bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surface Modification of CTA-FO Membrane by CO2 Plasma Treatment
Authors: Khongnakorn Watsa , Bootluck Weerapong , Youravong Wirote
Published: January 2015

The aim of this research was to examine the influence of CO2 plasma activation on CTA membrane in order to improve its the hydrophilicity. This research also investigated the enhancement of CTA membrane whether it could increase the anti-fouling in FO process. The plasma power was used varied in the range of 10-50 W and the exposure time was employed at 5-25 min, respectively. The contact angle and hydrophillicity of samples were reduced after CO2 plasma treatment. The reduction of the contact angle was presented from 64.04º to 9.38º. The optimum condition of plasma power was 20 W with the exposure time at 10 min. The result suggested that the CO2 plasma etched and changed the functional group of CTA membrane to carboxylic group and their derivative as indicated by FTIR-ATR. The results showed the decreased water flux after the treatment by CO2 plasma and the high salt leakage. Filtration experiments of BSA solution and demonstrated the low water flux fouling due to the surface roughness of modify CTA membrane. The hydrophilic membrane treatment plasma surface could reduce interactions and decreases protein absorption.
Effect of Regenerated Cellulose of Ultrafiltration Membranes on POME Treatment
Authors: Azmi Nazatul Shima , Md. Yunos Khairul Faezah
Published: January 2015

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) in palm oil industry has become a big issue of environmental pollution to be solved urgently and critically. This wastewater consists of water, oil, and natural sediments. Hence, in this study, the work was carried out to investigate ultrafiltration process feasibility for treating palm oil mill effluent. Palm kernel shell bioactivated carbon (PKS-AC) adsorbent was used in adsorption treatment (pre-treatment) was used to reduced solid particles in POME. For adsorption treatment, POME was stirred with 0.20 g/L of PKS-AC at 39.94 minute and sediment for one hour. Membrane separation was subsequently applied to further treat the pre-treated POME. In this study, the permeate flux was found to be dependent to pressure applied, solution pH and stirring speed. An optium conditions was achieved at pressure 2 bar, with solution pH 8 using stirring speed 600 rpm. Considerable amount of POME pollutant is also reduced by used membrane for TS, DS, SS, BOD5, COD and turbidity were 625.32 mg/L, 445.32 mg/L, 180 mg/L, 1296 mg/L, 541.76 mg/L, and 16.20 NTU respectively. Thus, this result show that the pollutant in POME was reduced significantly using this technique.
Recent Progress in Membrane Distillation
Authors: Chong K. C. , Lai S. O.
Published: January 2015

Membrane distillation (MD) is an emerging membrane separation technique which provides a competition for the conventional separation process such as reverse osmosis (RO) and thermal distillation. The MD process was first developed in the 1960s, but only recently garnered the interest from academics and industry due to the advancement of membrane fabrication technique. The MD is a thermal-driven process which has an ability to be integrated with renewable energy and/or waste heat. The driving force of the MD process is vapor pressure difference where the feed vapor is transported through the non-wetted hydrophobic porous membrane to the permeate regime where permeate will be collected via condensation. As such, the MD possesses a theoretical rejection rate of nearly 100%. This review addressed the recent progress of the MD process in terms of membrane fabrication, integration with renewable energy and/or other membrane separation process as well as applications of MD in various industries. This paper may serve as an update of the recent progress of MD which in some way, is able to help the researchers explore the new investigation field in MD for it to be commercially more viable.
A Review on Ultrasonic Process Tomography System
Authors: Ibrahim Sallehuddin , Md Yunus Mohd Amri , Md Khairi Mohd Taufiq , Faramarzi Mahdi
Published: January 2015

The advantage of using a tomography system is that it provides visualization of component distributions inside a pipe or a process vessel. Tomography is widely used in the medical field. Due to its non-intrusive nature, tomography has caught the interest of various researchers in process applications. There is an extensive research using ultrasonic tomography for various applications. This paper is a review which expounds the principles of ultrasonic tomography systems, the hardware, and the software used in such systems.
Image Reconstruction Methods for Ultrasonic Transmission Mode Tomography in Bubbly Flow Regime
Authors: Faramarzi Mahdi , Ibrahim Sallehuddin , Md Yunus Mohd Amri , Pusppanathan Jaysuman
Published: January 2015

