The vector autoregressive (VAR) approach is useful in many situations involving model development for multivariables
time series. VAR model was utilised in this study and applied in modelling and forecasting four meteorological variables.
The variables are n rainfall data, humidity, wind speed and temperature. However, the model failed to address the
heteroscedasticity problem found in the variables, as such, multivariate GARCH, namely, dynamic conditional correlation
(DCC) was incorporated in the VAR model to confiscate the problem of heteroscedasticity. The results showed that the use
of the VAR coupled with the recognition of time-varying variances DCC produced good forecasts over long forecasting
horizons as compared with VAR model alone.
MeSH terms: Animals; Disease Vectors; Humidity; Social Problems; Temperature; Wind; Law Enforcement; Meteorology
Menstrual irregularity and disordered eating were previously identified as risk factors for low bone mineral density
(BMD) in female athletes. Therefore, an investigation for more potential factors that could be associated with low BMD
among Malaysian female athletes is required. The aim of this study was to assess the association of BMD with energy
availability, body weight, body fat, estrogen level and bone loading status in female athletes and to what extent those
factors predict BMD. Energy intake and expenditure, body weight, Bone Physical Activity Questionnaire (BPAQ) score
and estrogen level were determined from 85 female athletes aged 18-30 years in this cross-sectional study. Bone mineral
density was measured by using an ultrasound bone densitometry device at the calcaneus bone. The female athletes’ body
weight and fat percentage were 56±9 kg and 27±6%, respectively and they were all eumenorrheic. Fifty three percent
of them had low BMD (z- score < 0). Their mean energy intake (1291±33 kcal/day) was lower than energy expenditure
(1807±34 kcal/day) which resulted in a low energy availability (29±1 kcal/day/kg FFM). BMD was positively associated
with BPAQ score (r=0.4, p=0.000) and body weight (r=0.3, p=0.005) but negatively associated with energy expenditure
(r=-0.4, p=0.000). There was no association of BMD with energy intake, energy availability, body fat percentage and
estrogen level. In conclusion, BMD was associated with energy expenditure, body weight and BPAQ score among female
athletes. Regression analysis showed that energy expenditure and BPAQ score were the main factors to predict BMD.
Thermally driven electrochemical cells (thermocells) are able to convert thermal gradient applied across redox electrolyte
into electricity. The performance of the thermocells heavily depends on the magnitude and integrity of the applied thermal
gradient. Herein, we study the iodide/triiodide (I–/I3
–) based 1-Ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium Ethylsulfate ([EMIM][EtSO4])
solutions in a thermocell. In order to comprehend the role of fluidity of the electrolyte, we prepared set of solutions by
diluting [EMIM][EtSO4] with 0.002, 0.004, and 0.010 mol of Acetonitrile (ACN). We realized a significant improvement
in ionic conductivity (σ) and electrochemical Seebeck (Se) of diluted electrolytes as compared to base [EMIM][EtSO4]
owing to the solvent organization. However, the infra-red thermography indicated faster heat flow in ACN-diluted-[EMIM]
[EtSO4] as compared to the base [EMIM][EtSO4]. Therefore, the maximum power density of base [EMIM][EtSO4] (i.e.
118.5 µW.m-2) is 3 times higher than the ACN-diluted-[EMIM][EtSO4] (i.e. 36.1 µW.m-2) because of the lower thermal
conductivity. Hence this paper illustrates the compromise between the fast mass/flow transfer due to fluidity (of diluted
samples) and the low thermal conductivity (of the pure [EMIM][EtSO4]).
