Search

Le charançon du riz figure souvent en tête de liste des principaux destructeurs de semences, causant des pertes économiques aux agriculteurs marginaux. Les méthodes conventionnelles impliquant des traitements chimiques pour atténuer ce problème présentent des risques environnementaux et sanitaires. Une expérience a été menée au laboratoire BRRI, Rangpur, pour évaluer l'efficacité de différentes parties du neem, de l'huile de neem et du naphtalène pour la gestion du charançon du riz. Un total de six traitements ont été effectués, dont un contrôle non traité (T1), selon une conception complètement randomisée (CRD) avec trois répétitions. Les traitements étaient les suivants : T2 = 5 feuilles de neem entières séchées, T3 = 0,25 ml d'huile de neem, T4 = 0,25 g de poudre de feuilles de neem, T5 = 0,25 g de mélange de feuilles de neem et de poudre de graines, T6 = 0,25 g de naphtalène et T7 = 0,25 g de poudre de graines de neem. Les résultats ont indiqué que T6 (76,67%) et T3 (66,67%) ont montré de meilleures performances en termes de mortalité des insectes, suivis de T5 (53,33%) et T7 (46,67%). Le plus petit nombre de F1 a émergé à T3 (14,00) et T6 (16,67), suivis de T5 (28,33) et T7 (31,33) en termes d'émergence de F1, indiquant leur efficacité dans le contrôle des capacités de reproduction des charançons du riz. Cependant, concernant la germination des graines, une germination des graines plus élevée a été trouvée à T5 (83,33%), T7 (83,00%), T6 (82,67%) suivi de T4 (80,33%) et T3 (79,33%). Les pourcentages de germination des graines par rapport aux témoins varient de 10 à 30. Les résultats expérimentaux suggèrent que l'utilisation d'insecticides synthétiques sur le riz de stockage peut être réduite en utilisant du naphtalène, de l'huile de neem, une combinaison de feuilles de neem et de poudre de graines, et de la poudre de graines de neem pour la gestion du charançon du riz.

The ordinary least square estimator is inefficient when there exists multicollinearity among regressors in linear regression model. There are many methods available in literature to solve the multicollinearity problem. In this study, we consider some one and two parameter estimators for estimating the regression parameters. We theoretically compared the estimators in terms of smaller mean squared error (MSE) criteria. A Monte Carlo simulation study has been conducted to compare the performance of the estimators numerically. Finally, for illustration purposes, a real-life data is analyzed.

context and background Despite the robustness of various land instruments and legal and institutional regulations on various sectors, Tanzania’s land distribution-related policy implementation and practice is facing numerous challenges. Tanzania is not only experiencing poor land conditions, but also poor land management and ineffective policy implementation. Areas of concern includes public policy actions on land conflicts; settlements and housing problems; and conflicting demand for land for mining, large scale agriculture, conservation, tourism, ranching and pastoral nomadism. This study highlights that the land sector in Tanzania is in a state of instability due to inability to secure rights to land, issues around transparency and ongoing disputes and misunderstanding within society as demand for land increases. Goal and Objectives: The study tries to find out the potential of land and available related policies incongruent with the future land distribution and land use for sustainable land use in Tanzania by recommending the proper land distribution policy directions for feasible outcomes. Methodology: Secondary data analysis was applied to support the existing scenario in land policies regarding land use and the land distribution paradox. A review of land use, distribution, ownership in Tanzania has been conducted by focusing on land use and land cover distribution, size of public land, land claims by major sectors, and land ownership in Tanzania. Results: The study recommends that the government should go beyond land reforms and new legal regulations, but rather concentrate on innovative, participatory, and sustainable land development policy approaches. More emphasis on the operational land market, land information system, land rights, and security of tenure should instead be heightened. Again, effective coordination with relevant sectoral agencies can enhance the implementation of existing policies toward achieving sustainable land and resource management..

This study investigates the effects of copper oxide (CuO) particles on the mechanical and thermal properties of kenaf fibre reinforced epoxy composites, suggesting a new material suitable for structural applications. Comprehensive tests, including Thermogravimetric Investigation (TGA), weakness testing, and Checking Electron Microscopy (SEM), were conducted to evaluate the performance enhancements provided by the incorporation of CuO. The TGA has revealed that CuO particles significantly enhance the thermal stability of the composites. Among the many tests, sample C (6g of CuO) has the highest thermal resistance, retaining 17% of its weight at 500°C, which is higher than the other tests. The fatigue testing demonstrated that the composites exhibited remarkable fatigue resistance, particularly Test C, which maintained a fatigue stress of 14 MPa even after 15,000 cycles, indicating superior durability under cyclic loading circumstances. The SEM study revealed detailed microstructural observations, showing a consistent distribution of CuO particles and strong bonding between the fibres and matrix, which enhance the mechanical performance and resistance to failure.

