A facility layout can be defined as an arrangement of the equipment area in the
industry or organization of the factory. The main objective of this project was to
improve the existing layout in SMEs using DELMIA QUEST simulation. In this
project, new layouts are proposed to reduce the waiting time in a production
line and increase the productivity. This study focused on packaging production
line of a coffee manufacturing company located in Tasek Gelugor Pulau
Pinang. The problems identified in this production line are limited working
space, some processes overlap and are stuck due to high demands of the
products. This results in high lead time. The existing layout was studied and
simulated to improve certain parameters such as labour, machines, and shape
of the layout. The workstations were repositioned in the proposed layout before
undergoing simulation process using DELMIA QUEST software. From the
simulation results, the significant improvement was determined and the best
layout was chosen in terms of machines utilization and total output. Based on
this, a new layout is proposed to increase the productivity capacity and to meet
customers’ demands. Simulation data of the proposed layout showed its
productivity had increased to approximately 41.5%.
The Morning Shift (MS) flow of passengers on Thursday is similar to any other day in the week at an urban train station. However, passenger congestion occurring in the Evening Shift (ES) affects the system behaviour. The system has been showing this characteristic over the years. However,
only one counter is opened. This counter also sells different types of tickets. Thus, the system is not cost-effective. The study aims to determine the optimal number of counters that should be opened on Thursday. In order to solve this problem, the study has applied Poisson Queuing Simulation (PQ) to the MS and ES data. Findings indicate that running one or two counters in MS
maintains the mean of wait time in-queue and in-system at less than one minute, while the mean of in-queue and in-system passengers is also at one person. Extra cost has to be incurred to hire another teller; thus, one counter is optimal. For ES, the service rate was only slightly higher than the arrival rate. Based on the mean number of in-queue and in-system passengers, there was no way that one counter can efficiently service the queue that was formed. A simulation was done to determine if there was a need to set up a two-counter or a three-counter system. Although a two-counter system will be idle 47% of the time, it was not cost-effective for the management to two
extra tellers for a three-counter system. The management must take future corrective measures. Based on the findings, one counter is optimal for MS, but cost-effectiveness tests must confirm that two counters are optimal for ES. Besides, the management should also identify actions that can be taken during the 47% idle system time in ES.
Today, electromagnetic wave theory is commonly used in many engineering devices. However, such devices produce electromagnetic (EM) radiation, damaging people's health and the impact of other electronic device's operation. Therefore, Microwave Absorber has been widely used in anechoic chamber to measure equipment radiation and prevent unwanted radiation and electromagnetic interference. This research investigates the absorption performance of pyramidal absorbers with a slotted method design. This research used rectangular and triangular slotted on the hollow pyramidal absorber. There are six types of slotted: Design 1, Design 2, and Design 3
which have triangular shapes, and Design 4, Design 5, and Design 6, have rectangular shapes. The pyramidal absorber is produced using CST Microwave Studio Suite. Afterward, the fabrication process is performed using cardboard and coated with Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC). Measurement had been done successfully via far-field measurement using an arch method at 1 GHz to 12 GHz. The slotted pyramidal absorber's absorptivity was taken in each frequency band and was tabulated in figure 10. The result is compared with their maximum absorption in each of the four frequency bands. Comparison based on slot design, triangular and rectangular each had its own advantages at a certain frequency. However, small rectangular slot of Design 1 shows consistent absorption performance at all frequency band.
Electricity is one of the most important resources and fundamental infrastructure for every nation. Its milestone shows a significant contribution to world development that brought forth new technological breakthroughs throughout the centuries. Electricity demand constantly fluctuates, which affects the supply. Suppliers need to generate more electrical energy when demand is high, and less when demand is low. It is a common practice in power markets to have a reserve margin for unexpected fluctuation of demand. This research paper investigates regression techniques: multiple linear regression (MLR) and vector autoregression (VAR) to forecast demand with predictors of economic growth, population growth, and climate change as well as the demand itself. Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (Auto-ARIMA) was used in benchmarking the forecasting. The results from MLR and VAR (lag-values=20) and Auto-ARIMA are monitored for five months from June to October of 2019. Using the root mean square error (RMSE) as an indicator for accuracy, Auto-ARIMA has the lowest RMSE for four months except in June 2019. VAR (lag-values=20) shows good forecasting capabilities for all five months, considering it uses the same lag values (20) for each month. Three different techniques have been successfully examined in order to find the best model for the prediction of the demand.