Biodiesel, one of the renewable energy sources has gained attention for decades as the alternative fuel due to its remarkable properties. However, there are several drawbacks from the industrial production of biodiesel such as the spike in the production cost, environmental issues related to the usage of homogeneous catalyst and profitability in long term. One of the solutions to eliminate the problem is by utilizing low cost starting material such as palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD). PFAD is a byproduct from the refining of crude palm oil and abundantly available. Esterification of PFAD to biodiesel will be much easier with the presence of heterogeneous acid catalyst. Most of acid catalyst preparation involves series of heating process using conventional method. In this study, microwave was utilized in catalyst preparation, significantly reducing the reaction time from conventional heating method. The catalyst produced was characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer Emmet and Teller (BET), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Temperature-Programmed Desorption - Ammonia (TPD-NH3) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) while percentage yield and conversion of the PFAD were analysed by gas chromatography - flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and acid-base titration, respectively. It has been demonstrated that the percentage yield of biodiesel from the PFAD by employing sulfonated glucose acid catalyst (SGAC) reached 98.23% under the following conditions: molar ratio of methanol to PFAD of 10:1, catalyst loading of 2.5% and reaction temperature of 70oC. The microwave-assisted SGAC showed its potential to replace the SGAC produced via conventional heating method.
The application of La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF) as a potential cathode working on a BaCe0.54Zr0.36Y0.1O2.95 (BCZY)
electrolyte for proton conducting solid oxide fuel cell was investigated. LSCF nanoceramic powders were synthesized by
an activated carbon-assisted sol-gel process using metal nitrate-based chemicals. The LSCF powder was transformed to a
slurry and spin-coated onto both surfaces of BCZY pellet to form a symmetrical cell with the configuration of LSCF|BCZY|LSCF.
The symmetrical cell was subsequently sintered at 950°C for 2 h to allow a good contact formation between electrode/
electrolyte layers. The phase structural verification of the calcined powders was investigated by X-Ray diffractometer
(XRD). Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was employed to examine the morphology of the sintered
cell. The electrochemical behaviour of the symmetrical cell was studied by an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
The formation of a single perovskite LSCF phase with a crystallite size of 20 nm was obtained at 700°C as corroborated
by XRD analysis. The FESEM images showed a good contact between LSCF cathode and BCZY electrolyte at electrode/
electrolyte interfacial layer. The ASR obtained for LSCF symmetrical cell measured at 700°C with and without Pt current
collector is 0.87 and 31.25 Ωcm2, respectively.
The objective of the present study was to determine the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and
antioxidant properties, i.e. 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and ferric reducing
antioxidant potential (FRAP) assay, of red- and yellow-fleshed watermelon rind powders prepared using different drying
conditions (hot-air oven drying at 40 and 60°C and freeze drying). All the samples were subjected to four different
solvent extract using water, methanol, ethanol and acetone prior analyses. Water extract from red- and yellow-fleshed
watermelon rind powders presented highest value for TPC and TFC. However, methanol extract samples showed highest
value for antioxidant properties (DPPH and FRAP) followed by acetone, ethanol and water extract. By comparing the
drying conditions, all samples dried using hot-air dryer at 40 and 60°C had significantly higher (p<0.05) in TPC value
than the samples dried using freeze dryer. However, samples dried using freeze dryer showed highest in DPPH and
FRAP values. The present obtained results would be useful to the food and pharmaceutical industries for developing of
functional ingredients.
The factors responsible for the low solubility percentage of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) cellulose pulp compared
to kenaf when dissolved in aqueous NaOH/urea solvent system was reported. Physical and chemical properties of both
cellulose pulp were studied and compared in terms of the lignin content, viscosity average molecular weight (Mη),
crystallinity index (CrI), cellulose pulp structure and their zero span tensile strength. The structure of both OPEFB and
kenaf cellulose pulp were characterized using high powered microscope and field emission scanning electron microscopy
(FESEM) assisted by ImageJ® software. The results show that the most significant factor that affected the OPEFB and
kenaf cellulose dissolution in NaOH/-urea solvent was the Mη with OPEFB having a higher Mη of 1.68×105 compared to
5.53 × 104 for kenaf. Overall, kenaf cellulose appeared to be produced in higher quantities presumably due to its lower
molecular weight with superior tensile strength and permeability in comparison to OPEFB.