The integration of nanotechnology into natural maintainability hones speaks to a essential progression in our journey for a greener future. This survey article, “Nano-Innovations for a Greener Future: Investigating the Crossing point of Nanotechnology and Natural Maintainability,” investigates the transformative applications of nanotechnology over different natural spaces, counting vitality generation, contamination control, and asset administration. We dig into the most recent headways in nano-enhanced sun powered cells, wind turbines, and vitality capacity arrangements that increment productivity and diminish costs. The audit too looks at nanotechnology’s part in contamination moderation through imaginative nano-sensors and nano-adsorbents, which offer tall accuracy and proficiency in evacuating poisons from discuss, water, and soil. Besides, we talk about the application of nanotechnology in squander administration and agribusiness, highlighting nano-fertilizers and nano-pesticides that optimize asset utilize and minimize natural impacts. Looking ahead, the article recognizes key challenges and future inquire about bearings, emphasizing the require for economical nano-manufacturing forms and comprehensive administrative systems to saddle the complete potential of nanotechnology in progressing natural maintainability. This comprehensive investigation underscores the critical natural benefits nano-innovations can give, setting the arrange for considerable environmental enhancements in our interest of supportability.

The Padang Chong Forest Reserve (PCFR) is a significant part of the Central Forest Spine (CFS) initiative, specifically A-PL2. However, the information regarding chiropterans in PCFR is not extensively documented. To address this gap, our study aims to comprehensively document the occurrence of bats at PCFR. Surveys on bats were conducted in PCFR for five sampling sessions between June and November 2022. Two study plots were established at a distance of 500 m (Plot 1, P1) and 1000 m (Plot 2, P2) from the forest edge. A total of 10 mist nets and three harp traps were deployed in each study plot to capture the bats. Overall, 102 individuals and 24 species from four families of bats were recorded in PCFR. The Papillose Woolly Bat (Kerivoula papillosa) was the most abundant species recorded in this study, followed by the Forest Short- nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus cf. brachyotis ‘Forest’), with 15 and 13 individuals, respectively. P1 recorded more bat species than P2, with 19 and 16 species, respectively. The detection of bats in the forest reserve might be influenced by the availability of roosting sites, food resources, and foraging areas. These findings provide a strong basis for developing conservation strategies, and management plans to protect bat habitats in Perak.

Surveys of avifauna were conducted at Gunung Inas Forest Reserve in Kedah, which constitutes under the Central Forest Spine (CFS) ecological corridor named K-PL1: Ulu Muda Forest Reserve – Gunung Inas Forest Reserve. The surveys were carried out in September and October 2023. The objective of the study is to update the checklist of avifauna recorded at the Gunung Inas Forest Reserve. In this study, two study plots of one-hectare each were established and referred to as Gunung Inas Forest Reserve I (Gunung Inas FR I) and Gunung Inas Forest Reserve II (Gunung Inas FR II). The one-hectare size plot consists of 10 transect lines. A total of 10 mist nets were deployed at each site. The mist-nets were set for five consecutive nights per session, with two sampling sessions per site. In additions, direct observations were also conducted especially for nocturnal and canopy-dwelling species. A total of 47 individuals, comprising 31 species of avifauna (18 families) were documented. In this study, Gunung Inas FR I obtained a higher number of recorded avifauna species with a total of 22 species (15 families), whilst Gunung Inas FR II harbor least records with 16 species (12 families). There is an additional of 28 species recorded during these surveys in comparison to the previous studies, thus, giving the overall cumulative avifauna species recorded is 84 species. Through these results, it is shown that this fragmented forest under K-PL1 still resides by a vast array of avifauna species. Hence, it is hoped that the significance of Gunung Inas FR as a vital habitat for these flying vertebrates can be further emphasized, and appropriate conservation measures must be taken to safeguard their population.

Gut microbiome studies have gained significant attention in recent years due to their potential in unveiling the role of microbial communities in animals’ health and ecological processes. However, the lack of standardized protocols in sample handling and processing across studies introduces variability, impeding the comparability of findings. This study addresses this issue by examining methodological variations in gut microbiome research on wildlife and domesticated animals in Southeast Asia. A comprehensive search of 91 relevant studies on the SCOPUS database yielded 54 suitable publications for review, encompassing diverse taxa such as invertebrates (20), fishes (7), reptiles (3), birds (5), and mammals (19). Notably, various methodological approaches were employed to characterize microbial communities, including the source of isolation, various culture-based approaches, sequencing methods, and the targeted markers. Based on the information provided in this study, future studies should strive to develop guidelines and best practices specific to gut microbiome studies. This would enhance comparability and facilitate the integration of findings. Such efforts will also advance our understanding of the microbial diversity associated with wildlife, and its potential implications for their health and conservation.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has transformed genomics, presenting significant potential for advancing wildlife conservation. NGS technology offers opportunities and challenges for addressing scientific questions in wildlife management. Unfortunately, there is a lack of comprehensive records on NGS implementation in Southeast Asia, particularly concerning wildlife conservation. To address this gap, we analyzed NGS studies focused on wildlife monitoring in Southeast Asia and introduced a practical framework for implementing NGS technologies in global wildlife conservation, especially in Southeast Asia. We systematically reviewed NGS studies in wildlife monitoring from the SCOPUS database. We identified 137 relevant publications from 11 countries, with Malaysia contributing 36% of the studies. The included studies were categorized into five themes: species identification, dietary assessment, health monitoring, taxonomic resolution, and whole-genome sequencing, with the majority focusing on 38 publications related to wildlife health. The framework developed in this study help the researchers and conservation practitioners with insights on NGS technology application in conservation while also addressing the benefits, limitations, and ethical considerations associated with NGS use. This review offers a brief overview of NGS usage and provides guidelines for embracing NGS as a valuable tool for effective wildlife conservation strategies in our rapidly changing world.