Paddy is a crucial agroculture sector since rice is the staple food for the majority of the world's population. However, the production of paddy is slower and less productive since many factors have affected the growth of the paddy. The existence of disease in paddy component affects the quality of rice produced. Hence, the recognition of the disease at the beginning stage is crucial as the initial approach for prevention purposes. In this study, a system is developed to detect the paddy leaf disease such as bacterial leaf blight, brown spot and leaf smut. All the processes involved are implemented and compiled using MATLAB R2020a. A set of 105 image data with disease is converted to binary image using thresholding. 6 features from all the data are extracted and divided to testing and training set before the classification process. A cubic support vector machine is used for the classification process. Lastly, accuracy, precision, and misclassification for each disease are calculated for performance evaluation. Results show that the average performance of the diseases on accuracy, precision, and misclassification are 88.57%, 82.97%, and 11.43% respectively. The use of the processes act as assistance to the paddy farmer to identify the existence of the paddy leaf disease. This could improve the quality of the paddy produced by reducing the process of manual disease checking.
Student Information Management System (SIMS) is a computerized system for education that can be used to manage student information and data. PASTI An-Nur is chosen as a case study in developing the system. Thus, several problems are identified that PASTI An-Nur faces due to the
implementation of a manual system in the admission process. The first problem is the paper-based registration form that is prone to lose, misplaced and less secure. As for the payment process, arise a problem in term of higher error rate when checking and calculating the payments. The biggest downfall for PASTI An-Nur is the amount of space used to store all the students' files.
These problems bring inefficiency since the world is changing to computerized, where data management become one of the most significant issues nowadays. So, the aim of developing the Preschool Management System (PRESIMS) is for helping the staffs and teachers in managing the
students' information. The Adapter Waterfall model was used in developing this system. Additionally, usability heuristics was used also as a theory to guide the development of this system. The system has been tested with the four (4) users and two (2) experts. The testing method is the ISO/IEC 9126- 4 approach to measure usability metrics, including efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction. Whereas, for the experts, heuristic evaluation is used to bring six (6) usability principles into implementation for testing. The result of the testing is very satisfying, which shows 75.5% of efficiency, 83.33% of effectiveness and three (3) out of four (4) users very satisfied with the system. The result of heuristic evaluation also shows a successful implementation of the system. The details of the result are discussed in this paper and expected to meet the users' specification and it is ready to go live.
A computational fluid dynamic analysis (CFD) is presented in the study of low Reynolds number fluid flow moving past bluff bodies. The study is focusing on the understanding of the effects of the apex-angles orientation on the flow structure and related occurring force. The apex-angle both facing upstream and downstream were computationally investigated. The simulation results of the cylinder solid are compared with available experimental data to justify the results and the model used. Results obtained in the present work were Strouhal number, drag coefficient, and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The study had found that the value of the drag force is increasing directly proportional to the apex angle. In contrast, the value of Strouhal number inversely proportional to the increasing of the apex angle. This was due to the flow over a cylinder creating a vortex shedding in the wake region which influenced the flow separation of fluid. Through the changing on orientation of the apex angle, it was also found that the characteristic linear dimension of the geometry will also be changed, thus affecting the flow pattern.
This study aims to investigate the bending effects on the flexible wearable antenna by using copper nanowires and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). This project focuses on the bending effect on the proposed wearable antenna in the presence of skin tissue and at free space. The radiation characteristics were simulated and analyzed when the antenna was under flat and bent conditions. The performance result of return loss and radiation pattern (Efield and H-field) of proposed wearable antenna was analyzed. The material for the proposed antenna is designed to be flexible and wearable for the application of body-centric wireless communication (BCWCs) at the frequency of 2.45 GHz with the approval specifications of industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band. Radiator for the proposed wearable antenna is fabricated using copper nanowire, and the antenna substrate is by using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The performance result of the proposed wearable antenna was simulated by using CST microwave studio. From the simulated result for different bending angles, a conclusion was drawn that bending of structure can improve the impedance matching and return loss during the bent condition. However, the resonant frequency tends to shift as the antenna is bent up to 50°. At the critical angle of 70°, the frequency is shifted to a lower frequency.