Nine bacterial strains were isolated from Thai fermented fish by the standard dilution technique using JCM no. 377
medium. The rod shaped isolate FN2-3 was identified as Virgibacillus dokdonensis while isolates FN2-3 and FN6-6 as
V. halodenitrificans, FN1-13 as Corynebacterium variabile, FN1-10 as Oceanobacillus iheyensis and FN3-7 was Bacillus
amyloliquefaciens subsp. plantarum. The coccal isolates, FN6-1 and FN6-7 were Staphylococcus saprophyticus subsp.
bovis and FN6-8 was S. saprophyticus subsp. saprophyticus, based on their phenotypic characteristics and 16S rRNA
gene sequence analyses at a 99.63-100% sequence similarity. Their lipase activity in complex medium (CM), CM medium
with 1% (v/v) Tween 20 or CM medium with 1% (v/v) Tween 80 ranged from 1.12 ± 0.03-3.77 ± 0.04 unit/mL, with the
highest lipase activity found with V. dokdonensis FN1-8 cultivated with CM with 1% (v/v) Tween 80.
Natural fibres potentially offer better reinforcement to improve the mechanical and physical properties of polymer composites. However, these natural materials at this stage are not fully explored yet due to the fibres themselves have limited heat resistance and are quite sensitive to moisture. This limitation will weaken the adhesion when interacting with thermoplastic matrices during the processing of composites. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to investigate inherent strength characteristics among kenaf (core and bast) fillers as a reinforcement in polypropylene composites at various geometries and loadings via the injection moulding process. The composite materials consisted of kenaf with the geometric core filler of the 20 mesh (992 µm), 40 mesh (460 µm) and bast filler (166.9 µm) were mixed with polypropylene based on the filler loadings of 10 up to 40 wt. %. The results showed that bast filled composites had the highest tensile strength of 19.52 MPa at 30 wt. %, compared to core filled composites. Instead, 20 mesh core filled composites were obtained had the highest flexural strength which values were 25 MPa and 29 MPa at 20 wt. % and 30 wt. %, respectively. While 40 mesh core filled composites had the highest values of 25.35 MPa at 40 wt. % of filler loading compared to bast filled composites. SEM micrograph images showed the good interfacial bonding of core filler which surrounded by PP leading to diffusion and permeation of bonding. In conclusion, the use of kenaf (core and bast) fillers as a reinforcement in composite materials is reasonable to maximise the use of fibre from natural sources.
The fungicide captan, which is commonly used to control fungal diseases in many plants, causes soil infertility and cancer to human beings. Hence, this fungicide was tested for utilization as a sole carbon source by a newly soil isolate, Planomicrobium flavidum strain EF. This bacterium resists captan up to 2000 ppm and showed higher growth patterns in minimum salt medium supplemented with captan only, if compared with minimum salt medium without captan. Moreover, almost 77.5% of captan has been utilized by Planomicrobiu flavidum after only 2 h of growth under shaking conditions and only 0.8% of the fungicide was remained after 24 h of bacterial growth. Captan residues in both soil samples and minimal salt medium were accurately estimated using GC-ECD (gas chromatography - electron detector) and GC-MS/MS (gas chromatography - mass spectrum) technologies. According to current results, Planomicrobium flavidum strain EF is highly recommended for captan and may be other fungicides bioremediation.