The Asian region is globally renowned for its unparalleled biodiversity, rich ecosystems, and unique cultural heritage. However, the delicate equilibrium between human societies and the diverse flora and fauna faces increasing challenges due to the region's rich biodiversity and escalating utilization of wildlife resources. Hence, this paper aims to document the utilization of endangered wildlife across Asian countries and to report the existing conservation measures and recommendations for sustainable wildlife management over the years. We employed prominent academic databases, specifically SCOPUS, to explore the dynamics of wildlife utilization and its associated implications. From the findings, 9,989 records were successfully identified. However, only 65 articles were included in the review after the screening process. A total of 61 species, comprising 30 mammals, 22 reptiles, one amphibian, and eight birds, all endangered, were identified as subjects of wildlife utilization in 16 Asian countries. China possessed the highest count for wildlife utilization across all categories, including 15 species used for trading purposes. In conclusion, this research underscores the critical need for integrated approaches that balance human needs and conservation imperatives to ensure a sustainable future for Asia's wildlife biodiversity.

Southeast Pahang Peat Swamp Forest (SEPPSF) covers four forest reserves (FRs) namely Pekan FR, Nenasi FR, Kedondong FR and Resak FR. Previously, 204 species of birds, 56 species of mammals, and 47 species of herpetofauna have been recorded at SEPPSF. Recently, a rapid assessment using binoculars was carried out for two days from 18-19 May 2023 covering Resak (Tambahan) FR and its adjacent areas including oil palm plantations and Rompin town. A total of 52 species of birds from 25 families and one species of reptile were recorded. Of these, 36 species are classified as Totally Protected while eight species are Protected species according to Wildlife Conservation Act 2010. There are four Vulnerable (VU) species that were recorded namely Black Hornbill, Lesser Adjutant, Large Green-Pigeon, and Javan Myna. This result indicates a “snapshot” of vertebrates of the forest complex due to the short duration of the survey. Therefore, more intensive survey is needed to update the dynamics of the wildlife community in this area.

Herpetological surveys were conducted at Panti Forest Reserve and Ulu Sedili Forest Reserve of Johor in March and April 2019. These forest reserves are identified as one of the designated primary linkages under the Central Forest Spine (CFS) Masterplan, named as J-PL2 or previously known as CFSII PL3. The objective of the study is to document updated list of herpetofauna species recorded at the J-PL2. During this study, onehectare study plot was established at Panti Forest Reserve and Ulu Sedili Forest Reserve, respectively. Each study plot was equipped with 10 transect lines. A total of 25 pitfall traps were deployed at each study plot. These traps were set for five consecutive nights per session, with a total of two sampling sessions per site. In addition, active search was also conducted for a minimum of two hours at each site during every sampling session. As a result, a total of 30 individuals comprising of 13 species of herpetofauna were recorded at J-PL2. Panti Forest Reserve harbour highest number of herpetofauna with nine species (five families) followed by Ulu Sedili Forest Reserve with six species (five families). Amphibians was the most species captured in Panti Forest Reserve with six species, whilst the number of species recorded for both amphibians and reptiles at Ulu Sedili was similar with three species. Furthermore, five species of the herpetofauna representing by one amphibian and four reptiles are new additional recorded herpetofauna species when compared to a compilation of previously listed species at both forest reserves. Pelobatrachus nasutus, Draco haematopogon and Naja sumatrana are among the latest species recorded through this study. Referring to this information, hopefully the significance of J-PL2 as an important shelter for various herpetofauna species could be reflected and proper conservation actions must be undertaken to protect and sustain their population.

Small vertebrate surveys were carried out in the Sungai Brok and Sungai Betis Forest Reserves. The Central Forest Spine (CFS) initiative has recognised these forest reserves as part of Kelantan's important ecological corridors, known as D-PL1. The surveys were conducted from July to September 2019. This study aims to identify and update the checklist of small vertebrates in the selected forest reserves. One hectare plot was established in each forest reserve for this study. Traps were used to capture and document these vertebrates, including 100 collapsible cage traps, three harp traps, 10 mist nets, and 25 pitfall traps deployed at each sampling site. In addition, the surveys also carried out active searches and direct observations. Overall, this study recorded 83 species from 38 families of small vertebrates. With the total, small mammals comprise of 13 spp. from six families, birds (53 spp. from 24 families), and herpetofauna (17 spp. from eight families) were recorded during this study. Ten small mammal species are recorded as additional species for D-PL1. Birds and herpetofauna recorded 38 and eight additional species to the existing checklist of D-PL1, respectively. Based on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Version 3.1), this study recorded three threatened species namely Great Argus (Argusianus argus), Great Slaty Woodpecker (Mulleripicus pulverulentus), and Grey-cheeked Bulbul (Alophoixus tephrogenys) in D-PL1. This information is likely to support stakeholders in formulating a management strategy for the forest mosaics in the corridor, which will continue to serve as an essential habitat for small vertebrates.