Questioned document examination becomes a great interest and one of the broad fields in forensic science. It involves the analysis of ink, handwriting and signature examination, paper’s physical structure analysis and the ageing of a document. Ink analysis in forensic document examination is a challenging process. Questioned documents examiners are dealing with unknown source of ink and minute sample size. Ink extraction needs to be done before the ink analysis. 17 gel pen ink samples were chosen in this study. Solubility test has been done to determine the degree of solubility of ink in a variety of organic solvents. Extraction solvent optimization is a process to evaluate the efficiency of organic solvents to extract ink samples. Ethanoic acid showed the ability to dissolve most of the ink samples and displayed maximum absorbance of UV-Vis spectra.
Anthropometric analysis provides the most reliable comparison of the body forms by using specific landmarks determined in respect of anatomical prominences. The knowledge of unique shape, anatomy and dimensions of the nose is very useful for surgeon undertaking its repair and reconstruction. Prosthetic rehabilitation also requires the ability to imagine the position and dimension of the nose within the facial proximity. Therefore, the access to nasal data for each
population are advantageous. The aims were to measure parameters of external nose of a Malay population and to determine the significant difference in nose value parameters between gender and age group. The direct anthropometric measurements were carried out in 86 Malay subjects within the age range of 18 to 55 years old who attended UiTM dental clinic. Nasal landmarks were
identified, and the nose parameters were measured using digital calliper. The values were expressed as mean, standard deviation and range. Nasal height, width and length of the nasal bridge were higher in male. The intercanthal width and philtrum length were statistically not significant for both genders. There were significant differences in nasal width, philtrum length, intercanthal width and outer intercommisural mouth width between the three age groups. However, the height of the nose, length of the nasal bridge and nasal index between age group were statistically not significant. The male population and the 41-55 years age group have higher nose value parameters. The most common type of nose was platyrrhine: broad. This study also suggested that Malay population have medium broad nose as the nasal index for both genders was ≤ 84.90.
This study presented the implementation of a small-scale (50 W) solar energy harvesting system coupled with an electrolyzer and proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. The energy from the solar panel would be utilized by the electrolyzer to produce hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas would be used, in turn, by the PEM fuel cell to generate electricity which supports both DC and AC load. Excess energy from the solar panel is also used to charge the lead-acid backup battery. Analysis of the system showed that 400 mL of hydrogen gas could be produced within every 17 minutes in optimal conditions; between 11 am until 4 pm with bright sunlight. For every 400 mL of hydrogen gas, the PEM fuel cell could sustain continuous operation of a 5V 500 mA DC load for 95 seconds. Theoretically, more than 7000 mL of hydrogen gas could be produced within 5 hours in strong sunlight, which could power up a 50 mA and 500 mA load for 4.7 hours and 28 minutes respectively, during evening or night operations. The proposed system could complement the traditional battery-based storage system while remaining as a clean source of energy production.
Aloe vera which is also known as Aloe barbadensis Miller,is a plant that is commonly used for medicinal purposes and as treatments for various health issues. It produces two substances; gel and latex, which are used for commercial household products, halal food and cosmetics. Aloe gel is the clear, jelly-like substance found in the inner part of the Aloe leaf while Aloe’s yellow latex comes from the peel. Aloe vera is able to provide therapeutic effects such as wound healing, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, laxative and antimicrobial properties. The objective of this study was to
investigate the extracts via spectrophotometry (λ = 200 – 400 nm) and liquid chromatography. After 21 days, the ultraviolet spectra showed the evidence of the water molecules interactions and the hydroxyl groups in hydroalcoholic extracts. Significant peaks were also observed in the chromatograms. Further studies evaluating the stability of A. vera extracts should be carried out.