MeSH terms: Biodegradation, Environmental; Captan; Carbon; Chromatography, Gas; Electrons; Fungicides, Industrial; Infertility; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Mycoses; Neoplasms; Soil; Sodium Chloride, Dietary; Tandem Mass Spectrometry
The effects of adulterated honey consumption towards human health is not widely known; mainly due to lack of systematic
and scientific studies and low public awareness. In this study, short-term and long-term effects of consumption on two
brands of commercially honey are available in Malaysian market was investigated and compared to normal control (NC)
rats and rats fed with natural pineapple honey (PH) using male Sprague dawley rats. Adulteration of honey used in the
study was measured using physicochemical and antioxidant analyses and identified as adulterated honey A (FHA) and
B (FHB). No toxicity effect was found for short-term consumption (14 days with one honey consumption). However, visible
effects were observed after 16 weeks of study. Both FHA and FHB showed a significant increase (p>0.05) in cholesterol
(48.6 ± 4.8 mmol/L, 46.5 ± 3.6 mmol/L), triglycerides (26 ± 1.2 mmol/L, 24.4 ± 1.8 mmol/L) and glucose (28.4 ± 2.5
mmol/L, 25 ± 2.6 mmol/L) level respectively. In contrast, rats from NC and PH groups have lower cholesterol (26.5 ± 4.4
mmol/L, 18.94 ± 3.6 mmol/L), triglycerides (17.5 ± 1.2 mmol/L, 13.5 ± 1.5 mmol/L) and glucose (6.4 ± 1.4 mmol/L, 8.0 ±
1.5 mmol/L) level, respectively. The most critical finding was in total five rats from both fake honey groups showed early
mortality. This intensive study indicates long-term adulterated honey may harm to human health and required prompt
actions from various authorities locally and internationally to avoid other consequences in the future.
Uncertainty of the climates nowadays brings the crucial calamities problems especially at unexpected areas and in anytime. Thus, the projection of climate variability becomes significant information especially in the designing, planning and managing of water resources and hydrological systems. Numerous climate models with varies methods and purposes have been developed to generate the local weather scenarios with considered the greenhouse gasses (GHGs) effect provided by General Circulation Models (GCMs). However, the accuracy and suitability of each climate models are depending on the atmospheric characters’ selection and the variables consideration to form the statistical equation of local-global weather relationship. In this study, there are two well-known statistical climate models were considered; Lars-WG and SDSM models represent for the regression and weather typing methods, respectively. The main aim was to evaluate the performances among these climate models suit for the Pahang climate variability for the upcoming year Δ2050. The findings proved the Lars-WG as a reliable climate modelling with undemanding data sources and use simpler analysis method compared to the SDSM. It is able to produce better rainfall simulated results with lesser %MAE and higher R value close to 1.0. However, the SDSM lead in the temperature simulation with considered the most influenced meteorological parameters in the analysis. In year Δ2050, the temperature is expected to rise achieving 35°C. The rainfall projection results provided by these models are not consistent whereby it is expecting to increase 2.6% by SDSM and reduce 1.0% by Lars-WG from the historical trend and concentrated on Nov.
The soils developed from the Ganges sediments in the coastal area of Bangladesh and India extend several thousand hectares and important from the view point of rice cultivation. Phosphorus, one of the important environmental and agricultural element, retention behavior of the Ganges floodplain soils is poorly reported. The objective of this study was to determine maximum phosphorus adsorption capacity (MPAC) and to develop Psat for 13 Ganges Tidal Floodplain soils of Bangladesh. The MPAC value and Psat based on Mehlich-3 extractions were determined. The conventional adsorption equations, such as the Langmuir, Freudlich and Temkin equations were used to describe the P sorption of the studied soils. The MPAC value varied from 1250 to 2000 mg/kg and correlated with EC (r = 0.59, p<0.05) and CEC (r = -0.74, P<0.01). The sorption capacity of the tested soils ranged from 511 to 545 mg/kg and the calculated energy of adsorption of the soils varied from 0.192 to 1.00 μg/mL and it was a positively correlated with clay (r=0.7, p<0.01) and CEC (r = 0.63, p<0.05) but negatively with silt (r= -0.80, p<0.01), pH (H2O) (r=-0.60, p<0.05) and with MPAC (r=-0.59, p<0.05) values. Phosphorus saturation indices of the studied sample demonstrated a far below the threshold critical limit of 25%.