There is not much information on avifauna especially Pycnonotidae at Padang Chong Forest Reserve (PCFR). Therefore, the main objective of this study is to identify and document species from Pycnonotidae family at PCFR. A total of five sampling sessions were carried out from June to November 2022. Surveys were carried out at two plots along the gradient from the border of PCFR namely Plot 1 (500 m) and Plot 2 (1 km) each plot consist of transect line 100 m x 100 m (1 ha). Ten mist nets were deployed at each plot for five consecutive days per sampling session. Binoculars and cameras were aided for observation purposes. As a result, a total of 25 individuals from 9 species were recorded where 10 individuals (Plot 1) and 15 individuals (Plot 2) respectively. Species, Grey-bellied Bulbul were mostly recorded (8 individuals), followed by Spectacled Bulbul and Hairy-backed Bulbul (5 individuals), Grey-cheeked Bulbul (2 individuals), and Buff-vented Bulbul, Stripe-throated Bulbul, Cream-vented Bulbul, Black-headed Bulbul, and Olive-winged Bulbul are recorded one individual. Based on the species accumulative curve, the species composition is not reaching the plateau which indicates more sampling sessions are needed for Pycnonotidae at PCFR. In Plot 1, two bulbul species were recorded namely Spectacled Bulbul (LC) and the Grey-cheeked Bulbul (VU). In Plot 2 recorded the presence of Buff-vented Bulbul (NT), Stripe-throated Bulbul (LC), Cream-vented Bulbul (LC), and Hairy-backed Bulbul (LC). PCFR plays its role in providing a habitat for avifauna and resources to survive. Therefore, conservation efforts must be taken immediately to ensure this reserve is preserved and conserved.

Apart from indoor environmental and personal factors, contextual factors have significantly influenced several thermal comfort studies. In air-conditioned spaces, thermal comfort is conveniently attainable by adjusting the temperature settings, but indoor design elements might alter thermal perceptions and provide adaptive opportunities. This study examines the influence of office design characteristics and anthropometrics on thermal comfort parameters and perceptions. Nineteen university offices in Kuala Lumpur and Shah Alam, comprised of twelve shared and seven private spaces, were investigated, and 628 responses were collected from 42 participants with even gender distributions. The results showed that room occupancy and size were statistically significant with Griffiths’ comfort temperature. Offices with five or more people had lower mean comfort temperature (24.1 ℃) than private offices (25.0 ℃). The mean comfort temperature in offices larger than 80 m2 was 23.7 ℃ with warmer thermal preference, while offices smaller than 40 m2 were approximately one-degree Celsius higher. Offices with no shading device, window blinds opened, and tiled floorings had mean comfort temperatures higher than 25.0 ℃. The findings also indicated that offices with more than a 60% glazing ratio have a slightly higher mean comfort temperature at 24.9 ℃. The thermal sensation during closed blinds was much cooler than opened ones. The anthropometry of the human body impacts how heat is regulated; thus, respondents with higher Body Mass Index (BMI) and above-average body surface area (higher than 1.7 m2) had significantly lower comfort temperatures and preferred more humid surroundings. Mean comfort temperature was statistically significant with BMI with a noticeable difference between underweight (25.1 ℃), normal (24.5 ℃), and obese (23.9 ℃) BMIs. In this study, it is recommended that BMI be considered when positioning occupants in shared offices, and window blinds are an integral shading device for adjusting indoor thermal comfort levels.

Personal comfort models were developed to circumvent most of the constraints imposed by the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and present adaptive models, which consider the average response of a large population. Although there has been a lot of research into new input features for personal comfort models, the spatial data of the building, such as windows, doors, furniture, walls, fans, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, (the location of its occupants with those elements), have not been thoroughly examined. This paper investigates the impact of the spatial parameter in predicting personal indoor thermal comfort using various machine learning approaches in air-conditioning offices under hot and humid climates. The Decision Tree, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, K-Nearest Neighbour, and Neural Network were trained using a field study dataset that was done in nineteen office spaces yielding 628 samples from 42 occupants. The dataset is divided randomly into training and testing datasets, with a ratio of 80% and 20%. This study examines how well machine learning predicts personal thermal comfort with spatial data compared to without spatial data; where the spatial parameters have shown a significant influence on model prediction accuracies, Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE). The result shows the average MAE is decreased by 10.6% with the Random Forest (RF) getting the most MAE reduction by 23.8%. Meanwhile, the average RMSE is reduced by 11.8% with the RF giving the most RMSE cutback by 30.6%. Consequently, the spatial effect analysis also determines which area of the room has cold or heat clusters area that affects thermal comfort that contributes to the design of sustainable buildings.