Image reconstruction from projections plays an important role in monitoring flow regimes by ultrasonic transmission mode tomography (UTMT) system. Fast and more accurate methods are necessary in case of on-line process e.g. bubbly flow regimes. In this work, analytical image reconstruction methods such as linear back projection (LBP), filter back projection (FBP) and convolution back projection (CBP) in bubbly flow regime is investigated and found that CBP is superior to other methods. Furthermore, different filters were applied to CBP to investigate the image quality improvement. Among different types of filters for CBP method, Ram-lack outperforms the others for UTMT. The peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) of reconstructed images in this particular experiment was improved using Ram-lack in noiseless data.
A Review of Application of Computed Tomography on Early Detection of Basal Stem Rot Disease
Authors: Hamidon Nur Aqilah , Mukhlisin Muhammad
Published: January 2015

To the best of our knowledge in agriculture, basal stem rot disease causes a major loss in palm oil industry as it affects the production of the edible oil as well as for biofuel industry. The disease attacks the root of the tree which is cause by fungal of Ganoderma Boninense. Meanwhile, there is no sensor commercially available to detect any disease or stress in the tree without the risk of damage from physical intrusion. Hence, early detection technique on the infected tree is crucial to avoid more damage to the tree. Development of tomography application on detecting the disease in plant plays important role to enhance the quality in research and development on managing a better and healthier plantation management. In recent years, several tomography systems such as X-Ray microtomography and GammaScorpion are used to analyse wood microstructure and for early detection of basal stem rot respectively. Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography or ECVT is a promising non-invasive imaging technique that provides 3D and real time imaging of object. In this paper, we compared the images between the healthy and unhealthy palm oil trunk using these three tomography imaging techniques which is X-Ray, Gamma Ray and ECVT in terms of clarity, time taken and portability of the devices. The result indicates the potential of ECVT as the most suitable device to be used to detect the disease due to its fastest time taken, safety and easy to be used.
Front-End Circuit in Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) for Two-Phase Liquid and Gas Imaging
Authors: Mohd Yunus F. R. , Abdul Rahim R. , Ridzuan Aw Suzanna , Nor Ayob N. M. , Jayasuman M. P. , Jumaah M. F.
Published: January 2015

A steady and precise Voltage Control Current Source (VCCS ) with broad bandwidth plays a very important role in the quality of final images for the Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) system. Therefore, a model of current source is proposed in the paper which implement advanced Howland current pump as VCCS. The model are simulated through a software named multisim, and the simulation results show the proposed high-speed operational amplifier (op-amp) LM7171 is capable to produce constant output current at 10 mA (peak) when the frequency changes between 1 kHz to 500 kHz with load varies from 10 Ω to 1 kΩ. A two-dimensional (2D) simulation was performed using COMSOL and the results showed that the model is capable to detect air bubble (radius=10 mm) in a two-phase liquid and gas. The result presented with opposite excitation method with 150 kHz current at 10 mA. The measurement of boundary potentials are significantly influenced by bubble positions particularly towards the boundary. They are hoped to provide useful approaches for the design of practical and low-cost VCCS in ERT system.
Bluetooth-Based Home Automation System Using an Android Phone
Authors: Badrul Hisham Amirah ‘Aisha , Ishak Mohamad Hafis Izran
Published: January 2015

Implementation of home automation using the latest technology gives us more convenience, security and safety. Smartphone affordability increases every year and smartphones have begun to play important roles in our daily lives due to their size and portability. Google’s Android operating system (OS) is one of the leading and most preferred smartphones. Controlling home appliances by using an Android phone gives users the ability to control their home appliances anywhere and at any time while at home and saves time spent in searching for the remote control unit of home automation systems since the user’s phone is usually kept close at hand. This project presents the design and implementation of a low cost prototype of a Bluetooth-based home automation system using an Android phone. The design uses an Arduino Mega 2560-R3 board and the home appliances are physically connected to input/output ports of this board via relays. Cytron BlueBee is used to establish wireless communication between them. BluetoothHome, an Android application, is developed to provide a user friendly graphical user interface (GUI) for the remote control of home appliances.
Energy Optimization of Brushed DC Motor in Electric Power-Assisted Steering
Authors: A. Danapalasingam Kumeresan
Published: January 2015

Electric power-assisted steering (EPS) is a control system where an electric motor is used to provide assistance in vehicle steering. In this work controllers are designed for a column-type EPS equipped with a brushed DC motor to enable energy optimization. Using a mathematical model of EPS a controller is developed based on nonlinear adaptive regulation method to generate driver torque. PID control is then applied to produce assistance torque in accordance to desired energy saving. Simulation results using Matlab show the trade-off between driver’s comfort and energy consumption. The control paradigm introduced here fits appropriately in electric vehicles (EVs) where electrical energy is scarce.
Electrodes Microfluidics System for Microbio Object Analysis
Authors: Rahman Md. Habibur , Ahmad Mohd Ridzuan
Published: January 2015