Oil palm or Elaeis guineens is a rich natural source of phenolic with flavonoid as the main constituents. These phenolics are potent antioxidants that can be used in the food industry, cosmetics and others. Therefore, the study was aimed to determine the effect of solvents which were methanol, ethyl acetate and hexane also different plant parts which were leaves, frond and fresh fruit bunch toward antioxidant activity (AOA), total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid
content (TFC). The antioxidant was analysed using the DPPH method, TPC by Ciocalteu assay and TFC by aluminium chloride colorimetric assay. The result from ANOVA indicated that there was a difference (P < 0.05) in the extracting ability of each solvent and different plant parts for AOA, TPC and TFC. Generally, the result suggested that methanol give the highest antioxidant
activity, TPC and TFC compared to ethyl acetate and hexane. Therefore, the solvent used should be selected properly to allow for a high level of extraction efficiency.
In Malaysia, gastric cancer (also known as stomach cancer) is diagnosed at a complex stage and has poor prognosis. Most mortality cases due to gastric cancer diseases are potentially preventable. Thus greater efforts are needed for gastric cancer awareness to give adequate knowledge for Malaysians in order to be more cautious or alert in diagnosing the ailment much earlier. After all, early detection is the key towards improving the survival rate in gastric cancer patients. Hence, the aim of this study is to assess the youngsters’ awareness on the risk factors of gastric cancer. A survey using online forms was conducted on 350 students of UiTM Melaka, Alor Gajah Campus, to assess their awareness of risk factors regarding gastric cancer. Based on the regression analysis conducted, it can be highlighted that attitudes, knowledge, medication, education level and faculty (dummy) are some of the variables that were found to be the risk factors of the awareness on gastric cancer among these selected youngsters in the 21st century.
Image watermarking embeds identifying information in an image in such a manner that it cannot easily be removed. For the past several years, image digital watermarking has become a necessary element used for hiding secret image and enabling secured communication such as
privacy, confidentiality, authentication and data integrity. Although numerous watermarking schemes are present in grayscale images, the present work focuses on the RGB color image. This study proposed a new hybrid method that would satisfy the essential needs of modern image watermarking. The color image watermarking is based on the 2D Discrete Cosine Transform and Elgamal cryptosystem. The 2D Discrete Cosine Transform depends on the matrix products, while the Elgamal cryptosystem depends on the discrete logarithm problem. The cryptosystem is combined with existing Arnold transform in watermarking algorithm to enhance the security of secret image. Value of Peak Signal to Noise Ratio was taken as performance evaluation parameters. On the whole, the performance evaluation shows that combining the two algorithms improved the performance of image watermarking.
Heat treatment is being chosen to be an alternative to replace the use of methyl bromide. It involved raising and maintaining the temperature in the warehouse or storage of grain between 50°C to 60°C to control the stored product beetles. The duration may vary from 6 hours to 24 hours based on the types of storage, grains and its quantity. The need for alternatives is vital, considering the statutory limit (until the year 2015) for methyl bromide usage other than for phytosanitary purpose, and the likely widespread occurrence of insect resistance to both methyl bromide and phosphine. To note, these have been used in Malaysia for over half a century. Thus, the objective of this study focusses on testing the effectiveness of lethal temperature and duration in controlling the stored product beetles. High temperatures were used ( 30°C, 60°C, 70°C and 80°C) to decease the stored product beetles which are Sitophilus oryzae, Tribolium casteneum, and Oryzaephilus
surinamensis. By using an oven, milled rice with tested beetles were exposed to the heat treatment. Each day, the heat exposures were given for 15 minutes. The number of dead beetles in 6 days exposure and effect on the eating quality of the cooked rice was observed at the end of the treatment. For Sitophilus oryzae, the duration of exposure requires six days of treatment (15 minutes per day) to kill all 25 adults atr the highest temperature (80°C) while theones with the least resistance; Oryzaephilus surinamensis requires 60 minutes. By using an oven, it is recommended that 60°C to 80°C of ,temperatures in 15 minutes of exposure be adopted to ensure the effectiveness against all species in heat treatment. The eating quality of cooked rice in terms of the aroma, stickiness, taste, colour and overall acceptability was not affected from the multiple exposure (3 times) to the heat treatment. Findings from this study indicated heat treatment is a potential replacement for insecticides. However, it is recommended to use high temperature in range of 60°C to 80°C in a short time (within 15 minutes) of exposure. Thus, heat treatment can be used for commercial application rice mill producer to control stored product insects during storage phase and milling process.