This research was aimed to assess the human health risk by measuring concentration of seven heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As and Pb) in some selected vegetables, fruits and cereals in Khulna, Bangladesh. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) deterministic approaches were used to assess the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk which was measured by Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), Target Hazard Quotient (THQ), Hazard Index (HI) and Target cancer Risk (TR) values. The contents of Mn, Ni, As and Pb except Fe, Cu and Zn were above the recommended maximum acceptable levels proposed by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. Assessment of non-carcinogenic health hazard by THQ indicated no concern from consumption of these selected cereals except As, Pb and vegetables except for Pb. But the combined impacts of all metals (HI) were higher than the acceptable limit of 1 for all vegetables and cereals. So, the consumption of these vegetables and cereals are of biggest concern for non-carcinogenic health effects and all metals together may affect human health as revealed by HI. Upon consumption of studied vegetables, fruits and cereals the probability of developing cancer was greater than USEPA threshold risk limit (>10-5) for Pb and (>10-3) for As and Ni. Whereas the TR value indicates moderate cancer risk for Pb and highly cancer risk for As, Ni from this study area.

B2C, or business-to-consumer, is the type of commerce transaction in which businesses sell products or services to consumers. Small businesses are the most suitable for part-time or entrepreneurial experiences. E-Business has become very popular in this era of high-speed internet & fast-growing demands of the customers. It can be run at a very low cost & manpower. There are so many risks in a startup e-commerce business which can be minimized by proper selection or decision makings. Proper planning can ensure preventive maintenance of the business & enables the entrepreneur to do the right thing the first time. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is a structured technique for organizing and analyzing complex decisions, based on mathematics and psychology. It is one of the world-wide popular methods of decision making. This research is based on business selection by applying AHP. The E-Business decision was taken based on a deep analysis using AHP.

The consumption of various forms of plastic has been increased in recent days due to the boost in industrialization and other human activities. Most of the plastic wastes are abandoned and require large landfill area for storage. More importantly, the low biodegradability of plastic poses a serious threat to environment protection issue. Various methods have been followed for the disposal of plastic in an attempt to reduce the negative impact of the plastic on the environment. Recently, various types of plastic have been incorporated in concrete to minimize the exposure of plastic to the environment. The aim of this study is to investigate the properties of concrete containing polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and high density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic that were used as partial replacement of coarse aggregate (CA). In this study, four compositions of stone aggregate(S): plastic waste ratios have been used by volume basis: 100% S: 0% Plastic (control concrete), 90% S: 10% PET, 90% S: 10% HDPE, and 90% S: 5% PET+5% HDPE. The effects of waste plastic addition on the mechanical properties of concrete are presented in this paper. Test results reveal that minimum reduction in compressive strength has been found 35% in case of 10% PET plastic replaced concrete whereas splitting tensile strength for 10% PET replaced concrete has been increased by 21% while compared to control concrete. In addition, fresh unit weight of concrete containing plastic waste has been decreased by 4% in comparison to control concrete.

Asset management is a continuous process that runs throughout the lifecycle of a constructed facility. The current practice of asset management is paper-based consisting of manual inspection and proves to be time consuming, tedious, and prone to human error. Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been found to be an emerging technology and core of information management for the design, construction, operation and maintenance (O&M) process. Though the usefulness of BIM has been greatly realized in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) industry, its use for O&M, particularly in asset management, is still in its infancy. This research describes a framework of an intelligent BIM record model that can capture all the assets in BIM during the construction of a building facility. All the information necessary for operation and maintenance along with the location would be stored in a database integrating with the BIM. The database library can be interrogated with BIM and serves as a repository of asset management for the built facility. The BIM record model would help to take informed decisions regarding operations, maintenance, servicing, repair and replacement of an asset hence saving labour-intensive asset inventory, time and money, and preventing the wastage of unnecessary tools acquisition.

Corrosion of steel in reinforced concrete is one of the main issues among construction stakeholders. The main consequences of steel corrosion include loss of cross section of steel area, generation of expansive pressure which caused cracking of concrete, spalling and delaminating of the concrete cover. Thus, it reduces the bond strength between the steel reinforcing bar and concrete, and deteriorating the strength of the structure. The objective of this study is to investigate the structural effects of corrosion damage on the performance of reinforced concrete beam. A series of corroded reinforced concrete beam with a corrosion rate of 0%, 20% and 40% of rebar corrosion is used in parametric study to assess the influence of different level of corrosion rate to the structural performance. As a result, the used of interface element in the finite element modelling predicted the worst case of corrosion analysis since cracks is induced and generate at this surface. On the other hand, a positive linear relationship was sketched between the increase of expansive pressure and the corrosion rate. Meanwhile, the gradient of the graph is decreased with the increase of steel bar diameter. Furthermore, the analysis shows that there is a significant effect on the load bearing capacity of the structure where the higher corrosion rate generates a higher stress concentration at the mid span of the beam. This study could predict the residual strength of reinforced concrete beam under the corrosion using the finite element analysis. The experimental validation is needed on the next stage to investigate the quantitative relation between the corrosion rate and its influence on the mechanical properties.

