The purpose of this research is to gain initial knowledge and to predict the sustainability of an all-weather
Micro-Aerial-Vehicle (MAV). The observed parameters are: the maximum coefficient of lift, CL and the
changes in CL after impact, the fluctuation of CL upon entering simulated rain environment, and length of
stability recovery in terms of time and flapping cycle, t and t/T, at flapping frequencies of 8, 16, and 24
Hz, at t/T = 3/8 and 7/8. At 24 Hz, the increase in peak CL value after impact of entering rain environment
is 0.59. The average fluctuations in CL occurred when entering the rain environment are 410.263. The
stability recovery time recorded is 0.006 seconds. Small birds (especially hummingbirds) have a very
high flapping frequency that enables them to efficiently withstand external disturbances caused by nature
and to instantly adapt to new environments.
One of the best ways to enhance heat transfer coefficient is by improving thermal properties of the
working fluid. Gold/water nanofluid flow through horizontal minitube with very low Reynolds number
was simulated by using Thermal Lattice Boltzmann Method (TLBM) under uniform heat flux boundary
condition. The effect of different volume fraction of nanoparticles on the heat transfer coefficient was
studied and compared with the base fluid (water). The results were verified using Finite Volume Method
(FVM). The results showed enhancement of heat transfer coefficient when using gold/water nanofluid
and this enhancement depends on the volume concentration of Gold nanoparticles. The maximum
enhancement was 18% with 0.03 volume concentration.
The presence of calcification in a particular FDG-avid soft tissue lesion may at times present uncertainty
regarding the clinical course of the disease pathology. Calcific deposits are not specific for either benign
or malignant aetiologies (Brant et al., 2010). Altered glucose metabolism with associated calcification
may underpin underlying aggressive pathophysiology with necrosis as sequelae. Mantle Cell Lymphoma
(MCL) is a subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It is a rare B-cell NHL that is prevalent in men over
the age of 60. The disease may be aggressive but it can also behave in a more indolent fashion in some
patients. MCL comprises about 5% of all NHLs. The disease is called Mantle Cell Lymphoma because the
tumour cells originally come from the ‘mantle zone’ of the lymph node (Zhou et al., 2004). Pretreatment
Hodgkin’s lymphoma with calcification may masquerade as other second primary pathologies, e.g.
extraosseous osteosarcoma or myositis ossificans (Apter et al., 2002; Korek-Amorosa et al., 1974). A
calcified perineural lymphoma prior to treatment is exceedingly rare and calcification usually occurs
one to five years after chemotherapy or radiation therapy with an incidence of 2% (Apter et al., 2002).
This case documents how the manifestation of a rare malignant perineural mantle cell lymphoma may
be indistinguishable from other pathological entities based on its pattern of distribution in a combined
FDG- PET-CT study.
Colo-colic intussusception is a rare manifestation of a primary tumour in an adult patient. This article
aims to document the rarity of colo-colic intussusception features on the 18 FDG- PET-CT in a patient
with primary colonic carcinoma. An 18 FDG-PET-CT was performed for the purpose of pretreatment
staging of a colonic carcinoma in a 61-year-old man following a diagnostic colosnoscopic biopsy. He
presented with abdominal distension and peri-rectal bleeding for a month. The fused 18 F-FDG PET-CT
image revealed an FDG-avid mass in the left hemicolon showing a rim of FDG avidity denoting the head
of intussusceptum. There are also multiple FDG-avid nodules seen along the anti-mesenteric colonic fat
suspicious for lymph nodes metastasis. Debulking of tumour revealed a mucinous adenocarcinoma of
colon with a metastatic lymph node. 18 FDG PET-CT features of intussusception in colonic carcinoma
have never been described before. It can potentially become a preferred diagnostic tool in delineating a
potential tumour mass within the intussusceptions that help improve prognosis in patients with malignancy.