Fried banana is one of the popular local snacks in Malaysia. However, tremendous interest in healthy food has risen among consumers and producers resulting in a rising demand for low-fat foods. Thus, oil uptake needs to be considered during frying since it also affects the flavour, odour
and general organoleptic properties of the food. The main objective of this study is to determine the effect of different concentrations of sugar beet pectin in the frying batter of fried banana and introduce the new usage of sugar beet pectin as one of the ingredients in the frying batter. Three different formulations of frying batter were prepared using 1%, 1.5% and 2% of sugar beet pectin (SBP) together with other ingredients including rice flour, water, plain flour, baking powder and salt. The addition of sugar beet pectin improved the characteristic of the batter as well as the fried banana crust. The moisture content of the crust increased about 7.6% when 1.5% SBP (F2) was used in the formulation thereby reducing the oil absorption by 8.5%. The crust crispiness also increased by 16.7% when 1.5% SBP (F2) was added to the frying batter formulation. Batter pick-up value was found highest in F1 (1% SBP) with 8.84% increment as compared to batter with no added hydrocolloids. Addition of SBP in batter formulations significantly increased the batter pick-up value. In terms of acceptability, F1 (1% SBP) was the most preferred by the panellist which was due to the appearance and colour of the fried bananas. All formulations obtained attributes scores higher than six thus were accepted by the panellists.
Cost and management accounting courses are incorporated in the accounting syllabus for both accounting and non-accounting students. One of the challenges in teaching cost and management accounting to the nonaccounting students is the general fear of accounting subject. Notwithstanding, most of the students still viewed accounting as an interesting subject. Hence, the learning problem faced by students needs to be addressed in a fun yet beneficial way. As such, the objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of using the “Smart Costing Game” as a learning method to overcome this problem. The Smart Costing Game Kit was developed as a learning tool to enable students to correctly classify costs according to certain criteria and subsequently used the cost figures to compute total costs, profit and selling price. Four business settings are chosen consisting of bakery, restaurant, laundry and clinic. At the end of the game activities, the students are required to complete an online survey. Results from the survey demonstrated that the majority of the students agreed that the games were found to be more effective, motivating and engaging than traditional teaching. This implies that students have strong
preferences in the use of educational games that added value to the costing subject. These results support the inclusion of Smart Costing Game as a successful learning strategy in cost and management accounting courses for the non-accounting students.
The effect of unmanageable construction waste is an unstable land settlement and groundwater pollution. In addition to environmental pollution, construction waste could incur construction cost. The most construction waste is the material used at sites and tile is also a part of the waste generated in construction. The objectives of this study are to determine the tile waste generated in construction stages and linear regression analysis for the amount of tile waste generated. The method used in this study was the Linear Regression Model. The regression model established in the sample data reported an R2 value of 0.793; therefore, the model can predict approximately 79.3% of the factor (area) of tile waste generation. The linear regressions can be applied as tools to predict the tile waste generated at construction sites and help the contractor to track the sources of missing waste.
PMMA polymer microfiber doped Multi Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) was reported for alcohol sensing application. The sensitivity of the sensor is increasing relatively with the increment of the alcohol concentration which affects the transmission output power. However, the challenges are on choosing the right material and the simplicity on the fabrication of microfiber sensor for an improvement of the sensitivity of the sensor. A PMMA polymer microfiber doped MWCNTs was introduced for an application of alcohol detection system. Direct drawing technique was used to form a uniform waist size of microfiber sensor with 6µm diameter and 5mm length respectively. The performance of the fabricated sensor was tested with two types of alcohol, namely ethanol and 2-propanol at concentrations varying from 2% to 8% with 2% intervals. The performance which includes sensitivity, linearity and resolution were studied and analysed for the undoped PMMA and PMMA doped MWCNTs-doped polymer microfiber. The PMMA doped MWCNTs sensor which exhibited higher sensitivity for ethanol sensing with 83.23dBm/% with a linearity of 99.96% and a sensitivity of 73.75dBm/% with linearity 99.82% for 2- propanol sensing. The resolution has improved significantly by 0.0004% and 0.0007% respectively. In conclusion, PMMA doped MWCNTs was able to increase the sensitivity as well as the reproducibility of the microfiber sensor for the alcohol detection system.