We have designed and fabricated an electrode microfluidics system for microbio object analysis. Two parallel-plate electrodes were fabricated using the soft lithography technique integrated with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidics channel. Gold (Au) material was decomposed to fabricate the electrodes. The voltage response through the charging and discharging of the electrodes was observed using an oscilloscope. For a constant dc voltage of 5 V we obtained a time constant for the electrodes of 3.6 ms. On the other hand, it requires 850 ms to discharge completely without an external load. The capacitance of the electrodes in air (room environment) is 0.39 pF. Due to the higher dielectric constant of distilled water (80.1), in the water medium the electrode capacitance is 0.77 pF. We also measured the capacitance of the electrodes by changing the medium to microbio objects such as yeast cells (5 pF) and live bacteria cells (30 pF). The results showed that bacteria have a higher electrical capacitance than yeast.
A Review of Ultrasonic Application on Non-destructive Testing Method for Concrete Structure
Authors: Ahmad Nasarudin , Abdul Rahim Ruzairi , Abdul Rahim Herlina , Rahiman Mohd Hafiz Fazlul
Published: January 2015

Although the technique of using ultrasound has reached maturity by given the extent of the development of sensors, but the use of the various areas still can be explore. Many types of ultrasonic sensors are still at conventional in use especially for measurement equipment in the industry. With the advancement of signal processing techniques, high-speed computing, and the latest techniques in image formation based Non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, the usage of ultrasound in concrete NDT testing is very extensive because the technique is very simple and should not damage the concrete structure to be investigated. Many of the parameters need to be tested using ultrasound techniques to concrete can be realized. Starting with the initial process for of concrete mixing until the concrete matured to the age of century old. Various tests are available to test a variety of non-destructive of concrete completely, in which there is no damage to the concrete, through those where the concrete surface is damaged a bit, to partially destructive testing, such as core tests and insertion and pull-off test, which surface to be repaired after the test. Testing parameter features that can be evaluated using non-destructive testing and destructive testing of some rather large and include basic parameters such as density, elastic modulus and strength and surface hardness and surface absorption, and reinforcement location, size and distance from the surface. In some cases it is also possible to check the quality of the workmanship and structural integrity of the ability to detect voids, cracks and delamination. A review of NDT using ultrasound on concrete are presented in this paper to highlight the important aspect to consider when one to consider the application and development of ultrasound testing on concrete by considering ultrasound signal capturing, processing and presenting.
Measurement of the Content of Water Using Light Penetration
Authors: Jumaah Mohd Fahajumi , Zawahir Mohd Zikrillah , Mohd Yunus Fazlul Rahman , Abdul Rahim Ruzairi , Nor Ayob Nor Muzakkir , Mansor Muhammad Saiful Badri , Fadzil Naizatul Shima , Zakaria Zulkarnay , Rahiman Mohd Hafiz Fazalul , Abdul Manaf Mohd Ramzam
Published: January 2015

In this paper we use an electronic component to produce light which is applied in testing soft tissue penetration. We used bio tissue, a slice of apple, and non-bio tissue, paper. The voltage could be adjusted to brighten the light to view the penetration of the subject. The thickness of the tissue was constant and the results showed that the current and voltage were significant as the light penetrated the soft tissue.
En Route to a Sustainable Campus–An Analysis of University Students’ Travel Patterns Via 7 day Travel Diary
Authors: Abdul Sukor Nur Sabahiah , Hassan Sitti Asmah
Published: January 2015

The objective of this study is to analyse the travel pattern of students in the Engineering Campus of Universiti Sains Malaysia, by using a 7-day travel diary survey. After screening the data obtained, 98 of the 100 responses received were processed and analysed. The results show that there were major differences in travel patterns between weekdays and weekends in terms of activities, trip generation, modal split, travel distance, travel time and cost. These differences were found to be contributed by the factors such as gender and motorized vehicle ownership. In conclusion, the travel demand behaviour of the students was better understood through the study of travel patterns, as well as the intra and interpersonal variability of the students. This information is particularly important for the establishment of better infrastructures, transport planning strategies, and policies for the sustainability of the campus.
Effect of Vehicular Traffic Volume and Composition on Carbon Emission
Authors: Che Puan Othman , Mamadi Nabay Mustapha , Ibrahim Muttaka Na’iya
Published: January 2015

