Al-20%Mg2Si composite was in situ synthesized and modified by the addition of Ba and Bi;
the microstructure of the resulting composites will be investigated. It is expected that the comodification
with Ba and Bi effectively refined the morphology of Mg2Si which is attributed to the
formation of fine Ba2Bi particles that acted as the heterogeneous nucleation sites for the primary Mg2Si
particles, resulting in a refined distribution of these precipitates. Therefore, the addition of Ba and Bi
can provide a better effect than only the addition of Bi or Ba separately.
Despite of the advancement of technology in the present internet age, many college students
lack the information and communication technology (ICT) literacy skills like evaluating those necessary
to navigate, as well as using the information available today. Evaluating the quality of information
sources encompasses students’ ability to determine relevance, accuracy, and overall credibility of
sources and information. Moreover, the quality of information found online is extremely variable
because anyone can post data on the internet, and not all online sources are equally reliable, valuable,
or accurate. From a study conducted on diploma students’ assignments using rubric at an international
university in Kuala Lumpur, it was found that there was a problem in digital information evaluation
skills and lack of ability in using evaluation criteria, including authority, accuracy, currency,
objectivity, and coverage on digital information, as well as sources among diploma students. The future
work of this study will be the use of mobile devices in collaborative and interactive learning to improve
digital information evaluation skills among diploma students. This approach does not only improve the
students’ learning attitude, but also enhances the effectiveness of learning.
Recently, research has been critically focused on finding new compounds with antirepellent
activity due to the rising of new types of mosquito-borne diseases. Mosquito
repellents are the safer and cleaner alternative to fight the anthropods from bitten
human skins, hence reduce the spread of diseases. This study investigated the
relationships between biological activity and structure of carboxamides by using
Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) analysis. The data set used in this
study comprised of 40 carboxamide compounds taken from the literature with their
activities expressed as log PT (protection time). These compounds were split into
training set for model building and test set for external validation using activity-based
ranking method. The training set contained approximately 75% of the compounds
while the remaining compounds were then used as the validation set to verify the
accuracy of the model. DRAGON software was employed to generate molecular
descriptors. The important relevant descriptors were further selected and reduced by
using Genetic Algorithm (GA) as variable selection method. Two QSAR models were
developed by combining GA method with two different modelling techniques that are
multiple linear regressions (MLR) and partial least square (PLS). All the models are
robust with good correlation coefficient (r2) greater than 0.6 and external validation
r2test more than 0.5. Statistics of the GA-MLR model are r2 = 0.779 and r2test = 0.646.
Whereas, the second model generated from GA and PLS shows good r2 with value of
0.775 and r2test = 0.563. These results could be useful in finding new, safe, and more
effective repellents against Aedes Aegypti in a short time by providing guidance for
further laboratory work as well as prediction of external compounds and help to
understand the factors affecting their activity.
Empty fruit bunches and wastepaper together with urea formaldehyde (UF) were
evaluated to figure out potential applications in engineering field. The purpose of this project is to
determine the mechanical properties of a new high density board. This composite was manufactured
by hot-press technique with 3 different ratios i.e. 10:0, 6.67:3.33 and 9.33:0.67. The mechanical
properties were evaluated using the GOTECH/AI-7000M Electronic Mechanical Testing. Tensile tests
were carried out according to ASTM D638. The results were analysed to calculate the tensile
strength. Tensile strength at break ranged from 4.712 N/mm2 to 12.941 N/mm2 while hardness
number obtained ranged from 6.76 RHN to 75.84 RHN. This fibreboard has better properties when
reinforced with wastepaper compared to that of 100% empty fruit bunches. It is also found that the
hardness number is higher, which means that this fibreboard can withstand any load not more than
75.84 RHN. Finally, through Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), the surface structure of the new
high density board has been studied in terms of their surface morphology.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, disabling autoimmune disease which affects about 5 in 1000 people in Malaysia. Patients with RA are at increased risk of developing comorbid conditions. This research aims at determining these relationships between demographic, duration of illness and comorbidity in RA via a multiple binary logistic (MBL) regression analysis based on the 102 patients’ information (23 males; 79 females) obtained from the rheumatoid clinic of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu. The relationship of the RA patients with comorbid conditions was studied with focus on the demographic and duration of illness. The variables obtained for analysis were the comorbid conditions namely, hypertension and hyperlipidemia, age, duration of illness, gender, ethnicity, household income and education level. From six independent variables, two were quantitative would be analyzed, while four were categorical, and would be transformed into dummy variables. Four phases in a model-building approach were executed where two models were formed where Model I predicted the probability of occurrence of hypertension with age of patients and first order interaction between duration of illness before diagnosis and household income of less than RM1000 had positive effects on the model, while Model II predicted the occurrence of hyperlipidemia among the RA patients with age of patients and first order interaction variable between gender(female) and age were the contributing factors.