This paper presents a high performance systolic array (SA) core architecture design for Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) sequencer. The core implements the affine gap penalty score Smith-Waterman (SW) algorithm. This time-consuming local alignment algorithm guarantees optimal alignment between DNA sequences, but it requires quadratic computation time when performed on standard desktop computers. The use of linear SA decreases the time complexity from quadratic to linear. In addition, with the exponential growth of DNA databases, the SA architecture is used to overcome the timing issue. In this work, the SW algorithm has been captured using Verilog Hardware Description Language (HDL) and simulated using Xilinx ISIM simulator. The proposed design has been implemented in Xilinx Virtex -6 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and improved in the core area by 90% reduction.

Ozonation of activated sludge in the present of titanium dioxide (TiO2) as catalyst to enhance the production of hydroxyl radical was evaluated in comparison to the sole ozonation process. In this process, the catalytic ozontion showed improvement in increasing ozone consumption and improving activated sludge disintegration and solubilisation. The reduction of total suspended solid (TSS), volatile suspended solid (VSS) and soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) solubilisation was better in the catalytic ozonation system. Initial pH 7 of activated sludge was found best to disintegrate and solubilise the sludge flocs. However upon additional of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in pH adjustment enhanced the solubilisation of organic matter from the flocs and cells, making the initial pH 9 is the best condition for activated sludge solubilisation. Yet the initial pH 7 of activated sludge supernatant was the best condition to achieve SCOD solubilisation due to sludge floc disintegration, when it had stronger correlation between TSS reduction and SCOD solubilisation (R2=0.961). Lower amount of catalyst of 100 mgTiO2/gTSS was found to disintegrate and solubilise the activated sludge better with 30.4% TSS reduction and 25.2% SCOD solubilisation efficiency, compared to 200 mgTiO2/gTSS with 21.9% and 17.1% TSS reduction and SCOD solubilisation, respectively.

Traffic simulation is a widely used method applied in the research on traffic modelling, planning and development of traffic networks and systems. From the literature study, a variety traffic simulation models were found in experiments and applications with aims to imaginary real traffic operations. The traffic simulation models can be categorised into three namely, microscopic modelling, macroscopic modelling and mesoscopic modelling. This report is aimed to overview these traffic simulation models, in term of its function, limitation and application.

In oil and gas industry, fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite are widely used to repair pipeline subjected to external metal loss. This repair technique can be done by incorporating epoxy grout as infill material to smoothen the defect on pipeline surface and later wrapped with a composite wrap to restore the strength of the pipe. This paper attempts to investigate the behaviour of an epoxy grout with 0.5wt% graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) under tensile loading according to the ASTM D638. GnPs were dispersed through the sonication method followed by calendering process to ensure an optimum enhancement in the properties of polymer matrix can be achieved. The results show positive improvement in terms of strength and Young's modulus of tested grout with the inclusion of GnPs. It shows that the presence of low concentration of GnPs as an additive has a significant reinforcement effect by improving tensile properties of epoxy grout up to 14% as compared to control sample.

Infill material in the pipeline repair system works by filling the gap that is usually caused by corrosion before the fibre wrapper can be applied for pipeline recovery. In this study, nanocomposites were prepared by adding a small amount of Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) to an existing commercial epoxy resin grout aiming to evaluate their behaviour regarding neat epoxy grout as infill material in composite repair for steel pipeline subjected to external metal loss. The dispersion of the nanoparticles in the epoxy resin has been conducted through ultrasonic and calendaring technique. The results of modified epoxy grout were compared to neat epoxy grout to identify if the MWCNTs are advantageous to existing materials. By comparing the results, 0.5% of MWCNT filler has significantly improved the strength by almost 53.3%. In addition, the results also indicate that MWCNT filler has increased the modulus of elasticity of the infill material. Furthermore, the morphologies image displayed that MWCNTs has been well merged into the matrix, and made the fracture cross section rougher through sharing the stress. Therefore, it demonstrated the intrinsic potential of the CNTs in modifying the properties of the composites.

The industry nowadays is incorporating the composite repair system for repairing pipelines rather than the conventional steel repair. The mechanism of this repair method usually consists of three components which are the composite wrapping, infill material and the adhesive. However, there has been very little research on the function of the infill in the repair mechanism. This work is concerning the enhancement of the performance or the strength properties of the infill material in pipeline repair by reinforcing the putty with carbon nanotubes (CNT). The enhancement of the performance of the infill has been carried out by dispersing the CNT into epoxy resin with a three roll mill. In the mechanical properties testing, it is found that the CNT is an effective material to improve the tensile strength of the epoxy grout. However, the CNT-modified samples in the compressive property test show a contrast to the tensile test. All the CNT-modified samples exhibit a lower compressive strength than the control sample and the milled down sample. In conclusion, CNT shows the potential to be a very good material to enhance the mechanical properties of epoxy grout, however, with this specific brand of epoxy grout that contains steel filler in the resin, the CNT only improve the tensile properties but the compressive properties of the epoxy grout has been compromised as compared to the control sample.

