The Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) Angkasawan (Astronaut) Programme achieved its mission to send the first Malaysian astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukur by Soyuz TM11 to the International Space Ship (ISS) on 10 October 2007. He returned to earth, landing safely on 21 October 2007. Such a momentous event has carved out yet another milestone in the country’s
history and development of a civilisation based on science and technology for its people. This mission has provided the educational sector with an opportunity to initiate a curriculum innovation. Together with the Ministry of Education (MOE), the initiative was undertaken to improve techniques of teaching and learning (TL) and to broaden its scope to include space science and technology.
All relevant and essential data of an existing vehicle seat assembly line such as the operating time and processes, material handling system, workstation layout, bill of materials, equipment and hand tools, were collected and analyzed. The time standards for each of the vehicle seat assembly elements were established using work study techniques. A simulation approach was used to determine the productivity and effi ciency of the existing and proposed lines. Simulation technique was also used to determine and identify bottle-necks in both existing and proposed systems. Comparison of the existing assembly line and the proposed assembly line in terms of their productivity and effi ciency are also highlighted.
Comet 17P/Holmes was discovered by Edwin Holmes on 6 November 1892 while he was conducting regular observations of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). Calculations using observation of its orbits established the perihelion date as 13 June and the orbital period as 6.9 years. The 1899 and 1906 appearances were observed, but the comet was only seen again in 1964. The comet has since been
observed on every subsequent return.
Reflex epilepsy is usually induced by external stimulation, photosensitive epilepsy being the most common. Epilepsy induced by auditory stimulation is rarely studied. There are no currently published magnetoencephalographic (MEG) studies demonstrating the initiation of epileptic neuronal discharges by repeated auditory stimulations in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients. We retrospectively studied one TLE patient who underwent a MEG study to localize her epileptic focus. Auditory, somatosensory, visual and motor evoked potential studies were performed during the MEG recording. A single dipole method calculated equivalent current dipoles to localize the epileptic source. The least-squares minimization method was used to obtain the optimal solution with goodness-of-fit of greater than 80%. Periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges (PLEDs) were recorded in the temporal region when repeated auditory stimulations were done. We postulated that neuronal cortical suppression occurred during repeated stimulations which provoked epileptiform discharges (PLEDs) without any physical symptoms or aura. It was concluded that repeated stimulations could facilitate epileptiform discharges in focal area/areas in certain subjects.
Almost a half century after it was introduced, Wilks’ statistic has come into application in industrial manufacturing process variability monitoring. This is an important breakthrough in the way experts monitor the variability of manufacturing processes which is vital in modern industry. It leaves behind the traditional practice characterized by the use of sample size n which equals 1, if the process variability monitoring is based on individual observations and is greater than the number of variables p if one works with subgroup observations. The use of Wilks’ statistic allows us to work with n < p. This paper contains a review on process variability monitoring based on individual observations. First, some historical backgrounds of process variability monitoring in the general scheme was reviewed before it was revealed where the philosophy of Wilks’ statistic could be further interpreted. Subsequently it was indicated that the way to monitor the process variability depended on how the variability itself was measured. Finally, a new statistic for detecting the shift in variability based on individual observations was introduced and then a new control chart was proposed. The performance of the proposed chart as compared with Wilks chart, was quite promising. Therefore, some recommendations were given to better understand the history of manufacturing process variability.
Linear stability analysis was used to investigate the onset of Marangoni convection in a two-layer system. The system comprised a saturated porous layer over which was a layer of the same fluid. The fluid was heated from below and the upper free surface was deformable. At the interface between the fluid and the porous layer, the Beavers-Joseph slip condition was used and in the porous medium the Darcy law was employed to describe the flow. Predictions for the onset of convection were obtained from the analysis by the perturbation technique. The effect of surface deformation and depth ratio, z (which is equal to the depth of the fluid layer/depth of the porous layer) on the onset of fluid motion was studied in detail.
The increased human demand for animal proteins in Malaysia is led by several factors: population growth, urbanisation, income growth and changing consumer preferences. Meeting the projected increased demand in the future is an awesome and challenging task. Presently, the non-ruminant poultry and pig industries, mainly private sector led, make the most significant contribution to total animal protein supplies, and inefficient ruminant production systems lag well behind. The strategy for promoting productivity growth to increase animal protein supplies from ruminants requires concerted efficient natural resource management that can target specific production systems. Two distinct economic opportunities are the development of oil palm-based cattle and goat production. The value addition to oil palm cultivation due to the beneficial crop-animal-soil interactions are enormous. The prerequisites are inter-disciplinary efforts, holistic systems, participatory community-based research and development that are needs-based and address constraints, increased research investments, institutional commitment and a policy environment that can enhance total factor productivity in the future.