Study site: Rheumatoid clinic, Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Temperature monitoring system plays a very important role in modern liquid industrial
process especially where temperature monitoring is impossible through traditional
methods. In this paper a design and implementation of temperature monitoring
system using ATmega328 microcontroller has been proposed. The proposed system
consists of two different parts. The first part is temperature monitoring system and the
other is GUI interfacing between temperature monitoring system and computer as
temperature data storage. The monitoring part is composed of an ATmega328
microcontroller, temperature sensor LM35, alarm buzzer, a LED and a LCD. The
microcontroller is programmed in embed C language using Arduino Uno software to
read data from temperature sensor LM 35, convert and display in digital form on LCD.
Moreover, this part also indicates whether the temperature is low, high or safe by LED
light and alarm buzzer. The second part is GUI interfacing between temperature
monitoring system and computer which is performed through visual basic
programming using Microsoft visual basic software. The function of this part is to store
and display the temperature values and their waveform along with time and date on
computer.
A coconut de-husking machine comprising of two rollers with spikes, chain drives,
presser, clearers, shafts and belting system was developed for small-scale production in rural areas.
Performance test analysis showed that the machine de-husks coconut fruits without any nut breakage
or distortion of the extracted fibre length. The objective of this project is to improve the efficiency and
productivity in producing coconut fruits without husks by using the best selection of mechanical
mechanisms with minimum costs. One electric motor (2hp, 1500rpm) is used to drive two shafts using
a combination of pulley and belt. In between the motor and the shafts, one box of worm gears is used
to reduce the rotation speed from 1500rpm to 21rpm (ratio 70:1). Two metal cylinders with a series of
spikes are used to remove the husks from the coconut fruit and are attached to the rotary shaft. The
machine’s average de-husking efficiency and capacity are 90.42% and 222 coconuts per hour,
respectively. In addition, the development of the machine is also a solution to the constraint of space,
whereby a compact-size machine is more suitable for small and medium enterprises (SME’s). Plus, it
operates with lesser noise, which also contributes to a more viable operating condition for the
environment.
Nanofluid has become one of the interesting topics for engineers working for decades to
develop more efficient heat transfer in different applications. Nanorefrigerant, as a combination of
nanoparticles and refrigerant, is a new concept that has been recently investigated by number of
researchers. Electricity consumption usually varies from one sector to another. Generally, residential
sector is one of the biggest electricity consumers in Malaysia. Based on the literature, 26.3% of
electricity consumption in the residential sector in Malaysia is allocated to refrigerator–freezers.
Climate change is undeniably the greatest issue facing our society. Around the globe,
increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and extreme weather events are
observed, causing considerable risks to human lives, properties and health safety and
also on the natural ecosystem. The magnitude and impacts of climate change are
growing, and particularly in Malaysia, studies show increases in temperature and
changes in rainfall regimes. Such changes have profound implications, especially for
coastal communities. Since knowledge and perceptions of the public on climate change
could affect the success of implemented adaptation and mitigation options, it is
essential to conduct assessments to gather such information. A public awareness and
perception study was conducted at Sabak and Tanjung Karang, two coastal
communities which were affected by changes in sea level and flooding incidences. The
knowledge level and perceptions of climate change among respondents were assessed
covering areas such as level of awareness of the respondents, their perceptions of
climate change issues, their sentiments on climate change and adaptation measures,
their socio-economic activity and the effect on their lives. Results show that majority
of respondents were aware of climate change issues and challenges. High levels of
concern about climate change were expressed with the majority were worried and
uncertain about the climate change impact and hoped for government measures.
Almost half of respondents cited significant damage to their properties and reduction
in income generation. Overall, the results of the present study gave insights of the
affected parties on perceptions and awareness pertaining to climate change, which
could potentially be used to promote greater awareness of climate change matters and
to gauge the public response to related policies and strategies.
Honey is a natural sweetener, which is consumed in a variety of sweet products. It is
considered as healthy food because it contains nutrients such as carbohydrate,
protein, vitamins and mineral. The presence of adulterated honey in the market is
worrying the consumers since it is difficult to distinguish between pure and adulterated
honey due to similar appearance and texture of both type honeys. Chemometric
analysis combined with spectroscopic data is a powerful technique that has been used
to discriminate different type of honey. Samples of pure honey are collected from
beekeepers at Ayer Keroh, Melaka and Cameron Highland, Pahang. The adulterants
used to prepare adulterated honey are sugar and corn syrup with the concentration of
the adulterants added to the pure honey ranging from 10% to 90% by weight of
adulterant. All the samples are treated with heat at 40o
C to ensure the adulterant and
pure honey are mixed well. Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is used to
generate the spectra of the honey and subsequently subjected to chemometric
analysis. The spectra data is then analysed by using Principal Component Analysis (PCA)
technique using SOLO+Mia software. In this study, all honeys have been successfully
discriminated according to their origins and purity as well as types of adulterants used.
