bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi-temporal analysis of regression diagnostics for students' performance in property development and co-requisite courses
Authors: Obaje Ataguba Joseph , Olufemi Bioku Joseph , Taiwo Ogungbenro Matthew
Published: October 2017

Property development and other co-requisite courses have been embedded within academic programs in Estate Management. Among the objectives of this study include identifying the co-requisite courses that accounted for a variation in students' academic performance in property development, and to examine the characteristics of the diagnostics of ordinary least square (OLS) regression model for this relationship over time. Data for this study comprised 2007/2008 to 2014/2015 (8-year) scores for the 1st- and 2nd semester property development and its co-requisite courses in the Department of Estate Management of the Federal Polytechnic Idah, Nigeria. Tools of analysis comprised descriptive statistics (mean score, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation), fitted trend equations, multiple linear regression analysis, and a multi-temporal visualization of the regression diagnostics comprising *ZRESID vs. *ZPRED, normality tests for residuals, and the Durbin-Watson test. The variation in the scores for property development courses during the 8-year period was attributed to specific 1st- and 2nd semester co-requisite courses. EST311 (Valuation I) was found to be the most consistent regressor for EST313 (Property Development I) in the 1st semester, while EST325 (Estate Accounting), was the most consistent regressor for EST323 (Property Development II) in the 2nd semester. Multi-temporal diagnostics analyses did not provide any sufficient evidence to invalidate the OLS regression models for the 1st- and 2nd semester Property Development courses and their co-requisites. Stakeholders' commitment to the teaching and learning of the co-requisite courses was recommended as triggers for a sustained pass rate in the property development courses.
Slum Conditions in Haryana and Pro-poor Housing Initiatives in Faridabad, India
Authors: Nirmala Nirmala
Published: October 2017

Rapid urbanization forces urban poor to live in slums and squatter settlement. In neo-liberal development approach, participatory planning and collaborative actions are becoming popular in slum upgrading programmes. This paper discusses the slum scenario in state of Haryana along with detailed pro-poor housing attempts in industrial city of Haryana i.e. Faridabad. The paper reviews the three projects that aimed to improve the living conditions and lives of urban poor communities in Faridabad. The study examines in detail BSUP projects at Dabua Colony and Bapu Nagar taken up under India’s first urban renewal mission i.e. JNNURM within the context of community participation. Results reveal that contrary to the state’s rhetoric of inclusive governance, the urban poor are completely excluded from settlement planning, leading to a lack of understanding of their needs by the state. BSUP housing scheme has failed to mobilize slum dwellers. Drawing on the experience of these projects, the paper seeks to answer the question: why the stated objectives were not achieved and makes recommendation that community led initiatives and slum mapping should be at the core of slum improvement strategy so that qualitatively superior areas can be planned for the unprivileged.
Microclimatic Performance of Courtyards in Residential Buildings in Kafanchan-Nigeria
Authors: Bulus Markus , Hamid Malsiah , Lim Yaik Wah
Published: October 2017

Recent studies have emphasized the importance of the courtyard microclimate to the building and the need for a comparative study on their typology in other to ascertain the best alternative. Also emphasizing that the architect choice of the courtyard typology to be adopted in his architectural design schemes should be based on performance rather than his mere intuitive choice. Therefore, an investigational study of two different courtyard forms with the same perimeter, and material finished -the fully enclosed internal central courtyard and the semi-enclosed courtyard has been carried out in two existing residential buildings, in the city of Kafanchan-Nigeria. The main purpose of the study is to compare their climatic performances in other to ascertain the best option. The study employed the experimental methodology. Three Hobo Weather Data Loggers (HWDL) were used to collect data in the courtyards, and the third one was positioned in the outdoor area as a benchmark. Only two climatic variables, namely air temperature, and relative humidity were examined as these variables have not been investigated in a single research on the courtyard in Nigeria. The results showed a definite difference in the microclimatic conditions of the two courtyards. The fully enclosed internal courtyard is seen to have a better air temperature difference of 1oc to 3oc at the time intervals, and the relative humidity difference of 1% to 6%. In conclusion, the fully enclosed internal courtyard has demonstrated a more favorable microclimatic performance than the semi-enclosed, and future simulation studies towards its optimization are recommended.
Building Envelope Thermal Performance Assessment Using Visual Programming and BIM, based on ETTV requirement of Green Mark and GreenRE
Authors: Seghier Taki Eddine , Lim Yaik Wah , Ahmad Mohd Hamdan , Samuel Williams Opeyemi
Published: October 2017

