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School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Dr. Mohd Zaid Abdullah

 Infografik Mohd Zaid Abdullah 2024

Last Updated on 05.02.2024

Personal Info


Ph.D (Electrical Resistant Tomography), 
University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), United Kingdom.

Master of Science (Instrument Design), 
University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), United Kingdom.

Bachelor of Applied Science (Electronics), 
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang.

Tel : +604 5996030
Fax : +604 5996909
Email : Alamat emel ini dilindungi dari Spambot. Anda perlu hidupkan JavaScript untuk melihatnya.

Researcher Identifiers
Researcher ID : Z-1871-2018
ORCID : 0000-0002-5747-9812
Scopus Author ID : 57189587485
Google Scholar ID : 
USM Expertise Link : https://experts.usm.my/cvitae/mza

Last Updated on 20.06.2023

Education


Fellow Institution of Engineering and Technology (UK)
Chartered Engineer (CEng) (UK)
PhD (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology) – Electrical Resistant Tomography
MSc (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology) – Instrument Design.
B. Appl.Sc (Hons) (Universiti Sains Malaysia) - Electronics

 

Research Interest


Ultra-wide Band Sensing
Food Imaging
Biomedical Sensors and Instrumentation

 

Current Research


Ultra-wide Band Sensing

The interest in the use of ultra-wide band (UWB) impulses for medical or non-medical application, is driven by safety advantage, super resolution capability, significant dielectric contrast between targets and their surrounding objects, and low operating costs. In this research we investigate various sensing techniques leading to the development of a compact, planar-type UWB antenna with impedance bandwidth from 4.5 to 10.9 GHz. Meanwhile, the research in image reconstruction follows two different paths, namely, (i) the iterative non-linear least square minimization, and (ii) the single-step radar based approach. Presently, the methods and procedures are applied for breast cancer detection at very early stage of the disease. Improving the fidelity of image reconstruction algorithm by exploring new approach in signal sensing and recovery constitutes one of the principal directions of future interest.

 
Figure 1 : UWB experimental facilities showing important elements          
 


Figure 2 : Example of image reconstructed using UWB with 16 antenna arrangement.
(a) actual image of the heterogeneously dense breast phantom,
(b) image reconstructed using EDAS.

· Food Imaging

In making physical assessments of agricultural materials and foodstuffs, images are undoubtedly the preferred method in representing concepts to the human brain. Many of the quality factors affecting foodstuffs can be determined by visual inspection and image analysis. Among the visual tests that need to be carried out on foodstuffs is the measurement of texture such as colour and hairline crack. In this study an automated, intelligent system for texture inspection of biscuits is explored. In this system, advanced classification techniques featuring Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Wilk’s λ analysis were used to classify biscuits into one of eight distinct groups, corresponding to different degrees of baking. Meanwhile, a pyramid automatic detection scheme was proposed for crack analysis. This requires an enhancement method to properly distinguish the crack and intact samples. Canny-Deriche filter was used to emphasis the crack and reduce the noise. In order to segment minute crack pattern with less noise, a unimodal thresholding technique was developed and tested. In order to improve the peformance of machine learning, the blind deconvolution based image enhancement technique together with fractal decomposing algorithm are now being investigated.

 
Figure 3 : The acyclic graph for 8-group classification via DAGSVM strategy.

 


figure 4 : Image egmentation and reconstruction of hairline crack (left) seed image; (middle) target image; (right) reconstructed image.


· Biomedical Sensors and Instrumentation

Interest in electrochemical sensing research is steadily increasing because of its enormous potential in in vivo and in vitro bio-sensing applications. Microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE) with amperometric detection is one of the available methods which is being used in modern electrochemical applications. Portability, affordability, resolution and speed are other features which make the electrochemical detection as one of the preferred techniques for DNA analysis. This research is focussed towards designing and fabricating a capillary gel electrophoresis microchip with very low electric field of 12 V/cm using an Agarose gel as a separation medium. The microchip was fabricated with a single channel and equipped with platinum electrodes. Future research covers sensor miniturisation via VLSI implementation.