Human breast milk microbiota is essential for infant immune system development, maturation and
protection against infection. However, there is scarce information on the fluid’s microbiological
composition from Malaysia. The objective of the study was to isolate, identify and characterise commensal
bacterial population present in human breast milk from Malaysia. One hundred bacteria were isolated
from the human breast milk of healthy lactating women (n=30). After preliminary screening, 20 isolates
were characterised using both phenotypic and molecular techniques. The results indicated that most
frequently identified bacteria in this study were E. faecalis and S. hominis. These organisms alongside E.
cloacae were all metabolised D-Maltose, Sucrose, D-Turanose, α-D-Glucose, D-Fructose, D-Mannose,
D-Galactose, D-sorbitol and D-Mannitol and were able to grow at pH 5 and 6, 1% sodium lactate, 1%,
2% and 8% NaCl. BLAST showed over 99% similarity to those deposited in Genbank. Phylogeneticrelatedness
was depicted using neighbour-joining method and had two clades with 100% bootstrap. These
findings provided insight into the nature, characteristics and also phylogenetic-relatedness of bacteria
present in human milk from Malaysia. Isolation and identification of commensal bacteria from human
milk are considered the first step for future studies on the benefit of these organisms towards human health.
The use of an artificial neural network (ANN) is becoming common due to its ability to analyse complex
nonlinear events. An ANN has a flexible, convenient and easy mathematical structure to identify the
nonlinear relationships between input and output data sets. This capability could efficiently be employed
for the different hydrological models such as rainfall-runoff models, which are inherently nonlinear in
nature and therefore, representing their physical characteristics is challenging. In this research, ANN
modelling is developed with the use of the MATLAB toolbox for predicting river stream flow coming
into the Ringlet reservoir in Cameron Highland, Malaysia. A back propagation algorithm is used to train
the ANN. The results indicate that the artificial neural network is a powerful tool in modelling rainfallrunoff.
The obtained results could help the water resource managers to operate the reservoir properly in
the case of extreme events such as flooding and drought.
Viscosity, peel strength, shear strength and tack of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)-based pressuresensitive
adhesive were studied using silica as the filler. The silica content was varied from 10-50 parts
per hundred parts of rubber (phr). The tackifying resin, solvent and coating substrate used were gum rosin,
toluene and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) respectively. Viscosity of the adhesive was determined by
a Brookfield Viscometer. Both peel strength, shear strength and tack were measured by a Lloyd Adhesion
Tester operating at 10-60 cm/min. Results show that viscosity increases with silica loading due to the
concentration effect. Peel strength, shear strength and tack passes through a maximum value at 20 phr
silica loading, an observation which is attributed to the culmination of wettability at the optimum silica
content. Peel strength decreases with the angle of testing at a fixed silica loading and coating thickness.
Both peel strength, shear strength and tack increases with coating thickness and testing rates.
The use of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system is currently preferred because LRT is sustainable,
improves travel options and facilitates swift mobility in urban areas. Hence, the structural stability
and safety of this public transportation system against seismic occurrences are indispensable. Given
that these structures cannot be considered conventional frames because of their complex architectural
design, focussing meticulously on reliable seismic design codes and structural rehabilitation techniques
is vital for the design of the lateral resistance system. One Malaysian LRT station is considered in this
study, and the seismic response of this train station when equipped with supplementary viscous damper
devices is evaluated. Thus, the LRT station is modelled through finite element simulation. The methods
of seismic analysis are limited to linear seismic analyses, namely, response spectrum and time history
analyses. Results derived in this study show a significant improvement in structural response when the
station is fitted with dampers; approximately 40% reduction in displacement is observed at the top joint
of the roof. Furthermore, the lateral base shears decrease by approximately 70%.
A number of different studies were reviewed to investigate the functionality of splitter plates for the
purpose of drag reduction and vortex elimination behind a circular cylinder. The studies were carried
out numerically or experimentally in different combinations of Reynolds range, 2D or 3D dimensions,
with intention of drag reduction, vortex suppression or both. Results were compared to discover the
generalities of a splitter plate’s applications and its performance in drag reduction and vortex control.
The reduction of 12% up to 38.6% in drag coefficient suggests that all reviewed studies verified the
effectiveness of upstream plate in drag reduction. Varied upstream plate’s gap ratios (gap between the
plate and cylinder) were tested and the optimum position was obtained. For the finite cylinder case,
however, the studies discovered that the effectiveness of upstream plate decreased severely and thus, are
barely considered as a drag reductive tool for shorter cylinders. Although downstream plate influences
drag force, its prominent application is found to be vortex shedding elimination (up to 14.7%). The
length ratio and gap ratio of downstream plate were varied in these studies and it was found that the
length ratio was a more important factor compared with the gap ratio in the case of vortex suppression.