Accomplishment of green building design requirements and the achievement of the targeted credit points under a specific green rating system are known to be a task that is very challenging. Building Information Modeling (BIM) design process and tools have already made considerable advancements in green building design and performance analysis. However, Green building design process is still lack of tools and workflows that can provide real-time feedback of building sustainability and rating during the design stage. In this paper, a new workflow of green building design assessment and rating is proposed based on the integration of Visual Programing Language (VPL) and BIM. Thus, the aim of this study is to develop a BIM-VPL based tool for building envelope design and assessment support. The focus performance metric in this research is building Envelope Thermal Transfer Value (ETTV) which is an Energy Efficiency (EE) prerequisite requirement (up to 15 credits) in both Green Mark and GreenRE rating systems. The development of the tool begins first by creating a generic integration framework between BIM-VPL functionalities and ETTV requirements. Then, data is extracted from the BIM 3D model and managed using Revit, Excel and Dynamo for visual scripting. A sample project consisting of a hypothetical residential building is run and its envelope ETTV performance and rating score are obtained for the validation of the tool. This tool will support project team in building envelope design and assessment by allowing them to select the most appropriate façade configuration according to its performance efficiency and the green rating. Furthermore, this tool serves as proof of concept that building sustainability rating and compliance checking can be automatically processed through customized workflows developed based on BIM and VPL technologies.
Examination of Estate Marketing Practices in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria
Authors: Oyedeji Joseph Oyewale , Akindele Dolapo Bose
Published: October 2017

Estate marketing is an aspect of the profession of Estate Surveying and Valuation in Nigeria. Previous studies on estate marketing identified that there are challenges affecting estate marketing and the resultant effect on these challenges affects the credibility of the profession of Estate Surveying and Valuation in Nigeria. This necessitates the need to examine the practice of estate marketing in Nigeria. This study examined estate marketing practice among estate surveyors and valuers in Ikeja, Lagos Nigeria. The sample size for the study is the 64 registered Estate Surveying and Valuation firms in the study area. Data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics and 5-point likert ordinal scale. Findings from the study revealed that the use of brochure or bulletin is the most common estate marketing method in the study area. Also, it was revealed from the study that the use of press is the most cost effective method of estate marketing in the study area. The study identified the various challenges of estate marketing. However, collection of double professional fees is the most prevalent challenge of estate marketing in the study area. Finally, aggressive marketing which leads to unethical practices is the most prevalent mitigating measures adopted by Estate Surveyors and Valuers in the study area. Recommendations were made on how to review the ethical regulations guiding the practice of Estate Surveying and Valuation which will consequently improve marketing in the study area.
Convergence of Home-based Enterprises with Domestic Spaces: Evidence from Dhaka Neighborhoods
Authors: Afrin Sadia , Rana Sohel , Isah Abubakar Danladi , Ahsan Reazul
Published: October 2017

This research inspects the utilization of domestic space management in marginalized slums of Bangladesh towards comprehending the contribution of urban poor women’s informal employment as a private initiative. The components that influence the physical association of “home-based enterprises” (HBEs) spaces and its quality are assessed concerning the survival pattern of the low-income occupants. Further, the neighborhood and housing attributes, cultural and social, and the financial status of individuals living in slums are analyzed by in-depth interviews with questionnaires. A stratified random sampling method was used to choose 44 households in two notable neighborhoods in Dhaka City. Data was elicited through focus groups of inhabitants using qualitative research method. Thus, structured and open-ended interviews were conducted with household female members who are 18 years and above while participant observation at moderate level ensured the trustworthiness of the data. The differences observed quality and features of spaces in those settlements inhabited by the slum dwellers gave insight on the factors. The study discovered the prospect of women’s domestic spaces of home-based work in their dwelling spaces. Thereafter, the research recommends that future interferences should counter critically to the event of participation and strife contributing towards uplifting women’s situation inside a specific dwelling.
Extraction of rubber (hevea brasiliensis) seed oil using soxhlet method
Authors: Mohd-Setapar S.H. , Nian-Yian Lee , Mohd-Sharif N.S.
Published: October 2017

Soxhlet extraction which is also known as solvent extraction refers to the preferential dissolution of oil by contacting oilseeds with a liquid solvent. This is the most efficient method to recover oil from oilseeds, thus solvent extraction using hexane has been commercialized as a standard practice in today’s industry. In this study, soxhlet extraction had been used to extract the rubber seed oil which contains high percentage of alpha-linolenic acid. In addition, the different solvents will be used for the extraction of rubber seed oil such as petroleum ether, n-hexane, ethanol and water to study the best solvent to extract the rubber seed oil so the maximum oil yield can be obtained. On the other hands, the natural resource, rubber belongs to the family of Euphorbiaceae, the genus is Hevea while the species of rubber is brasiliensis. Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) seeds are abundant and wasted because they had not been used in any industry or applications in daily life. The oil of rubber seeds had been found that contained a significant percentage of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids especially alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Alpha-linolenic acid is one of the important elements of omega-3 fatty acids which play important roles in human metabolism, not only playing structural roles in phospholipid bilayers but also acting as precursors to bioactive molecules. Moreover, rubber seed oil also contains a high percentage of oleic acid and linoleic acid, these all are valuable compounds. Thus, rubber seed oil can be regarded as a plant derived oleic-linolenic acid. Rubber seeds can be considered as good sources for human food, animal feed and biofuel with its high content of fat, protein, amino acids and fatty acids. Therefore, it is important to study the method of extraction to extract the valuable components from rubber seeds, purify the extracted seed oil, so that the rubber seeds oil can be utilized into difference industries pharmaceutical, food, oleochemical and cosmetics.
The effect of mercerization process on the structural and morphological properties of pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) pulp
Authors: Mat Nayan Nadirul Hasraf , Wan Abdul Rahman Wan Aizan , Abdul Majid Rohah
Published: October 2017