The increment amount of the CO2 emission by years has become a major concern worldwide due to the global warming issue. However, the influence modification of activated carbon (AC) has given a huge revolution in CO2 adsorption capture compare to the unmodified AC. In the present study, the Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) modified surface AC was used for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) capture in the fixed-bed column. The AC underwent pre-carbonization and carbonization processes at 519.8 °C, respectively, with flowing of CO2 gas and then followed by impregnation with 53.75% phosphoric acid (H3PO4) at 1:2 precursor-to-activant ratios. The prepared AC known as sea mango activated carbon (SMAC) was impregnated with DES at 1:2 solid-to-liquid ratio. The DES is composing of choline chloride and urea with ratio 1:2 choline chloride to urea. The optimum adsorption capacity of SMAC was 33.46 mgco2/gsol and 39.40 mgco2/gsol for DES modified AC (DESAC).

This paper purposed application of fiber optic as liquid sensor for detection of various concentrations of corn oil. The final result would an additional understanding about fiber optic sensor and could be used in related field such as food industry sector. They are 20 samples of corn oil with different concentrations between 0% until 100% are tasted. For every concentration, would experience a dipped process together with fiber optic before measuring process. Each of concentrations would present different results in line graph. The experiment results would be discussed in listed values of sensitivity, correlation and coefficient of determination of graft which are totally dependent on concentration of corn oil and the light source. With a different value of concentration and 1550nm wavelength of light source, the maximum sensitivity of 0.00072 the coefficient of determination 94.0% is obtained at third slope, respectively. Fiber optic is successfully to be corn oil liquid sensor and would be in high performance by using 1550 nm wavelength of light source and measuring concentration more than 85%.

The design of current fiber optic sensor technology especially when related to the chemical still requires a certain degree of the quantitative reliability. The acetone is one of chemical found in the bodily fluid for diabetic person and it would be obvious during fasting. The acetone level could be monitored which is indicate the severity of the diabetes. In this experiment, 4 samples of acetone are used with different concentrations between 20% until 80%. It is represented four different level of diabetic. Fiber optic would be dipped in every concentration before measuring process. Each concentration presented in different line graph and analyze for sensitivity value using statistical method. By using 1550nm wavelength of light source, the maximum sensitivity of 1.064 is obtained at second slope for 40% of concentration, respectively. This is showed that fiber optic sensor could be use as diabetic level sensor. However this sensor would be in high performance at 40% concentration of acetone.

A steering aid system called active steering is evaluated by simulating different kinds of driving events. The main purpose of the steering system is to allow the driver control the vehicle independently. A full car vehicle model is simulated in Matlab/Simulink with 14 degree of freedom of equations which include the ride vehicle model and also the handling model. The steering angle is the input of the vehicle model that should be focused on. The angle of the steering system between the tires when turning the vehicle is taken in consideration. Simulations are made on different road conditions effect and also side wind disturbances. Different values are applied to the simulation to reduce the effect of the driving events. Therefore, these simulations results to provide a better improvement to the steering system. The aim for this work is to validate the vehicle response with an instrumented experiemental vehicle. Specific driving events in these simulations are the road adhesions and lateral side wind disturbances.

This paper presents a new experimental approach to simulate projected autonomous driving styles based on the accelerations at three road profiles. This study was focused on the determination of ranges of accelerations in triaxial direction to simulate the autonomous driving experience. A special device, known as the Automatic Acceleration and Data controller (AUTOAccD), has been developed to guide the designated driver to accomplish the selected accelerations based on the road profiles and the intended driving styles namely assertive, defensive and light rail transit (LRT). Experimental investigations have been carried out at three different road profiles (junction, speed hump, and corner) with two designated drivers with five trials on each condition. A driving style with the accelerations of LRT has also been included in this study as it is significant to the present methodology because the autonomous car is predicted to accelerate like an LRT, in such a way that it enables the users to conduct activities such as working on a laptop, using personal devices or eating and drinking while travelling. The results demonstrated that 92 out of 110 trials of the intended accelerations for autonomous driving styles could be achieved and simulated on the real road by the designated drivers. The differences between the two designated drivers were negligible, and the rates of succeeding in realizing the intended accelerations were high. The present approach in simulating autonomous driving styles focusing on accelerations can be used as a tool for experimental setup involving autonomous driving experience and acceptance.

Ride comfort is an important factor in any road vehicle performance. Nonetheless, passenger ride comfort is sometimes affected by the vibrations resulting from the road irregularities. Vehicle ride comfort is also often compromised by engine vibration. Engine mount is one of the devices which act as vibration isolator from unwanted vibration from engine to the driver and passengers. This paper explains the development of the test rig used for laboratory testing of Magnetorheological (MR) engine mount characterization. MR engine mount was developed to investigate the vibration isolation process. An engine mount test machine was designed to measure the displacement, relative velocity and damper force with respect to current supply to characterize the hysteresis behavior of the damper and as force tracking control of the MR engine mount.