Spatio-temporal datasets are a collection of datasets where data can vary in both space and time. Theoretically, such datasets can be considered as continuous and discrete. For example, specification of the function, F: Ed T Rn, where Ed denotes d-dimensional Euclidean space, T = R* ∩ {} the domain of time and Rn an n-dimensional scalar field. Examples of such data sets include time-varying simulation results, film and videos, time-varying medical datasets, geometry models with motion or deformation, meteorological measurements, and many more. It is therefore highly desirable to use visualisation to summarize meaningful information in higher dimensional spatio-temporal datasets. Our aim is to conceive an efficient visual study to facilitate scientists in identifying temporal association among complex and chaotic atom movements in ion trajectories. An application that uses a streamline for spatial motion of ion trajectories and Colour Number Coding Scheme for temporal encoding of high degree of timeline events among mobile ions is proposed. With an anthology of the visual examples, it was revealed that this application would be beneficial for scientists to visually mine any 3D spatio-temporal dataset.
In this study, real-time imaging was monitored for flowing solid particles when various baffles were created to block certain areas of the pipe. The generated flow regimes were full-flow, three-quarter-flow, half-flow and quarter-flow. A vertical pneumatic conveyor was designed to hold a 85 mm inner diameter pipeline. The four projection optical tomography systems used, applied the parallel beam projection approach and use infrared light sources so that the sensor was free of noise from the surrounding visible light source. The two orthogonal and two rectilinear projections were axial, but ideally they should have been in the same layer. The sensor readings could be related to the varying light intensity effects of the dropping particles and were used to provide cross-sectional distribution information for the conveyor. By using computer programming, the information was reconstructed to produce coloured images and concentration was obtained by reference to a colour code. The results obtained from this study showed how imaged flow followed the artificial flow regime. This study could benefit industrial production lines in maintaining the desired flow rates.
Covering as much as 25% to 35% of the development cost, software testing is an integral part of the software development lifecycle. Despite its importance, the current software testing practice is still based on highly manual processes from the generation of test cases (i.e. from specifications) up to the actual execution of the test. These manually generated tests are sometimes executed using ad hoc approaches, typically requiring the construction of a test driver for the particular application under test. In addition, test engineers are also under pressure to test increasing lines of code in order to meet market demands for more software functionalities. While there are significant proliferations of helpful testing tools or research prototypes in the market, much of them do not adequately provide the right level of abstraction and automation as required by test engineers. In order to facilitate and address some of the aforementioned issues, an automated testing tool was developed, called SFIT, based on Java® technology. This paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of SFIT. Two case studies involving the robustness assessment of an adder module and a Linda-based distributed shared memory implementation are described in order to demonstrate the applicability of SFIT as a helpful automated testing tool.
The objective of this paper is to model the extraction of carotenoid with supercritical carbon dioxide as the solvent. Experimental data for the high pressure vapour-liquid phase equilibrium of the binary system carbon dioxide-carotenoid was reviewed for the elevated temperatures of 313.15, 323.15, 333.15 K and pressures up to 500 bar. The experimental data was correlated and modeled using Redlich-Kwong equation of state and regular solution methods. The use of the equation of state as an empirical correlation for collating and predicting liquid-liquid and liquid-dense fluid equilibria is discussed. It was concluded that the estimation of some of the parameters required for these calculations would be difficult if the solute (carotenoid) was a complex substance about which little was known apart from its structural formula. An alternative procedure is to apply activity coefficient expression of the regular solution theory type to each phase. Calculations along these lines are described and the physical basis for applying these methods under the relevant conditions is discussed. The regular solution theory approach in particular was found to be encouraging for the mutual miscibility calculations for heavy components (such as carotenoid) particularly for substances sensitive to temperature, though the interaction parameters for he prediction activity coefficients must be regarded as pressure dependent.
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a successful technique in wireless communication systems. Frequency offset in the OFDM system leads to loss of orthogonality among subcarriers which results in the occurrence of intercarrier interference (ICI). To improve the efficiency of bandwidth performance in the ICI self-cancellation scheme, frequency domain partial response signaling (PRS) was investigated. In this study, the integer polynomial partial response coefficients were exploited to enhance carrier-to-interference power ratio (CIR) in the OFDM system. CIR was enhanced up to 4.1 dB to 5 dB when the lengths of PRS polynomial, K was 2 and 5, respectively.