Environmental awareness and depletion of the wood resources are among vital factors that motivate various researchers to explore the potential of agrobased crops as an alternative source of fiber material in paper industries such as writing, printing, wrapping, and packaging. Fibers from agro-based crops are available in abundance, low cost, and most importantly its biodegradability features, which sometimes referred as “ecofriendly” materials. This paper attempt to study the effect of mercerization treatment on the structural and morphological properties of pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) pulp. It was shown that the PALF pulp achieved favourable structural and morphological properties as characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The mercerized fibers (15% NaOH) achieved the best tensile properties compared to that of pristine fibers.This modification have the potential to be utilized as pulp for paper based products.
Intelligent GA optimizer for single supply operational amplifier and MMIC low noise amplifier
Authors: Siew Chin Neoh , Ishak Izatul Syafina , Wei Jer Lim , Marzuki Arjuna
Published: October 2017

Single-Supply Operational Amplifier (Op-Amp) is important to the applications on battery-powered equipments whereas MMIC Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) is a type of integrated circuit device used in capturing operating signal in microwave frequency. This paper presents an optimization study of a Single-Supply Op-Amp and a MMIC LNA using Genetic Algorithm (GA). GA is proposed to optimize multiple input variables so as to achieve the required circuit design outputs. In Single-Supply Op-Amp, a single objective GA optimization study is conducted. Based on the single objective circuit design justification, GA is further investigated for its capability to deal with multiple design objectives in 5 GHz MMIC LNA. In this research, the Single-Supply Op-Amp design is synthesized via LTSpice whereas the MMIC LNA design is simulated through Agilent Advanced Design System (ADS). The optimization performance of GA for both single and multi-objective circuit designs is studied and the developed multi-objective GA optimizer is further compared with ADS built-in optimizers of Gradient and Quasi-Newton respectively. From the results, GA is shown to be capable in optimizing both single objective Op-Amp and multi-objective LNA.
Mixed convection boundary layer flow of a casson fluid near the stagnation point over a permeable surface
Authors: Isa S. P. M. , Arifin N. M. , Nazar R.
Published: October 2017

The problem of steady mixed convection boundary layer flow of a Casson fluid near the stagnation-point on a vertical surface when the wall is permeable, where there is suction or injection effect, is considered. The governing partial differential equations are converted into ordinary differential equations by similarity transformation, which is then solved numerically using the shooting method. Results for the skin friction coefficient, local Nusselt number, velocity profiles as well as temperature profiles are presented for different values of the governing parameters. It is found that the imposition of suction is to increase the velocity profiles and to delay the separation of boundary layer, while the injection parameter decreases the velocity profiles.
Effect of organic and aqueous dispersion medium on the development of polystyrene nanoparticles in nanoprecipitation method
Authors: Bukhari Attaullah , Idris Ani , Atta Madiha
Published: October 2017

The purpose of this study is to develop polystyrene nanoparticles using nanoprecipitation method. Formation of nanoparticles from pre-polymer by nanoprecipitation is a beneficial technique involving the diffusion of polymer phase into dispersion phase. However, selection of solvent /non-solvent couple has intensive influence on nanoprecipitation of specific polymer. In this study the potential of chloroform (CHCl3) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) is explored as the solvent for polystyrene. Effect of dispersion phase; methanol, chloroform, acetone and water have been investigated on nanoprecipitation of polystyrene. It was found that the addition of surfactants enhanced the stability of nanoparticles.Tween-40 has a more pronounced stabilizing effect than Pluronic F-68 on polystyrene nanoparticles in aqueous phase. More stable nanoparticles of polystyrene were obtained in the aqueous medium containing 2-g/L of Tween-40. Interface interaction of mixing phases and surface active agents affect the size and stability of nanoparticles in nanoprecipitation.
Effect of different solvents on the thermal, IR spectroscopy and morphological properties of solution casted PLA/starch films.
Authors: Saidi M. A. A. , W. A. Rahman W. A. , Majid R. A.
Published: October 2017

PLA/starch films were prepared by using three different solvent which is consist of chloroform, acetonitrile, and tetrahydrofuran. Similarly, composite films prepared using co-solvent of choloroform-acetonitrile (C-Ac) and choloroform- tetrahydrofuran (C-THF) were also investigated. Their properties were characterized by using TGA, DSC, IR spectroscopy and SEM. It was found that the acetonitrile casted biodegradable film achieved superior properties compared to films prepared by Ac, THF, C-Ac and C-THF.
MHD double diffusion flow by free convection past an infinite inclined plate with ramped wall temperature in a porous medium
Authors: Ismail Zulkhibri , Khan Ilyas , Imran Anwar , Hussanan Abid , Shafie Sharidan
Published: October 2017