The limestone hill of Batu Caves is slowly being turned into a recreation park for slope climbing, base jumping and cave exploring. Quantitative assessment on the stability of the cave is essential to ensure the safety of tourists and visitors. The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess the stability of Gua Damai, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia by using the Q system for rock mass classification, together with other factors such as cave width and thickness of the cave roof. The stability of the limestone cave wall was evaluated using Slope Mass Rating (SMR). A discontinuity survey conducted along the slopes beneath the opening of the cave showed that the rock mass comprised of four major joint sets labeled as J1, J2, J3, and J4 with the dip directions and angles of 110˚/73˚, 325˚/87˚, 243˚/39˚ and 054˚/30˚, respectively. The result of kinematic analysis showed that the dip direction/dip angle of a potential wedge failure was 051˚/59˚. By referring to the ratio of cave roof thickness with cave width, the results showed that the cave is stable. Based on the relationship between Q system and the cave width, the stabilities of Section 4 of Gua Damai is stable while Section 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 require supports. Based on SMR, the cave walls stability at Portion c, d, and f were not stable while Portion a, b, e and g were stable. Overall, the most stable part of the cave is Section 4 followed by Sections 5 and 2. Sections 1, 3 and 8 are moderately stable while Sections 6 and 7 have poor stability.
Boron is considered important to improve the drought resistance, yield and protein contents of pulses. Two years of field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of boron application and water stress given at vegetative and flowering stages on growth, yield and protein contents of mungbean during spring 2014 and 2015. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with split-plot arrangement giving more emphasis to boron. The experiment comprised three water stress levels (normal irrigation, water stress at vegetative stage and water stress at reproductive phase) and four boron levels (0, 2, 4 and 6 kg ha-1). Final seed yield was significantly increased by different levels of boron application both under normal and water stressed conditions. The increase in yield was mainly due to greater plant height, number of pods bearing branches, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod and 1000-grain weight. Boron application at 4 kg ha-1 caused 17%, 10% and 4% increase in grain yield under normal irrigation, stress at vegetative stage and water stress at reproductive phase, respectively. Protein contents were also increased (9-16%) at same boron treatment. Most parameters showed a marked decrease at higher dose (6 kg ha-1) of boron. In conclusion, the boron application at rate of 4 kg ha-1 in clay-loam soil performed the best to enhance mungbean growth, yield and seed protein both under normal and water stressed conditions.
The drawbacks associated with activated carbon, mainly cost, have resulted in the continuing search for inexpensive adsorbents easily and abundantly available as waste materials. The current review presents the results of using different forms of date palm (DP) waste as low-cost biosorbents, highlighting effects of contact time, pH, the dose and size of the adsorbent particles, initial metal concentrations and the effects of pre-treatment on the adsorption efficiency of copper (Cu2+). The results of studies using the raw DP trunk fiber suggested the equilibrium time was approximately 2 h, with a significantly high removal of Cu2+ during the initial 1 h at acidic pH values of 5-6, which indicated the interference of H+ ions with metal ions at low pH values. The raw DP trunk fiber was tested with initial particle sizes of 75-251 μm and adsorbent dosages in the range of 0.4-5.0 g L-1. The best adsorption efficiency was obtained at the smallest particle size and the maximum dosage. The use of different initial Cu2+ concentrations resulted in a 10% decrease in removal, but the adsorption capacity was increased three-fold with an initial concentration of 20-100 mg L-1. A significantly higher removal efficiency of Cu2+ was achieved using the modified DP waste than with the raw trunk fiber for all experimental parameters and operational conditions owing to the increased functional groups on the modified adsorbents. The reviewed literature confirmed the efficiency of DP waste for the adsorption of heavy metals, but the use of the raw or even modified DP waste for the large-scale treatment of wastewater is still a concern owing to the cost effectiveness, availability and requirement for DP waste on a massive scale. Further research for physical modifications of the raw DP waste that employs cost-effective techniques, such as using the DP waste in the form of dehydrated carbon and media filters are required.