Consequently, the developed model can potentially be used as a screening tool to
determine the purity of honey in the market.
This study presents traditional brick making in Central Aceh in Indonesia,
specifically in Silih Nara sub district. According to official statistics Silih Nara since 2008
remains the poorest area of central Aceh. Traditional brick making is the biggest industry in
the area besides agriculture. Previously no research has been conducted about bricks quality
and brick yards development in sub district. Data from the research can be use in study of
SMEs recovery after earthquake that hit Aceh in 2013. Due to reoccurring natural disasters in
the area it is important to improve quality of bricks, which are used to rebuild dwelling houses
and public facilities. This study describes methods of brick making in Silih Nara and quality of
the bricks in order to recommend changes in production which can strength final product.
Through SWOT analysis of brick industry, some recommendations were suggested for brick
makers in Silih Nara and local government to improve bricks quality, industry sustainability.
In this paper, we propose an approach to model and simulate a network problem using
bio-inspired computing. Information in a network is embedded in DNA sequence strands and in-vitro
implementation is proposed via bio-molecular tools such as hybridization, ligation and polymerase
chain reaction. The output of the computation is derived from gel electrophoresis process.
The main intention of this research is to examine the content validity of Marine
Engineer Personality Inventory or PERJURA for student candidates of Diploma in
Marine Engineering course at Malaysian Polytechnics by using Content Validity Ratio
(CVR). The assessment was conducted through the evaluation among 14 subject
matter experts (SME) selected via judgment sampling. Seven professional university
experts involved with the expertise in psychology, psychometric, educational
measurement and linguistics. The field experts specializing in particular fields of study
consisted of seven practitioners who worked in the polytechnics field and maritime
industry. The instrument involved 288 items with six main constructs. The results of
the research show that the instrument has a good content validity and proved that
PERJURA has great potential to be promoted as a good measurement instrument of
personality screening for Marine Engineering student selection process. It is
recommended to apply more sophisticated statistical analysis, such as the Item
Response Theory (IRT) model for elaborating on quality items.
Meat tenderness is an important quality attribute that influences consumer acceptance. The application of mechanical treatment by mean to reduce toughness of meat cuts has gained much interest recently, with an intention to make use the lower grade meat cuts. This review deliberates the function, mechanism and numerous types of mechanical work in meat tenderization. The mechanical work employs to make meat softer by loosening the muscle structure and disrupting muscle cell. Previous studies have thoroughly examined the use of mechanical treatment (such as massaging, tumbling, and grinding) as an effective meat tenderization technique. Besides that, current research on newly emerging processing technology such as highpressure process (HPP) also shows potential to be explored. The application of mechanical work has shown impressive outcomes by reducing the shear force value that represents hardness of meat. The present paper also described the physical, biochemical and the structural changes of the meat. Finally, the improvements in the meat tenderness by using various type of mechanical work are presented in this paper.
A study on 2D geo-electrical resistivity imaging at Melaka Tengah, Malacca was conducted to determine the potential groundwater zone. This investigation is needed to identify the quality of the groundwater, since the site is located in the coastal areas where groundwater influence tends to diminish due to intrusion of seawater. Two resistivity lines were proposed with length of 400m each by using Terrameter SAS 4000 and ES1064. Geo-electrical of electrical resistivity and induced polarization method with the Wenner-Schlumberger configuration were carried out. The Res2Dinv software would then render the 2D resistivity image through inversion method which provided detailed information of both the laterally and vertically geological structures based on their part. The electrical resistivity measured the resistance of the subsurface to the flow of electric current in units of ohmmeters and value of chargeability during the transient decay of the applied voltage in ms for induced polarization. Well data provided was very useful in direct determination of subsurface soil lithology.The result obtained showed an 84.7-meter subsurface depth for both areas which then reflected that the subsurface consisted of two different layers namely overburden (laterite, clay, and/or peat soil) with ranged 1 ohm.m – 10 ohm.m and 50 ohm.m – 500 ohm.m for schist formation. However, this area was considered to be brackish water area because of the low chargeability value of 0ms – 1ms especially in top soil layer and 5ms – 20ms for schist formation. Thus, this area was deemed not suitable for groundwater exploration due to the intrusion of salt water.
This study was performed to review the conceptualization and relationships among user
behaviour, system quality and intention to use eBidding, an eGovernment auction system with user
satisfaction as the moderator. From the theoretical framework, user behaviour and system quality
factors have significant relationships with the adoption of information system (IS). Empirical evidence
also shows that satisfaction has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between system
quality factors with the adoption of IS. Given the significant impact of behavioural factors of officials
in eBidding adoption and role satisfaction on the intention and use of eGovernment system, system
managers could introduce key changes in the workplace to increase satisfaction to address the problems
of low eBidding adoption among users.