The combined effects of heat and mass transfer on unsteady magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) free convection flow in a porous medium past an infinite inclined plate with ramped wall temperature have been investigated. The closed form analytical solutions have been obtained for the velocity, temperature and concentration fields by using Laplace transforms method. The analytical expressions for non-dimensional skin-friction, Nusselt number and Sherwood number have been computed. The effects of the embedded flow parameters such as inclination angle, radiation parameter, magnetic field parameter, and Grashof number on flow fields are shown graphically. It is found that increasing the inclination angle and radiation parameters, the fluid velocity along an inclined plate will be decreased.
Fuzzy information graph of epileptic seizures
Authors: Ahmad Tahir , Ramachandran Vinod
Published: October 2017

The mathematical modelling of EEG signals provides valuable data to neurologists, and is heavily utilized in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. The erratic nature of these signals, coupled with their lack of a consistent visible trend results in a high degree of difficulty in forming a statistical model to describe seizures. Working with Delia-normalized signals, the authors compute the associated Shannon entropies for three sets of data, and show via construction that the information flow during an epileptic seizure can be viewed as a type-2 fuzzy graph.
Plant growth regulator eEffect on adventitious roots induction of labisia pumila
Authors: Hasan Nor’Aishah , Hussein Sobri , Ibrahim Rusli
Published: October 2017

Labisia pumila or locally known as ‘Kacip Fatimah’ is an herbaceous plant commonly used for dysentery, flatulence, dysmenorrhoea and gonorrhoea. A study was undertaken to investigate the effect of different plant growth regulators at various concentrations on adventitious root induction from the leaf explants of Labisia pumila. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with auxins; indole-acetic acid (IAA), indole-butyric acid (IBA) and naphtaleneacetic acid (NAA) each at the concentrations of 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 mg/L were evaluated for their effects on adventitious root induction. No adventitious roots formed in the control medium devoid of any PGRs. Among the plant growth regulators (PGRs) used, IBA showed the best adventitious roots formation for all explants, followed by NAA and IAA. Leaf explants cultured on MS medium supplemented with 5 mg/L of IBA showed the best rooting ability. In this treatment, 72.4 ± 9.3 % of rooting, 17.8 ± 9.4 roots per explants and 0.123 ± 0.096g of dry weight were recorded. NAA and IAA showed ability to induce adventitious roots from leaf however the rooting ability was relatively lower that IBA treatment. The highest rooting ability for NAA and IAA was achieved in 7 mg/L and 3 mg/L with (71.2 ±10.9 % and 10.6 ± 3.6%) of rooting, (14.9 ± 0.669 and 1.60 ± 0.179) roots per explants and (0.044 ± 0.002g and 0.014 ± 0.001g) of dry weight, respectively.
Effect of dopants [Gd3+, Sm3+, Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+] on the performance characteristics of ceria based electrolytes for application in solid oxide fuel cells
Authors: Reni M.L. , Nesaraj A. Samson
Published: October 2017

Doped CeO2 based materials are now-a-days proposed as alternate electrolyte materials for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) working at low temperature (~723 – 873 K). In this research work, nanoparticles of CeO2 doped with Gd3+, Sm3+, Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+were prepared by a simple homogeneous chemical precipitation method. The prepared materials (after heat treatment at 1023 K for 2 hours) were systematically characterized by XRD, EDAX analysis, FTIR , particle size analysis and SEM.  Lattice parameters were calculated from the XRD data. The XRD results indicate that all the doped ceria samples studied are single phase with a cubic fluorite structure. The average particle size of the doped ceria powder was about 48 – 115 nm and the particles have shown narrow particle size distribution patterns. AC impedance spectroscopy studies performed on the sintered specimens have shown better oxide ion conductivity values and hence these materials may be suitable for application as electrolyte materials in solid oxide fuel cells working at low temperature (~723 – 873 K). ________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Effect of soil extracts concentration on specific growth rate and lipid content of chlorella vulgaris in bolds basal medium
Authors: Idris Ani , Atta M. , Bukhari A.
Published: October 2017

Effective nutrient medium is the key factor that significantly influences the specific growth rate and the final concentration of microalgae. The main objective of this study was to optimize the microalgal growth in mass culture system under the effect of soil extract in modified Bolds Basal medium. Chlorella vulgaris was grown aseptically for 10 days at five different concentrations of soil extract (10, 20, 30, 40, 50ml/L) at 25°C cultivation temperature. After 10 days of cultivation, Chlorella vulgaris showed maximum cell concentration of 5x107/ml at 30ml/L of soil extract concentration which corresponds to the maximum specific growth rate 1.56μd-1 with the doubling rate of 2.25d-1   andlipid yield of 22.74 % of dry weight.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) gene expression in brain GD-10, hippocampal cell (mHT-22 Cell Line), human glioblastoma-astrocytoma (hLN-405), and rat glioma cell (rF98) using real time PCR.
Authors: Irnidayanti Yulia , Darmanto Win
Published: October 2017