 


Figure 5 : Example of MCE developed in this study, bio-chip (top left), DNA bands (top right) electropherogram (bottom)

 

 

Recent Publications

1.    A-M.H.Y. Saad, M.Z. Abdullah, “High-speed implementation of fractal image compression in low cost FPGA”, Microprocessors and Microsystems, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.micpro.2016.08.004, 2016.

2.    Nik Syahrim Nik Anwar, Mohd Zaid Abdullah, “Grating Lobe Suppression Featuring the Phase Coherence Factor in 3-D Through-the-Wall Radar Imaging”, Radioengineering, DOI: 10.13164/re.2016.0001,2016.

3.    F.S.A. Sa’ad, M.F. Ibrahim, A.Y.Md. Shakaff, A. Zakaria, and M.Z. Abdullah, “Shape and weight grading of mangoes using visible imaging”, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 115, 51-56, 2015.

4.    Zeinab Mahdavipour, Teow Wee Teo, Mohd Zaid Abdullah,”In-Line Optical Micro-crack Detection System for Solar Wafers”, Trans. Institute of Measurement & Control, DOI: 10.1177/0142331215619974, 2015.

5.    Motasem Ghanim andMohd Zaid Abdullah, “Design of a Low-cost DNA Biochip Using  Copper Electrode”, Sensors and Materials, 27(10), 955-963, 2015.

6.    Motasem H. Ghanim and Mohd Z. Abdullah, “Novel Technique for lmproving the Amperometric Resolution in DNA Separation Biochip”, Sensor Letters, 13, 1-6, 2015.

7.    Zeinab Mahdavipour and Mohd Zaid Abdullah,”Micro-Crack Detection of Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Wafer”, IETE Technical Review, DOI=10.1080/02564602.2015.1028484, 2015.

8.    Tiang, S.S., Sadoon, M.S., Nik Anwar, N.S., Ain, M., and Abdullah, M.Z., “Development of aCompact Wide-Slot Antenna for Early StageBreast Cancer Detection Featuring CircularArray Full-ViewGeometry”, International Journal of Antennas and Propagation, http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/30932, 2015.

9.    Ubaid Ullah, Mohd Fadzil Ain, Nor Muzlifah Mahyuddin, Mohamadariff Othman, zainal Arifin Ahmad, Mohd Zaid Abdullah, and Arjuna Marzuki, “Antenna in LTCC Technologies: A Review and the Current State of the art”, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, 57(2), 241-257, 2015.

10.    Ubaid Ullah, Mohd fadzil Ain, Mohammadariff Othman, Ihsan Zubir, Nor Muzlifah Mahyuddin, Zainal Ariffin Ahmad, and Mohd Zaid Abdullah, “A Novel Multi-permitivitty Cylindrical Dielectric resonator Antenna for Wideband Applications”, Radioengineering, 23(4), 1071-1075, 2015

11.    Said Amirul Anwar, Mohd Zaid Abdullah, “Micro-Crack Detection of Multicrystalline Solar Cells Featuring an Improved Anisotropic Diffusion Filter and Image Segmentation Technique”, EURASIP Journal on Image and Video Processing, 15, 2014.

12.    Nashat, S., Abdullah, A., and Abdullah, M.Z., “Machine Vision for Crack Inspection of Biscuits Featuring Pyramid Detection Scheme”, J. Food Engg.,120, 233-247, 2014.

13.    Ghanim, M.H., Najimudin, N., Ibrahim, K., and  Abdullah, M.Z.,  “Low Electric Field DNA Separation and In-channel Amperometric Detection by Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis”, IET Nanobiotechnology, 8(2), 77-82, 2014.

14.    Alfatni, M.S.M., Shariff, A.R.M.,  Abdullah, M.Z., Marhaban, M.H.,  Saaed, O.M.B., “The application of internal grading system technologies for agricultural products – Review”, J. Food Engg., 116(3),703-725, 2013.

15.    Tiang, S.S., Sadoon, M.,  Zanoon, T.F.,  Ain, M.F.,  and Abdullah, M.Z.,  “Radar sensingfeaturing biconical antenna for early stage breast cancer detection”, Progress In Electromagnetics Research B,Vol. 46, 299-316, 2013.

16.    Ghanim, M.H., and  Abdullah, M.Z.,  “Design of disposable DNA biosensor microchip withamperometric detection featuring PCB substrate”, Biochip J., (2013) 7(1): 51-56.

17.    Israil, M., Anwar, S.A., and Abdullah, M.Z., “Automatic detection of micro-crack is solar wafers and cells: A review”, Trans. Institute of Measurement & Control, 35(5), 606-618 (2013).

18.    Nashat, S., Abdullah, A., and Abdullah, M.Z., “Unimodal thresholding for Laplacian based Canny-Deriche filter”, Pattern Recognition Letters, 33 (2012) 1269–1286.

19.    Ain, M.F., Qasaymeh, Y.M., Ahmad, Z.A., Zakariya, M.A., Othman, M.A., and Abdullah, M.Z., “Design and modeling of a high gain wideband circular polarized dielectric resonator antenna array”, Microwave and Optical TechnologyLetters, (2012), 54(6) 1396-1399.

20.    M.H. Ghanim, M.Z. Abdullah, “Integrating amperometric detection with electrophoresis microchip devices forbiochemical assays: Recent developments”, Talanta, 85, 2011, 28-34.

21.    Zanoon, T.F., and Abdullah, M.Z., “Quantitative Imaging in the Time Domain Featuring Ultra-Wideband Sensors and Unconstrained Minimization”, IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters, 21(11), 2011, 628-630.

22.    Zanoon, T.F., and Abdullah, M.Z., “Early stage breast cancer detection by means of time-domain ultra wide band sensing”, Measurement Science and Technology, 22(11), 2011, 114016.

 

Download

1. EEM323/3 Instrumentation and Measurement Systems
    a. Lecturer Notes 2019
    b. Assignment   
     c. Auxiliary
    d. Coursework marks

2. EEC511/4 - Image Processing in VLSI
     a. Lecturer Notes
     b. Assignment
     c. Coursework Marks
     d. Mini Projects :
                            i: Mini Project Rev 1
                           ii. Project 1
                            pdf file
                            jpg File
                           iii. Project 2
                           iv. Project 3
                           v : Project 4
                          vi : Project 5


Research Vacancy

1 PhD Position in Digital Imaging

Project title:  Transflection imaging of solar wafers and solar cells
Project duration: 3 years

Project summary:
The project focuses on developing a transflex-based machine vision inspection system for micro-crack detection in solar cells or solar wafer. The concept behind this new imaging set-up is explained as follows.  A light originating from a laser source is incident onto the sunny side or top surface of a solar cell/wafer placed on moving conveyor. A small fraction is reflected at the air-cell interface but a major fraction penetrates the surface and diffuses through the interior of the substrate. This optical effect would illuminate the solar cell/wafer from the subsurface. A camera facing the sunny side placed some distance away from the light point of incident will be used to capture this illumination. A micro-crack located along the transmission path would interfere with the internally diffused-reflected light, resulting in an abrupt change in illumination intensity. Resultantly, a dark field will be formed at the point of interference.  It is hypothesised that this procedure would generate much more clean image with less amount of noise.

This project requires the combination of hardware (principally optical mechatronics), digital image processing and artificial intelligence. Therefore a strong background on optoelectronics and programming skills in MATLAB or a high level language are essential.

This project provides the opportunity to be part of a large and digital imaging group that has several strongly committed industrial partners

The position is available immediately and the search will continue until it’s filled.

Criteria:
Applicants must have obtained a minimum first-class honours degree  (Electrical or Electronics or Mechatronics Engineering or equivalent), or hold a Masters-level qualification in relevant field recognised by USM. They should also have a track-record of engaging with research. This may include contributions to publications/articles, promoting their research to a wider audience, prizes/accolades for previous research work, setting up research collaborations with other groups etc.

Funding Notes
Open to locals only. Funding is available and would provide fees and monthly allowance of RM 3,000.

How to Apply
Interested candidate, please email Alamat emel ini dilindungi dari Spambot. Anda perlu hidupkan JavaScript untuk melihatnya. with CV.