Leachate (liquid pollutant), which is highly contaminated with organic matter and toxic substances is a major
problem that arised from landfill. Biological methods have proven to be effective to remove organic matters that are
abundant in leachate. This study is intended to compare the used of free mycelia and immobilized mycelia of the
white-rot fungi, Ganoderma australe for the removal of landfill leachate organics. The organics fraction of landfill
leachate was measured by biological oxygen demand (BOD5), and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The experiment
revealed that free mycelia of G. australe showed capability in removing leachate BOD5 but not COD. However, the
use of immobilized G. australe displayed the best result in the removal of BOD5 and COD leachate after 4 weeks of
treatment in flasks with 93.09% and 17.84% percentage removal of BOD5 and COD, respectively. Therefore, G.
australe can be considered potentially useful in the treatment of landfill leachate as they can help in removing BOD
and COD due to their biodegradative abilities.
Clustering in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is one of the methods to minimize the energy usage of
sensor network. The design of sensor network itself can prolong the lifetime of network. Cluster head in
each cluster is an important part in clustering to ensure the lifetime of each sensor node can be preserved
as it acts as an intermediary node between the other sensors. Sensor nodes have the limitation of its
battery where the battery is impossible to be replaced once it has been deployed. Thus, this paper
presents an improvement of clustering algorithm for two-tier network as we named it as Multi-Tier
Algorithm (MAP). For the cluster head selection, fuzzy logic approach has been used which it can
minimize the energy usage of sensor nodes hence maximize the network lifetime. MAP clustering
approach used in this paper covers the average of 100Mx100M network and involves three parameters
that worked together in order to select the cluster head which are residual energy, communication cost
and centrality. It is concluded that, MAP dominant the lifetime of WSN compared to LEACH and SEP
protocols. For the future work, the stability of this algorithm can be verified in detailed via different data
and energy.
Pure TiO2 and Cr doped TiO2 (0.1-1.0wt% Cr) nanoparticles were synthesized via sol gel method. This
study focusing on narrowing the TiO2 band gap energies in order to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency
under visible light. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-Ray diffraction method (XRD), field
emmision (FESEM) and also UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS).The photocatalytic activity
under sunlight irradiation was demonstrated by photocatalytic decomposition of methylene blue in water
using UV/Vis spectrophotometer. The XRD analysis of pure TiO2 and doped TiO2 calcined at 500oC
showed a mixture of anatase and rutile phases with decreasing crystallites size from 13.3 nm to 11.6 nm
as the concentration of Cr was increased. The anatase-rutile phase transformation increased from 28.8%
to 57.4%. An indication shows that at 0.75wt% Cr the anatase and rutile phases have equal composition
percentage. This study demonstrated that band gap energy of TiO2 was reduced with Cr doping which
could enhance the photocatalytic efficiency. Sample containing 1.0wt% exhibit the lowest optical band
gap energy at 2.86 eV. The optimum chromium doping concentration was found to be at 0.1 wt% Cr
corresponding to band gap energy of 2.87 eV and degradation rate of 84%.
A good quality of rainfall data is highly necessary in hydrological and meteorological analyses. Lack
of quality in rainfall data will influence the process of analyses and subsequently, produce misleading
results. Thus, this study is aimed to propose modified missing rainfall data treatment methods that
produced more accurate estimation results. In this study, the old normal ratio method and the
modified normal ratio based on trimmed mean are combined with geographical coordinate method.
The performances of these modified methods were tested on various levels of the missing data of 36
years complete daily rainfall records from eighteen meteorology stations in Peninsular Malaysia. The
results indicated that both modified methods improved the estimation of missing rainfall values at the
target station based on the least error measurements. Modified normal ratio based on trimmed mean
with geographical coordinate method is found to be the most appropriate method for station Batu
Kurau and Sg. Bernam while modified old normal ratio with geographical coordinate is the most
accurate in estimating the missing data at station Genting Klang.
In this study, extracted plumeria and celosia cristata flowers have been used as the sensitizer for dyesensitized
solar cells (DSSC). The cells were fabricated using TiO2 as a semiconductor layer
deposited on transparent Indium doped tin oxide (ITO) conductive glass using a spin coating
technique. The films with dyes were characterized by UV-VIS absorption spectra. The photovoltaic
properties of DSSC were studied under an incident irradiation of 100 mW/cm2
. The I-V characteristic
curves of all fabricated cells were measured and analysed. The energy conversion efficiency (η) of the
cells consisting of plumeria extract and celosia cristata extract was 3.73 × 10-6
and 1.18 × 10-7 respectively.