The aim of this study is to compare ECM and CAMs gene expression in hippocampal cell, glioblastoma-astrocytoma and glioma cell using real time PCR at gestation day of 10 (GD-10) Result of real time PCR showed that expression level of extracelluler matrix of vimentin was higher than the expression of fibronectin, Neural cell Adhesion molecule (Ncam), neurofilament high (Nfh), neurofilament medium (NFm), neurofilament low (Nfl) and tenascin. The expression of vimentin in the brain also shows the highest when compare to the expression in the human glioblastoma-astrocytoma (hLN-405), rat glioma cell (rF98) and mouse hippocampal cell line (mHT-22). The number of vimentin gene copy was 538.554, whereas in the culture of hLN-405 was 2.246.309, in culture of rF98 was 974.368 and mHT-22 was 1.542.529. These findings suggested that vimentin most dominant expressed compare to the another gen. Expression of vimentin was gradually lower from astrocyte cell (hLN-405 or human glioblastoma-astrocytoma), then in hippocampus cell,  glioma cell and embryonic brain cell. ________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Photoluminescence characteristics of strontium titanate thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis
Authors: Mat S. Aisah , Deraman Karim , Hussin R. , W. Shamsuri W. Nurulhuda , Ismail Bakar , Maarof Saleha
Published: October 2017

Strontium titanate, SrTiO3 thin films were successfully prepared by spray pyrolysis. The strontium titanate, STO precursor solid thin film were fabricated from an aqueous solution of Sr(NO3)2/[(CH3)2CHO]4Ti/HNO3 = 19:1:20 (molar ratio) at room temperature on a substrate. The as-deposited STO thin film with those annealed at different temperature were prepared. Photoluminescence spectra of thin films were obtained using Photoluminescence Spectrophotometer and optical properties were carried out by using Shimadzu Uv-Vis Spectrophotometer. In conclusion, the band gap energy and the bandwidth of thin films have been analysed.  ________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Experimental and theoretical study on chiral recognition mechanism of ketoconazole enantiomers using heptakis (2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin
Authors: Wan Ibrahim Wan Aini , Arsad Siti Rosilah , Maarof Hasmerya , Sanagi Mohd Marsin
Published: October 2017

Capillary electrokinetic chromatography (EKC) has been established as a versatile and robust capillary electrophoresis (CE) method for the separation of enantiomers. One of the most attractive advantages of EKC for the separation of enantiomers is its ease of change of separation media in method development. The separation solution can easily be altered to find the optimum separation media and one can also use an expensive chiral selector because small amounts of it are required. This work aims to develop experimental and theoretical analysis of the chiral separation of ketoconazole using EKC and molecular modelling study, respectively. In the first part of the study, several cyclodextrins (CD) as the chiral selectors (CS) namely α-cyclodextrin, sulfated β-cyclodextrin, (2-hydroxylpropyl)-β-cyclodextrin, heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin, and heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin were screened. CDs were initially chosen as they are easily available and cheap. Heptakis (2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin (TMβCD) exhibited a higher enantioselectivity power compared with other tested CDs. The influence of TMβCD concentration, buffer pH, buffer concentration, separation temperature and applied voltage were investigated. The optimum conditions for chiral separation of ketoconazole was achieved using 10 mM phosphate buffer at pH 3.0 containing 20 mM TMβCD with an applied voltage of 30 kV at 35°C with 5 s injection time (hydrodynamic injection). The ketoconazole enantiomers were resolved in less than 10 min (Rs 1.79). In order to understand possible chiral recognition mechanisms of ketoconazole with TMβCD, host-guest binding procedures of TMβCD and ketoconazole were studied using the semi-empirical PM3 calculations.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
A new type of banana shape bifunctional monomer of ester chalcones
Authors: Ngaini Zainab , Mei Chee Chua , Lian Chin Lim
Published: October 2017

A synthesis of a new type of chalcone analogue banana-shaped liquid crystals compounds is described. The approach involved the reaction of hydroxyl chalcones with isophthaloyl dichloride to form benzene-1,3-dicarbonyl-bis-1-(4-alkoxyphenyl)-3-(4-hydroxylphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (7a-c and 8a-c) having two chalcone units via esterification reaction. The hydroxyl chalcones, which differ in the length of alkyl group, CnH2n+1, where n= 10, 12 and 14 were synthesised via Claisen Schmidt condensation prior to the reaction with isophthaloyl dichloride. The reaction was a catalyst dependence. No sign of product was formed by employing NaH (60%). It was only occurred in the presence of NaH (95%) to afford banana shape bi-functional monomer of ester chalcone 7a-c and 8a-c. The synthesized compound was characterized by 1H and 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR).________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Lignin extraction from oil palm Ttrunk by microwave-alkali technique
Authors: Wee Lai Long , Idris Ani , Mohd Yusof Noordin
Published: October 2017