A study was conducted to investigate the driving styles within the geographical region of Malaysia. The first part of the study determined Malaysian drivers’ driving styles using the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory approach. Respondents had various backgrounds in terms of age, gender and experience of driving. A statistical factor analysis was done for 338 respondents revealing four driving styles; careful, risky, anxious-dissociative and angry. In addition, a comparison with previous findings from Netherlands and Israel was also done in this study. The next part of the study focused on the associations of these driving styles with two personality traits (sensation seeking and desire for control), sociodemographic factors and experience of driving. The last part of the paper discusses the relevance of the study against the background of future automotive development.

In this paper, several numbers of biometric images are compressed in order to reduce the number of bits needed in representing an image with conservation of image quality. Biometric images compression is important to solve the problem of efficiently transmitting data and storing large number of biometric images in low capacity of memory device. Biometric images are compressed using two techniques which are DCT and Quantization. The compression algorithm is implemented on general purpose computer and DSP processor in order to compare between both of them in terms processing time and evaluate the performance of this technique by measuring the difference between the original image and reconstructed image using PSNR, SSIM and MSE. Experimental results show DCT algorithm produces a high quality for reconstructed images with acceptable compression rate in terms of quality level is more than 50%. Furthermore, implementing the proposed algorithm using DSP board achieves better performance in terms of processing time compared with PC based.

The abstract of the article should be replaced by the abstract below: In this paper, the effect of crumb rubber, CR as fine aggregate in the concrete to enhance concrete durability against chloride ion diffusion was studied. Chloride ion diffusion in rubberized concrete was tested by migration test under steady state condition. Concrete specimen with water-to-cement ratio of 0.50 was prepared to study the CR effectiveness in comparison with lower water-to-cement ratio. In addition, 10% silica fume, SF was added to provide denser concrete and to understand its effectiveness against chloride ion diffusion. Results showed that chloride transport characteristics were improved by the increasing amount of CR in all mixed due to the fact that CR has the ability to repel water. Meanwhile, rubberized concrete with w/c = 0.35 gave better resistance against chloride ion penetration compared to w/c = 0.50. This was much improved with combination of CR and SF.

Durability performance of rubberized concrete against abrasion is presented in this paper. Surface depth loss was measured when abrasion load was constantly applied on concrete surface at each 500 interval rotation. Specimen with water-to cement ratio of 0.50 and 0.35 was prepared and tested at 28 days of curing age. In addition, 10% silica fume, SF was added to provide denser concrete and to understand its effectiveness against wear when added with crumb rubber. Results showed that crumb rubber shows good potential in providing abrasion resistance to concrete mix. However, in the case of rubberized concrete with silica fume, abrasion resistance was found to be slightly decreased with compressive strength more than 50N/mm2 due to the lack of low elastic modulus of CR particles to accommodate with denser cement matrix.

Foamed concrete is a controlled low density ranging from 400kg/m3 to 1800kg/m3, and hence suitable for the construction of buildings and infrastructures. The uniqueness of foamed concrete is does not use aggregates in order to retain low density. Foamed concrete contains only cement, sand, water and foam agent. Therefore, the consumption of cement is higher in producing a good quality and strength of foamed concrete. Without the present of aggregates, the compressive strength of foamed concrete can only achieve as high as 15MPa. Therefore, this study aims to introduce the pelletized coconut fibre aggregate to reduce the consumption of cement but able to enhance the compressive strength. In the experimental study, forty-five (45) cube samples of foamed concrete with density 1600kg/m3 were prepared with different volume fractions of pelletized coconut fibre aggregate. All cube samples were tested using the compression test to obtain compressive strength. The results showed that the compressive strength of foamed concrete containing 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of pelletized coconut fibre aggregate are 9.6MPa, 11.4MPa, 14.6MPa and 13.4MPa respectively. It is in fact higher than the controlled foamed concrete that only achieves 9MPa. It is found that the pelletized coconut fibre aggregate indicates a good potential to enhance the compressive strength of foamed concrete.

Pedestrian level of service (LOS) is an overall measure of walking conditions on a route, path, or facility. This is linked directly to factors that affect mobility, comfort and safety, reflecting pedestrian’s perceptions of the degree to which the facility is pedestrian-friendly. A unique model called FOOT-LOS (short for pedestrian footpath level of service) was developed to facilitate the LOS measurement. The factors considered fall into three categories; physical, location and user attributes. Pedestrian conditions can be described through a grading system, i.e. from LOS A (ideal pedestrian condition) to LOS F (unsuitable pedestrian condition), based on an assessment of the factors affecting LOS. The assessment includes desktop and on-site assessment of LOS factors. The development of the model involved an iterative process that included testing and refinement. The research undertaken and the LOS model developed provide a sound basis for the measurement of LOS for pedestrian footpaths. The model not only provides a methodology for determining LOS, but also determines which factors predominantly contribute to the LOS of pedestrian footpaths.