The prime objective of the present research work was to evaluate the efficiency of bio-machine for the removal of Cadmium (Cd) from aquatic systems. Aspergillus niger fungus was used as bio-machine to remove Cd from aquatic systems. Twenty three different strains (IIB-1 to IIB-23) were isolated from industrial effluents and the Langmuir and Freundlich models were applied to the best Cadmium removal strain IIB-23 in order to obtain the adsorption parameters. Different parameters such as pH, temperature, contact time, initial metal concentratio, and biomass dosage on the biosorption of Cd were studied. The percent removal of Cd initially increased with an increase in pH ranging from 5.5-6.5 and then decreased by increasing pH from 7.0-7.5. An optimized pH used for Cd removal from aquatic systems was found to be 6.5. Additionally, an optimum amount of biomass was 1.33 g for the maximum removal of Cd from the aqueous solutions with initial metal concentration of 75 mg/L. The results obtained thus indicated that Langmuir model is the best suited for the removal of Cd from aquatic systems.
A study was carried out to determine the diversity and enumerate the fauna species related to five pitcher plant species at a selected area in Bukit Setiam Forest, Tatau, Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia. At the end of the study, six insect orders together with nematodes and Araneae were detected with different existence abundances and diversity. From the 901 total fauna trapped, 58.82% belonged to the order Hymenoptera, mainly of the ant species, followed by Nematodes (21.64%), Diptera (15.87%), Coleoptera (1.66%), Hemiptera (0.89%), Blattaria (0.44%) and finally, Lepidoptera (0.33%) and Araneae (0.33%). Significant differences (p<0.05) in the composition of insect trapped in pitcher plants were observed for the order Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Hemiptera and even Nematodes. Meanwhile, no significant difference was observed for Coleoptera, Blattaria and Araneae. There is a strong relationship between fauna and Nepenthes pitcher either as a prey, predator, a mutualistic relationship or parasites or also for a habitat to live or to reproduce.
The present study was designed to study the enteric parasites infection in domestic rabbits in Upper Egypt and its impact on their health. A total of 298 faecal samples were collected from different farms in Upper Egypt. Each faecal sample was screened for parasitic isolation during May 2011- October 2012. Furthermore, The Eimeria species from samples containing isolated and sporulated oocysts were morphologically identified under microscope. Additionally, the Sheather's sugar flotation and Modified Zeihl Neelsen techniques were used to detect the Cryptosporidium species oocyst. According to results of the present study, the overall enteric parasite infections in rabbits was 68.12%, with 5.7% samples were found to be positive for helminths (P. ambiguus) and 49% were found to harbour various species of protozoa (Eimeria spp. and Cryptosporidium oocysts). Influences of age, sex and breed on the prevalence were recorded. Also, there was strong significant seasonal trends in the prevalence of the recovered parasites. Eight species of Eimeria were detected. Concurrent infection with two to eight Eimeria species occurred most frequently. Cryptosporidium oocyst was detected in 45 rabbits (15.1%). To the best of author's knowledge, this the first report of E. piriformis and Cryptosporidium species in rabbits in Egypt. Histopathological changes were indicative of inflammatory reactions brought about by parasitic infection with Eimeria species and its consequent irritating effects on intestine. The current study showed the characteristics of the prevalence of rabbit enteric parasite infection in Egypt and provided relevant 'baseline' data for assessing the effectiveness of future control strategies against these parasites in Egypt.
The sound produced by the anurans including toads can be a survival strategy for the selection of fittest males by their conspecific females and a form of effective prezygotic mechanism. Most of the published works on anuran sound production were on true frogs or ranids, yet little is known about sound characteristics of toads. Here we describe the properties of mating calls from six selected toad species from six study sites in Sarawak. Males' mating calls were recorded and analyzed using Sound Ruler Acoustic Analysis ver 0.9.6.0. Call characteristic were subsequently compared for toad species differentiation. The results showed that each species differ in call characteristics, with pulsating note, rate of note repetition and pitch being the most apparent characters. The highest number of pulse notes belongs to Duttaphrynus melanostictus while Ansonia spinulifer exhibited highest pitch and rate of note repetition. These species' differences in mating call characteristics provide an additional method for anuran species classification besides morphological and molecular DNA data. It is also a very useful guide during field survey as the sound is audible and identification can be made without the need of capturing the toads.