The Klason’s lignin content in oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis) particularly, oil palm trunk (OPT) was intensively investigated in this study. The Microwave-Alkali (Mw-A) pretreatment experiment was designed using Design Expert 7.0 software. The design of experiment (DOE) for this research was established and conducted based on the two-level factorial design with total of eleven runs which included three centre points. All the experimental runs were randomly performed. The independent variables or factors studied were as microwave power, temperature and heating duration and these were coded by high level (+1) and low level (-1) and their corresponding natural variable range were 500-900 watt, 80-100°C and 40-80 min, respectively. The dependent variable or response investigated was the amount of lignin, YL. Prior to Mw-A treatment, the OPT biomass with less than 1.0 mm (mesh size < No.18) were first presoaked in 2.5 mol.L-1 sodium hydroxide solution in the ratio of 1:10 (solid: liquid). The amount of lignin present in the washed and dried filtrate samples was subsequently determined. In this case, the total content of lignin determined for untreated and microwave-alkali treated were 17.87 and 13.87 (g/100g biomass), respectively. The analysis of variance performed indicated that temperature (A) and temperature*time (AB) interaction were statistically significant. For the complete model, the F-value for the model is 20.35 whilst the oefficient of determination, R2 = 0.9862 and adjusted coefficient of determination, RAdj 2 = 0.9377. A reduced model, involving only the significant terms and term supporting the hierarchy, was subsequently developed. This simply show that the lignin content of OPT under Mw-A pretreatment can be modelled and as much as 22.38% reduction of lignin was attained when the microwave experiment was set at 900 watt, 100°C and 80 min, respectively.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Pitfalls of ascertainment biases in genome annotations—computing comparable protein domain distributions in eukarya
Authors: A. Parikesit Arli , Steiner Lydia , F. Stadler Peter , J. Prohaska Sonja
Published: October 2017

Most investigations into the large-scale patterns of protein evolution are based on gene annotations that have been compiled in reference databases. The use of these resources for quantitative comparisons, however, is complicated by sometimes vast differences in coverage. More importantly, however, we also observe substantial ascertainment biases that cannot be removed by simple normalization procedures. A striking example is provided by the correlations between protein domains. We observe that statistics derived from different computational gene annotation procedure show dramatic discrepancies, and even qualitative changes from negative to positive correlation, when compared to statistics obtained from annotation databases.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Estimation of 2- and 3-parameter BURR type XII distribution using EM algorithm
Authors: Ismail Nor Hidayah , Mohd Khalid Zarina
Published: October 2017

The Burr Type XII distribution is one of the systems of continuous distributions and is widely known because the distribution includes the characteristics of various well known distributions such as Weibull and gamma distributions. Maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) has been a common method in estimating model parameters. In this paper, we present an alternative method that is expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm to estimate the two- and three- parameter Burr Type XII distributions in the presence of complete and censored data. Furthermore, simulation study is conducted to compare the efficiency and accuracy of MLE and EM algorithm. We discover that EM estimation is more efficient and accurate than those estimates obtained via MLE approach.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Detection of calcium in rice using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)
Authors: Abdul Wahid Rahmat , Yahaya Asiah , Munajat Yusof
Published: October 2017

LIBS is a very reliable technique for both qualitative and quantitative purposes. Detection of minerals composition is important to help consumer choose the right variety of rice. In this paper, an ungated Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) system was used to detect calcium in rice. An experimental setup was designed using Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm (60 mJ per pulse) and a spectrometer connected to a fiber optic in order to collect the atomic emission which is displayed on a computer. Twelve samples of rice were purchased from local market which offered differences with regard to their rice varieties, grain size and polishing rate. The calcium concentration of each sample was initially evaluated by using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) after acid digestion. Pellets of approximately 5 mm thick and 40 mm diameter were prepared by transferring 10 g of ground rice sample to a 40 mm die set and applying 40 MPa. For the LIBS analysis, Nd:YAG laser was used to ablate the surface of each pellets. Fifty spectra from different spots of the pellets were collected by the spectrometer from each sample. The spectra were then averaged and analyzed using OriginPro 8.5 for baseline removal and peak findings. Two calcium (Calcium II) lines with high intensity were observed at the wavelength of 393.37 nm and 396.85 nm. The study shows that LIBS can be an excellent tool for detecting calcium in rice.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
The influence of NaCl and Na2SO4 as supporting electrolyte on analysis of lead (II) in seawater by stripping voltammetry using hanging mercury drop electrode
Authors: Khasanah Miratul , Darmokusumo Handoko , Rochmawati .
Published: October 2017

The influence of NaCl and Na2SO4 as supporting electrolyte on lead (II) analysis in seawater by stripping voltammetry was studied. The instrumental parameters obtained in this recent study were deposition potential -1000 mV, deposition time 150 s, and stirring rate 2000 rpm. The concentration of supporting electrolyte used was 300 µg/L NaCl and 1800 µg/L Na2SO4. The detection limit and sensitivity of the method using NaCl as supporting electrolyte were 0.1483 µg/L and 29.207 nA L/µg, respectively. The precision in the range of 1-5 µg/L of lead (II) was 1.01-6.37%. Lead (II) analysis voltammetrically using Na2SO4 as supporting electrolyte resulted in the analytical performance as follow: detection limit of 0.5498 µg/L, sensitivity of 8.037 nA L/µg, precision of 0.34-5.9 %. Analysis of lead (II) by stripping voltammetry using NaCl and Na2SO4 as supporting electrolyte resulted in recovery of 99.90 % (n=3) and 104.2 % (n=3), respectively. The presence of both NaCl and Na2SO4 slightly amplified the lead (II) current signal. ________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Application of composite membrane from chitosan-cellulose diacetate-TiO2 for waste detergent treatment
Authors: Wafiroh Siti , Setyawati Harsasi , Lestari Puji
Published: October 2017