The functionalization of pristine CNTs is necessary for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to be fully utilized, with the aim of increasing the nanotube reactivity and solubility in aqueous solutions. In this study, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were functionalized with a carboxylic group as this was an important step prior to application. The carboxylic group-functionalization was conducted through acid treatment, using sulphuric and nitric acids mixed at a ratio of 3:1 (v/v) and sonication for 30 min under different temperatures and time durations. The functionalization conditions of 50ºC x 5 h and 60ºC x 3 h were identified to be most suitable for introducing a carboxylic group onto the nanotube surfaces. The percentage of total weight loss due to the carboxylic group on the MWCNTs treated at 50ºC x 5 h and 60ºC x 3 h obtained from the thermogravimetric analysis was 13.26% and 13.76%, respectively. For both samples, peaks corresponding to the carboxylic group were identified in the FT-IR spectra. The changes in the morphology of the treated MWCNTs were also observed under SEM analysis.
The global production of aviation fuel, particularly Kerosene Jet A-1, has a market presence of 302.8
billionlitres per year, of which Malaysia consumes up to 3 billion litres per year. The pressure from
increasing fuel demand and commitment to reducing CO2 emissions has led to the use of biofuels as
possible alternatives. Malaysia possesses a relative abundance of lignocellulosic biomass residues and
thus, has much potential in biofuel development. In this work, Geospatial Information System analysis
was used to obtain the geo-location biomass supply cost and was then simulated with non-linear cost
estimation modeling for biorefinery production. The spatial analysis suggested that paddy and oil palm
trunk could offer significant feedstock volumes at reasonable costs while biomass to fuel conversion
pathways comparison showed that an “alcohol to jet” route was more feasible among all the alternatives.
The simulation results indicated that the production cost of a bioethanol refinery had high variability
due to the geographical heterogeneity of the lignocellulosic biomass resources. At the optimal location
of paddy residues, utilising rice stalks was substantially cost-efficient compared to other biomass. The
lowest range of relative production cost was achieved at RM359.11 – RM726.41/million tonnes per
annum at an input capacity of 1.28 – 2.63 million tonnes. Conversely, using oil palm trunks in the same
location gave a much more expensive relative production cost of RM472.23 – RM986.63/million tonnes
yearly with only 0.40 – 1.03 million tonnes of input capacity. This model was able to suggest location
strategies and cost estimations for biorefineries in Peninsular Malaysia. It is hence, useful as a decision
and policy making tool for the implementation of biorefineries for aviation uses.
Brick-and-mortar business activities are gradually being replaced by e-commerce worldwide. The number
of transactions and revenue should be correspondingly higher but due to the increase in the number of
fraudulent cases, especially unauthorised use of credit cards, the record remains unbreakable. The use
of biometrics is an optimal solution to safeguard the online user’s identity integrity. However, the best
practicable way onimplementing biometrics with e-commerce is still in progress. The online user’s identity
integrity is important because a secure transaction that increases user confidence will directly encourage
more business. Motivated by the idea “Attack is the best form of defence”, hackers and imposters should
be misled, traced and penalised accordingly in a proactive approach. In this paper, an intelligent stateof-the-art
identity integrity safeguard framework encompassing fingerprint technology, a hiddenrisk
analysis agent mechanism and real-time reporting is proposed. Since e-commerce is ubiquitous, it is
possible to determine online users’ attitudes from different countries which enables collaboration with a
French research unit. The findings would be significant to cyberlaw makers and e-commerce merchants
to promote a secured e-commerce application from the online user’s perspective and consequently
extend the findings to the m-commerce platform.
Ozone generator system using discharge coronas was fabricated to produce ozone gas and
ozonated water of varying concentration. The generated ozone air emitted to the water
through bubble diffuser or venturi injection depending on the input air mass transfer rate.
The concentration of ozonated water was examined using both ozone test strip and Schoenbein
paper. It is found that the production of ozone water by using bubble diffuser technique
facilitates the production of higher concentration of ozonated water with higher ozone transfer
efficiency. The efficiency of ozone gas in microorganism treatment is verified through the
lowest number of microorganism’s colony available compared with other treatment methods.
The half-life of ozonated water in this study was improved by increasing the transfer rate
of water and solubility of ozone in water. The concentration of ozonated water was found
increased through the application of pressurised oxygen input gas.