Anthropogenic CO2 emissions has led to global climate change and widely contributed to global
warming since its concentration has been increasing over time. It has attracted vast attention
worldwide. Currently, the different CO2 capture technologies available include absorption, solid
adsorption and membrane separation. Chemical absorption technology is regarded as the most
mature technology and is commercially used in the industry. However, the key challenge is to
find the most efficient solvent in capturing CO2. This paper reviews several types of CO2 capture
technologies and the various factors influencing the CO2 absorption process, resulting in the
development of a novel solvent for CO2 capture.
In this study the role of Polymer flooding as one of the most efficient processes to enhance oil
recovery (EOR) is discussed. As we know, Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a bio-based polymer that
has potential application for use in polymer flooding. This polymer is reviewed with particular
emphasis on the effect of concentration, shear rate, salinity, hardness and temperature on polymer
viscosity. Initial findings showed that PHB owned higher resistant as compared to mechanical
degradation and thermal stability of HPAM as well as XG.
The interrelationship between freshwater availability with the growing population and climate change
estimates is complex. This article investigates climate change role in freshwater resources availability. This
is critical issue as freshwater is vital resource for life, and it is in stake as it is depleted worldwide.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) was
discussed. This paper elucidates the climate model downscaling methods used by scholars for future
projections. The applications of modelling could provide a holistic approach based on historical data to
predict the effect of climate change on the availability of freshwater. However, the people variability
uncertainties dominate assessments of freshwater stress, whilst climate change projections uncertainties are
more hypothesized to play a smaller role than people.
This study investigates the effect of oxalic acid at different concentrations as doping agent on
the electrical properties of polyaniline (PANI). The polymerization of aniline to produce
PANI was carried out in media containing oxalic acid at 0.08 M, 0.09 M, 0.1 M, 0.2 M and
0.3 M in the presence of ammonium persulphate as oxidizing agent. The successful formation
of PANI doped with oxalic acid was confirmed by FTIR and the morphology studied using
XRD. An impedance investigation on the series of PANI formed revealed that doping in 0.1M
oxalic acid produced PANI of the highest conductivity of 2.52 x 10-6
Scm-1.
Two Schiff bases, 3-(4-hydroxyphenylimino)-1,3-dihydroindol-2-one (OPI) and 3-(4-Chlorophenylimino)-1,3-dihydroindol-2-one
(CPI) were successfully synthesized through condensation
reactions giving yields of 82% and 63%, respectively. The compounds were characterized via
physical and spectroscopic techniques, namely elemental analysis (C, H, N), 1H and 13C Nuclear
Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and
melting point. The corrosion inhibiting property of the Schiff bases on mild steel in 1 M HCl solution
was investigated by the weight loss (WL) measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
(EIS) and linear polarization resistance (LPR). The concentrations of the Schiff bases were varied
from 1 x 10-3 M to 1 x 10-5 M. The inhibition efficiencies obtained from all the methods employed were
in good agreement where the percentage of inhibition efficiencies increased with concentration. OPI
showed better inhibition efficiency than CPI with 91 % highest inhibition efficiency at 1 x 10-3 M
additive concentration. This is likely to be caused by the resonance donating effect due to the
presence of the hydroxyl group. The adsorption behaviour obeyed Langmuir isotherm for monolayer
formation.
An investigation on the properties of Tenun Pahang fabric performances using alternative yarns was conducted. The studies were made in order to evaluate whether the Tenun Pahang fabric could be produced economically and at the same time maintain the fabric quality. Traditional Tenun Pahang fabric uses silk for both warp and weft. For this project, two alternative yarns were used which were bamboo and modal, which were a little lower in cost compared to silk. These yarns were woven with two variations, one with the yarns as weft only while maintaining the silk warp and the other with both warp and weft using the alternative yarns. Four (4) physical testing and three (3) mechanical testing conducted on the fabric samples. The fabric samples were evaluated including weight, thickness, thread density, crease recovery angle, stiffness and drapability. The results show that modal/silk and bamboo silk fabrics are comparable in terms of stiffness and drapability, hence they have the potential to replace 100% silk Tenun Pahang.
MeSH terms: Body Weight; Maintenance; Textiles; Silk