The synthesis of composite membrane from chitosan, cellulose diacetate and TiO2 as well as its application for waste detergent treatment were described here. Chitosan was synthesized from small crab shell using a chemical process involving deproteination, demineralization, depigmentation and deacetylation steps. Cellulose diacetate was synthesized from banana kepok using pulping, bleaching and acetylating steps. The production of composite membrane using inversion phase method by varying the concentration of cellulose diacetate 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%. The optimum mechanical properties of composite membranes were carried out with concentration variation of TiO2 0.1%  0.15%, 0.20%, 0.25% and 0.30%. The produced composite membranes of chitosan - cellulose diacetate - TiO2 were characterized by its thickness, performance, mechanical, morphology and were applied to waste detergent treatment. The results showed that the increasing of the concentration of cellulose diacetate made the composite membrane were more porous so the flux increases and the greater concentration of TiO2, the greater mechanical properties of the  composite membranes. The optimum composite membrane was obtained with the concentration of chitosan 3%, cellulose diacetate  4% and TiO2 0.3%, thickness of 0.01 mm, flux of 1099.95 L/m2.day, rejection of 97.70%, stress at 0.0225 kN/mm2, strain at 0.3906, Modulus Young of 0.0576 kN/mm2 and can be applied to waste detergent treatment process with flux 832.93 L/m2.day and rejection of 95.39%.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Classification of perfume products using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and pattern recognition
Authors: Tengku Ab Ghani Tengku Fazarina , Maarof Hasmerya , Hassan Mohamed Noor
Published: October 2017

Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give human body, objects, and living spaces a pleasant odour. Perfume compositions are mixture of natural and synthetic sources which consist of 100 or more components. The difference in composition of perfume is the  main characteristics which can classify the perfume into several groups such as animal and plant sources. Therefore, correct identification of each perfume product composition is crucial in order to do the classification. The perfume products have been analyzed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry and chemometric technique. There are 34 samples of perfume products used in this article which is taken from different brand available around Skudai. Chemometric technique was applied in this research to simplify data obtained by allowing them to form classes to their respective groups. Two unsupervised pattern recognition technique namely principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were used. The perfume product samples investigated in this research can be classified into two main groups namely animal and plant sources. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were successfully used in classifying the perfume product according to their respective groups based on the compositional information from the chromatogram of each samples.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Antibacterial activity of CTAB-modified zeolite NaY with different CTAB loading
Authors: Mad Salim Mashitah , Nik Malek Nik Ahmad Nizam , Ramli Nur Isti’anah , Mohd Hanim Siti Aishah , Hamdan Salehhuddin
Published: October 2017

The antibacterial activity of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) –Modified Zeolite NaY against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was examined in agar disk diffusion (Kirby-Bauer) method. The diameter of the inhibition zones for E. coli and S. aureus, increased from 1.5 to 1.7 cm and 1.9 to 2.0 cm, respectively, with the increasing concentrations of CTAB adsorbed on Zeolite NaY from percent coverage of the External Cation Exchange Capacity of Zeolite NaY: 0.5 to 5.0. CTAB-Modified Zeolite NaY showed effective antimicrobial activity against S. aureus compared to E. coli.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Determination of anionic profiling of improvised explosive devices from different types of low explosive material
Authors: Mohamed Huri Mohamad Afiq , Ahmad Umi Kalthom , Omar Mustafa
Published: October 2017

Improvised explosive devices  or also known as homemade explosive devices are frequently abused for public terrorism. This types of explosive devices are well fabricated and  made in improvised manner by incorporating military or commercially sourced explosive. It is often used for terrorism as the material of the devices are readily available at low cost and can be obtain legally without any suspicion from the sellers. Chemical composition of explosives holds a lot of useful information in establishing a link between a perpetrator and a bombing case. Analysis of post-blast explosive and pre-blast explosive is equally important since the chemical reaction during explosion will change the product of the composition. Different types of explosive material are also expected to give different composition profiling.  In this study, four types of pyrotechnics explosives packed in pipe bombs were utilized via sampling exercise. Cotton swabbing technique was employed as method extraction as it is easy to perform, rapid, less solvent use and lab time are reduced.The determination of anionic inorganic constituents of improvised explosives were  performed using ion chromatography. Post blast residues were analyzed to compare the changes of inorganic ions to its origin from pre blast samples. Inorganic ions were separated using Metrosep A SUPP 5 column and an eluent consisting of 1.0 mmol/L of NaHCO3 with 3.2 mmol/L Na2CO3. Anions of interest including  NO2-, NO32-, PO42-, SO42-, SCN-,  and ClO4-  have been successfully separated within 60 minutes. Types and amount of anion detected are different from different materials of explosive devices.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Bench-scale study of acid mine drainage treatment using local neutralisation agents
Authors: Mustaffa Kamal Norinsafrina , Sulaiman Shamsul Kamal
Published: October 2017