In this study, the implementation of the Regional Climate Model into the hydrodynamic model has been applied for streamflow projection on a river located at the south of Peninsular Malaysia within the years 2070 till 2099. The data has been obtained from a Regional Climate Model (RCM), named Précis, on a daily basis. It begins by comparing historical rainfall data generated from Précis versus the actual gauged recorded rainfall data from Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia (DID). The bias of the generated rainfall data has been reduced by statistical techniques. The same has been applied to the future generated rainfall data from 2070 to 2099. Using the generated precipitation data as input to the hydrological model, results in the daily output of river discharge identified as the main contributor of flood occurrences. Based on the results of the hydrological model utilised, e.g. HEC-HMS, comparison was made between the future and historical generated discharge data using Précis between the years 1960 till 1998. Dividing a year into three segments, e.g. January-April, May-August, SeptemberDecember, the results show that there would be a significant drop of peak discharge in the third segment and an increase in discharge during the second segment. The first part remains almost with no changes. As an addition, the drop of the peak shows reduction in the probability of flood occurrences. It also indicates the reduction in water storage capacity which coherently affects the water supply scheme
The natural environment embraces agriculture and all its components-crops, animals, land, water,
forestry and fisheries. It is the most important user of environmental resources, made more complex
by the interactions of the various systems, biophysical elements and their implications. Increased food
production, especially of animal protein supplies are unable to meet current and projected future needs
for humans, including about 15 %of the world population being malnourished. Agriculture is currently
waning, and a coordinated and concerted technologically-driven transformation is necessary. Poorly
managed agriculture for example, can lead to serious environmental degradation and exacerbate
poverty. Land and water are considered to be the most limiting factors in the future. Non- irrigated
rainfed areas can be divided into high potential and low potential areas; the former offers considerable
promise to expand food production. This paper argues for increased Research and Development (R&D)
focus that can maximise improved natural resource management(NRM), and whether agricultural
development can maximise productivity yields .Other opportunities include expanding crop–animal
production systems in less favoured areas (LFAs), intensifying land use for silvopastoral systems in
rainfed areas , and enhance carbon sequestration. Ruminants can be used as an entry point for the
development of LFAs, and the presence of about 41.5% of the goat population found in the semi-arid/
arid AEZs X provides good opportunities for expanding food security and human well-being. Communitybased
interdisciplinary and systems approaches are essential to provide the solutions. The legacy of
continuing malnutrition and food insecurity must be overcome by effective development policy, multidonor
resource allocation, governance and political will that target food insecurity and poverty. The R&D
agendas and resource allocations are compelling, but dedicated vision can lead the way for sciencedriven
sustainable environment, efficiency in NRM, and self-reliance to the extent possible , in harmony
with nature and the environment.
Public awareness and understanding of the technology behind the creation of Genetically Modified Organisms
(GMOs) varies greatly from country to country, and indeed within the different sectors of any one country. Perhaps,
it is “the fear of the unknown” at work, or it is just a pure rejection of the idea that “Man is playing God”. For whatever
reason, and for whatever vested interest, there is often widespread clamor for stringent studies to be carried out
when conducting a risk assessment of GMOs.
For example, in Indonesia, regulation on the release of GMOs requires studies on any impact on non-target
organisms (NTOs) as well as on soil microorganisms (Machmud Thohari 2014). Similarly, in Vietnam, it is mandatory
to determine if there is any impact to the soil environment or ecosystem (Truong 2014), while in Cambodia, there is
worry over high levels of damage to NTOs and the environment from GMOs, because of the lack of capacity to cope
with such damage if it occurs (Pisey 2014).
All too often, opponents of modern biotechnology (a term used to define technologies resulting in GMOs), and,
indeed, the regulators themselves forget that there is already a procedure in place to provide a check and balance;
the risk assessment (RA) protocol. Most times, RA is far more stringent when conducted on GMOs compared with
when exotic species which are non-GMOs are involved (Tan 2013). It is also overlooked that modern biotechnology
can after all be considered a sophisticated new tool in plant breeding, an activity which has been practiced both by
farmers and scientists for millennia, and a technology accepted by all and sundry.
While GMOs are currently used in biological and medical research, for the production of pharmaceutical drugs,
in experimental medicine (e.g. gene therapy) and in agriculture, this paper is confined to discussions on GMOs in
agriculture.
The first time I visited Kuching, Sarawak, was in the 1980s. I then worked for the Rubber Research Institute of
Malaysia. In the 1980s, Kuching was a small town. I remember that then, the route going to the airport was lined with
shops selling the famous Sarawak vases. They were a big hit among visitors. A visit to Sarawak was not complete
without taking back a set of the black-and-white vases. They came in many shapes and sizes(Copied from article).