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This paper discusses the effectiveness of the early evaluation questions conducted to determine the academic ability of the new students in the Department of Electrical, Electronics and Systems Engineering. Questions designed are knowledge based--on what the students have learned during their pre-university level. The results show students have weak basic knowledge and this is in contrast to the results obtained during the application for admission to Year 1 of university. Thus, early evaluation questions were implemented to see the relevance in assessing the student's ability, obtained by the use of Rasch analysis, WinSteps. The findings show that the initial assessment is an effective and appropriate method to assess the ability of students, where the Cronbach-a is 0.69 and achieve the acceptable ranges of PT-Measure, Mean Square Outfit or Outfit Mean Square (MNSQ) and z-standardized values (ZSTD) Outfit. This shows that Rasch analysis can be used to classify the questions and the students according to their performance level accurately and thus, reveal the true level of the students' ability, despite the small number of samples.

Recreational horseback riding has been recognized for its therapeutic benefits, particularly through direct human-horse interactions. Despite known positive impacts of horse's interactions with humans, there is no reported study discussing the relationship of equine assisted therapy and character skill development among university students. This paper examines the impact of equine assisted learning (EAL) on university students who struggled academically in the previous semester. Twelve students participated voluntarily in the program, engaging the study participants in experiential learning of EAL sessions at Majlis Ekuin Malaysia horse stable. The learning sessions, each conducted for nearly three hours, involved tasks to complete including stable cleaning, grooming, feeding, and leading horses. Study participants were requested to complete questionnaires before and after the EAL program to assess their character skill development, measured through "Habits of Minds." Students' academic results in terms of grade point average (GPA) achieved in the previous semester before EAL were compared with their GPA for the current semester after the students had been involved in the EAL program. Results of the study revealed collective improvements in the "Habits of Minds'' attributes of Persistence, Flexible Thinking, Responsible Risk-Taking, and Empathetic Listening after the EAL program. However, the attribute Managing Impulsivity was slightly impaired. Interestingly, all students' GPA after the EAL program had also improved compared to their previous GPA. The (mean ± standard deviation) of the students' GPA after EAL intervention (2.21 ± 0.59) is significantly increased compared to that before the EAL intervention (1.66 ± 0.67) with p = 0.045. The overall finding from this study suggests that the practical benefits of the EAL program can enhance character skills development that can lead to better academic results among university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK's National Joint Registry (NJR) and the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) of 2022 revealed that total hip replacement (THR) is the most common orthopaedic joint procedure. The NJR also noted that 10–20% of hip implants require revision within 1 to 10 years. Most of these revisions are a result of aseptic loosening, dislocation, implant wear, implant fracture, and joint incompatibility, which are all caused by implant geometry disparity. The primary purpose of this review article is to analyze and evaluate the mechanics and performance factors of advancement in hip implants with novel geometries. The existing hip implants can be categorized based on two parts: the hip stem and the joint of the implant. Insufficient stress distribution from implants to the femur can cause stress shielding, bone loss, excessive micromotion, and ultimately, implant aseptic loosening due to inflammation. Researchers are designing hip implants with a porous lattice and functionally graded material (FGM) stems, femur resurfacing, short-stem, and collared stems, all aimed at achieving uniform stress distribution and promoting adequate bone remodeling. Designing hip implants with a porous lattice FGM structure requires maintaining stiffness, strength, isotropy, and bone development potential. Mechanical stability is still an issue with hip implants, femur resurfacing, collared stems, and short stems. Hip implants are being developed with a variety of joint geometries to decrease wear, improve an angular range of motion, and strengthen mechanical stability at the joint interface. Dual mobility and reverse femoral head–liner hip implants reduce the hip joint's dislocation limits. In addition, researchers reveal that femoral headliner joints with unidirectional motion have a lower wear rate than traditional ball-and-socket joints. Based on research findings and gaps, a hypothesis is formulated by the authors proposing a hip implant with a collared stem and porous lattice FGM structure to address stress shielding and micromotion issues. A hypothesis is also formulated by the authors suggesting that the utilization of a spiral or gear-shaped thread with a matched contact point at the tapered joint of a hip implant could be a viable option for reducing wear and enhancing stability. The literature analysis underscores substantial research opportunities in developing a hip implant joint that addresses both dislocation and increased wear rates. Finally, this review explores potential solutions to existing obstacles in developing a better hip implant system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A microstrip line-fed monopole antenna is proposed for super wideband (SWB) applications printed on an epoxy-resin-reinforced woven-glass material. The reported SWB antenna has been made of a rectangular partial ground plane with an L-type slit and a heart-shaped radiating patch. This antenna is connected precisely by a tapered feed line that provides SWB greater than ultra-wideband. The heart-shaped radiating patch and the partial ground plane containing a gap and an L-type slit on ground plane also play paramount roles to procure wide impedance bandwidth. It is determined from measurements that this antenna contains SWB characteristic [voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) ≤2] spanning from 1.30 to 40 GHz (187.41%), with a bandwidth dimension ratio (BDR) of 5544.66 and a ratio bandwidth of 30.77:1. Simple construction, sharp surface current flow, much impedance bandwidth, nearly omnidirectional radiation patterns, stable peak gain (2.20–6.06 dBi), time domain performance, and considerable BDR (5544.66) make it a promising candidate for SWB applications.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the effects of electromagnetic (EM) energy absorption at 900 and 1900 MHz when the human head’s dielectric properties are varied. This radiation is measured in terms of specific absorption rate (SAR). The characteristics of the helical antenna and its substrates with variation of the human head dielectric properties were simulated via the finite-difference time domain (FDTD) method using the CST Microwave studio. The human head dielectric properties are manipulated by increasing and decreasing 10% and 20% of each dielectric property. In this study, SAR values increase with increase of the human head’s conductivity, while increase of permittivity and densities decreases it. A helical antenna with a substrate of FR4 resulted in higher SAR values in all frequencies. The head SAR values are higher in the upper frequency exposures. The helical antenna with a substrate of Rogers RO3006 (loss free) was found to be the best-tested substrate, which contributed toward much lower SAR values in all GSM frequency bands.