Bench-scale experiments were conducted to evaluate the treatment performance of alternative alkaline media; serpentinite and concrete waste compared to conventional treatment with common  neutralisation agents namely hydrated lime and limestone in terms of reducing acidity and metals concentrations in acid mine drainage (AMD) samples taken from effluent of an abandoned copper mine located in Mamut, Sabah. Parameters tested in these experiments include particle size and mass of the materials. The tests were performed using a jar tester with the particle size varies at 45 µm, 75 µm and 150 µm and the mass was put to 1-10 grams with incremental dosing of 0.5 grams for every 20 minutes. Results of the study showed that hydrated lime, limestone and concrete waste with different sizes and mass were capable in achieving pH targets required for neutralisation of the AMD. Overall, metal concentrations of Fe, Al and Cu followed a certain reduction trends whilst Mn has shown a poor reduction.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Enhancement of stripping technique for Copper(II) detection in water sample using N,N’-bis(2-hydroxy-4-methoxyacetophenone)ethylenediamine (BME)
Authors: Azhari Syaza , Ahamad Rahmalan , Ahmad Farediah
Published: October 2017

A highly sensitive, rapid, simple and selective stripping assay for the determination of trace copper(II) is proposed.  The selectivity and sensitivity of the electroanalytical process on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode were enhanced using the newly synthesized Schiff base N,N’-bis(2-hydroxy-4-methoxyacetophenone)ethylenediamine (BME). The methodology is based on the accumulation of copper(II)–BME complex onto the GC electrode, followed by electrochemical oxidation of the adsorbed species. The effect of experimental parameters such as pH, BME concentration, scan rate, accumulation time and accumulation potential on the sensitivity of copper(II) detection were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, BME has successfully enhanced the copper(II) detection using the GC electrode by nearly 95% with detection limit (LOD) of  2.6 ngL−1. The effects of interfering ions such as Cd(II), Zn(II), Fe(II), Cr(III) and Pb(II) were also investigated. The applicability of this technique was illustrated by the determination of copper(II) ion in tap water.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
The existence and uniqueness theorems of fuzzy delay differential equations
Authors: Zulkefli Nor Atirah Izzah , Maan Normah
Published: October 2017

Delay differential equations (DDEs) arise many different phenomena including in physics, biology and chemistry. In many cases of the modeling of real world problems, information about the behaviour of a dynamical system is uncertain. In order to obtain a more realistic model, we have to take into account these uncertainties. Therefore, in this paper, we propose the existence and uniqueness theorems for fuzzy time-delay dynamical systems. We finally present some conclusions and new directions for further research in this area.
Facile synthesis of a zinc oxide nanoparticle by electrochemical method
Authors: Abdul Jalil Aishah , Triwahyono Sugeng , Hairom Nur Hanis Hayati , Mohamed Razali Nurul Aini
Published: October 2017

An electrogenerated zinc oxide (EGZnO/Naph) nanoparticle was successfully synthesized by electrolysis of a N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution containing naphthalene and a supporting electrolyte in a one-compartment cell fitted with a platinum cathode and a zinc anode. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies showed that the EGZnO/Naph consists of pure single crystalline wurtzite of hexagonal structure with average diameters of 10-15 nm. The BET surface area of the EGZnO/Naph was 65 m2/g, which is 15 times larger than that of commercial ZnO powder. The zinc oxide was also confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results which showed vibrational bands at 500 and 434 cm−1. Furthermore, the absorption peak of the EGZnO/Naph obtained at 366 nm (3.35 eV), is very close to the band gap of the ZnO 1s–1s electron transition (3.37 eV). Based on these results, this study reports a new pathway to synthesize nanosize of ZnO particle using a simple electrochemical process.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Petrographic study and its implication to the uniaxial strength of weathered volcanic rocks from tawau, sabah
Authors: W. Soehady Erfen Hennie Fitria , Musta Baba
Published: October 2017

This paper discussed the petrographic study and its effect to the uniaxial strength of weathered volcanic rocks from Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia. The volcanic rock consists of associated dacite, andesite and basalt rocks with the age of Pliocene to Quaternary. In this study the Murphy (1985) classification were used determine the weathering grade of volcanic rocks. The uniaxial strength value were used the Point Load Test and Uniaxial Compressive Strength test. The microstructures and identification of altered minerals were analysed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and polarized microscope, respectively. The result of analysis indicated that the uniaxial strength of volcanic rocks decreased with the degree of weathering grades where the uniaxial strength decreased from 122.2 to 15.8 MPa for dacite, 143.4 to 10.1 MPa for basalt and 181.2 to 26.8 MPa for andesite. This result is due to the different percentages of quartz and feldspar minerals in the rock samples as well as formation of secondary minerals in weathered rocks.  Microstructures study showed the appearance of micro fractures with narrow apertures in the minerals also influenced the uniaxial strength of the rocks.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT