th 2021 with the title “Precision Farming: from Garden to Table” that was delivered by an invited speaker, Dr. Renny Eka Putri, a senior lecturer at the Department of Biosystem and Agricultural Engineering, Universitas Andalas, Indonesia. Dr. Renny described her research experience in using the precision farming method in plantation activity to maximize crop production. Dr. Renny also highlighted the use of sophisticated yet user-friendly technologies to systematically perform safe gardening from mere seeds to ready-to-eat crops which were implied in the title of the sharing session.

Succeeding the first session, the second virtual sharing session was held on September 24th 2021 which carried the title “Biotechnology Strategies for Sustainable Cocoa Production” by Mr Mohd Zulhilmi Abdul Rahman, an esteemed research officer from Lembaga Koko Malaysia. Mr Zulhilmi described their present active research on cocoa plantations and the obstacles they experienced along the way and how they overcame those problems. Mr Zulhilmi also enlightened the participants with their effort to enhance and sustain cocoa production by integrating biotechnological advancements in their research activities.

These sharing sessions that were successfully organized and attended by a number of participants with diverse research backgrounds, perfectly reflect EMiBio’s mission in empowering the use of technological innovations in agricultural research and development.

They believe that both sharing sessions had successfully educated and enhanced the interest of the participants in the agrotechnological research field which were delivered both through researchers and industrial perspectives.

Future planning has been properly scrutinized and mapped out to further achieve EMiBio’s mission. Research activities will be energetically executed, and the results obtained will surely be circulated to the public through more exciting and effective sharing sessions.

Law Center, Faculty of Law, Thammasart University in collaboration with the Office of Court of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, and the Lawyers Council under the Royal Patronage organized the final round of Moot Court Competition 2020/2021 via Cisco Webex Meetings. Thammasat University team received the first runner-up award in this competition.

The team from Thammasat University consisted of Mr Jirapat Chanasit, Ms Nuntarat Khamtree and Mr Chaowasu Wutthiket and was supervised by Associate Professor Arnon Mamao.

The judges were Mr Polpawit Pankumkerd, a representative from the Office of the Court of Justice, Ms. Worakot Ketpreechasawad, a representative from the Office of the Attorney General and Mr Piyawat Vituraporn, a representative from the Lawyers Council under the Royal Patronage.

Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology (CUIET) has been featured on the cover story of Dataquest Magazine with ‘Top 10 T-School’ and ranked 10th in the top 100 T-Schools (government and private); CUIET also ranked 4th among the list of ‘Top 90 Private T-Schools’ and 5th in the list of T-Schools in the Northern Region by Dataquest Magazine’s T-School Employability Ranking 2021.

The 16th edition of the survey took into account all qualitative aspects in order to compare private institution criteria to industry needs and the evolving technology landscape. The survey is an industry-acclaimed hallmark of technical education and is highly trusted by students, parents, and recruiters alike. Private T-Schools have swiftly advanced to the next level, providing students with a competitive atmosphere to learn, explore, share knowledge, and prepare for the future problems they will face when they enter the workforce.

The findings underline that the private institutions are at par. They have invested in creating infrastructure, getting the best people to work with them, and providing exposure to their students.

The T-School 2021 Survey drew participants from famous IITs, NITs, IIITs, as well as private and government institutions. At least one T-School from each of India’s main states took part in the poll. With almost 85 percent participation, private T-Schools took the initiative to participate in the exercise. T-Schools in the southern United States led the way in survey participation, accounting for over 56 percent of all respondent institutes. In comparison to the previous year, western institutes took the lead over northern institutes.

A structured questionnaire with over 30 questions was used to capture the Placement, Academics, Campus Infrastructure, and Engagement (PACE) Framework.

The quantitative inputs received and verified from various T-Schools were then analysed wherein the absolute data was normalised to relative data in order to compare the parameters across the participating institutions.

The parameters taken into consideration for the rankings were Placements, Research Papers and Patents, Courses offered, Faculty, Industry Interface and Engagement with the Industry Ecosystem.