This study aims to examine the influences of the plan to further study, career growth
and discriminatory treatment on turnover intention among technicians in electronic
industry in Malaysia. The objectives are: (i) To identify the relationship between the
plan to further study and turnover intention among factory technicians, (ii) To identify
the relationship between career growth and turnover intention among factory
technicians, and (iii)To identify the relationship between discriminatory treatment
factors and turnover intention among factory technicians. The population involved in
this study were the manufacturing technicians at an electronic factory. Survey
questionnaires were used to collect data. A total of 110 questionnaires were analyzed.
Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis were used to measure the
degree of relationship between variables. The findings showed that all independent
variables; plan to further study, career growth and discriminatory treatment, were
positive moderately correlated with turnover intention.
The contribution of attitudinal factors to the morphology of urban vegetation in cities
has received very scanty attention. Most researchers in the developing countries
including Nigeria focus on urbanisation, without paying significant attention to
attitudinal factors. However, a lot of socioeconomic adjustments take place in cities in
these countries, which result in the depletion of urban vegetation. The necessity to
determine the contribution of attitudinal factors to the reduction in Akure urban
vegetation has called for this study. The study analysed the contribution of attitudinal
factors to the reduction of urban vegetation in the city. Previous studies on the city’s
land use and land cover changes seemed to ascribe the city’s falling greenery to
urbanisation only, without considering the contribution of attitudinal factors to the
process. The paper posits that the indicators of attitudinal factors need to be properly
understood in order to design appropriate policies to curb the phenomenon. Data
were sourced through self-administered questionnaire from 317 participants. The data
were analysed with SPSS Version 20 for the descriptive analysis, and Structural
Equation Modelling (SEM), for the determination of the dominant factors. The KaiserMeyer-Olkin
measure of sampling adequacy showed that the research instrument was
internally consistent. Confirmatory factor analysis also achieved satisfactory goodness
of fit indices. It was revealed that eight dominant attitudinal factors contributed to the
reduction of urban vegetation in the city. These include misuse of road setback (0.72),
not enough enlightenment or publicity (0.72), and failure of town planning authorities
to enforce urban tree planting (0.72.) This shows that attitudinal factors contributed
significantly to the depletion of urban vegetation in the city. The necessity for mass
education and enlightenment towards behaviour change and pro-environmental
behaviour, is stressed.
The academic performance of Malaysian students has recently been in the spotlight
when it was revealed that our high schoolers had performed dismally in recent major
international benchmarking studies. Malaysian students were not only ranked below
the global average, but they also appear to be performing worse in Mathematics,
Science and Reading Literacy compared the previous assessments. This has raised
alarm among not only educational policy makers and academicians, but also other
stakeholders who are directly or indirectly affected by the success or failure of the
educational system. This study aims at empirically analysing the academic
performance of students enrolled in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma
Program at Kolej MARA Banting (KMB) over a span of 23 years. It attempts to identify
whether there is a similar declining trend as reported by PISA and TIMSS, and identify
factors that accounted for the students’ performance. Students’ IB results from 1993
to 2016 sourced from KMB database were analysed for trend and the strength of the
relationship of subjects that contributed to the total points of the IB examination for
two main programs offered at the college. Finally, future performance for the next
three years was forecasted using time series analysis using ARIMA (1,0,0). The Mann
Kendall Test confirmed existence of a downward trend in the students’ results.
Correlational analyses found that high level subjects comprising of the High Level
Chemistry, High Level Physics, High Level Biology and High Level Mathematics are
highly correlated to IB examination results. This is accentuated further after a policy
change in 2009 when the program for pre-Medical students opted for Standard Level
Mathematics, instead of High Level Mathematics it used to offer. It is anticipated that
the findings of this study will provide the relevant authorities with invaluable
information with a view of instituting corrective measures.
Face recognition has attracted significant attention due to its wide range of
applications. Recently, researchers have focused on robust face recognition such as
face recognition systems invariant to pose, expression and illumination variations.
Illumination variation is still a challenging problem in the face recognition research
area, especially for appearance-based approaches. This paper will discuss two main
categories of the existing illumination methods namely frequency domain approach
(DCT & DWT) and filtering approach. This includes the introduction of the
representative algorithms, theories, and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of
these algorithms correspondingly. The aim of this paper is to explore the technique
and limitations of the existing illumination normalization strategies. Based on the
reviews that have been conducted, it is found that the filtering technique is more
effective when compared to the frequency domain technique. Hence, the implications
of the review can help researchers to propose a novel idea in order to solve the existing
problems and automatically improve the recognition performance.