Road intersection is one of the causes of air pollution or toxic gases emission because at such location vehicular traffic are either required to slow down or completely stop for them to secure a safe and acceptable gap to perform a particular type of manoeuvre. The level of gaseous emissions usually increases with corresponding increase in traffic. The level of the environmental pollution depends on the type of intersection. This study evaluated the amount of carbon monoxide (CO) emissions from vehicular traffic for both morning and afternoon peak periods at roundabout and priority intersections. Carbon monoxide emissions at the intersections were first measured using GrayWolf Sensing Solution (GWSS) upon which the results obtained were used in calibrating SIDRA software for estimation of CO emission. SIDRA emission estimates were derived from traffic flow parameters; traffic volume, compositions, speeds and turning movements, as well as road geometry. Calibration factors were then derived in order to make SIDRA a reliable means for measurement of vehicle emission. Further, CO emissions traffic models were developed for the two types of intersections evaluated in this work for both morning and afternoon peak periods for two different observations periods (5 minutes and 1 hour traffic volumes) using multiple regression analysis. The models developed described how vehicular traffic volume and compositions affect CO emissions at road intersections. Further analysis revealed that roundabout is a better form of intersection as it reduces the amount of CO emission when compared to simple priority intersection.
Road Safety Problems in Bangladesh: Achievable Target and Tangible Sustainable Actions
Authors: Mahmud S. M. Sohel , Ahmed Ishtiaque , Hoque Md. Shamsul
Published: January 2015

In spite of great progress in international traffic safety works, traffic accidents still cause a large and increasing number of fatalities and severe injuries particularly in developing countries like Bangladesh. Sustained declining trends of road fatalities in the developed countries have been attributed to concerted efforts in many sectors including effective coordination, community involvement, well researched road safety initiatives, road safety good practices and improved targeting of resources. The statistics revealed that Bangladesh has one of the highest fatality rates in road accidents with over 50 fatalities per 10,000 on-road motor vehicles. In this paper, it is trying to show in detail the magnitude and impact of road traffic injuries using evidence at global and national levels with particular importance of regional variance. This evidence shows how serious the problem of road traffic injuries is at present and indicates that it will become worse if no appropriate action is taken now. This paper also briefly discusses the factors that play a part in accident generation process in interaction with road environment, road-user and vehicle and outlines some target oriented priority actions to prevent this recurrent loses.
A Review of Selected Traffic Engineering Parameters in Police Crash Report Forms of Selected Countries
Authors: Ahmed Ishtiaque , Mahmood S. M. Sohel , Hainin Mohd Rosli , Ramli Izzul
Published: January 2015

A preliminary crash report prepared by the police contains factual information known immediately after the crash and it is generally followed by a narrative investigation report. Different agencies use different formats for the preliminary Police Crash Reports. This paper compares the contents of the preliminary Police Crash Report forms of selected ten (10) agencies in terms of three (03) parameters. The studied crash report forms were from California, Florida, Oregon, Texas and Louisiana of USA, British Columbia of Canada, Kent of England, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. The Highway Safety Manual (2010) of AASHTO classifies the preliminary crash data into three (03) basic categories: information about the crash, the vehicles in the crash and the people in the crash. The Police Traffic Crash Report Form from Oregon, USA is attached to the Highway Safety Manual of AASHTO as a sample. The comparison among different forms revealed that information contents vary significantly. The study revealed that agencies need to readdress the contents and coverage of the necessary information in the forms. When localized condition is an important consideration, to maintain basic uniformity is unavoidable. The study recommended development of a model preliminary crash report format internationally that is to be adopted and used universally.
Impact of Rainfall Condition on Traffic Flow and Speed: A Case Study in Johor and Terengganu
Authors: Mashros Nordiana , Edigbe Johnnie Ben- , Hassan Sitti Asmah , Abdul Hassan Norhidayah , Mohd Yunus Nor Zurairahetty
Published: January 2015

This paper explores the impact of various rainfall conditions on traffic flow and speed at selected location in Terengganu and Johor using data collected on two-lane highway. The study aims to quantify the effect of rainfall on average volume, capacity, mean speed, free-flow speed and speed at capacity. This study is important to come out with recommendation for managing traffic under rainfall condition. Traffic data were generated using automatic traffic counters for about three months during the monsoon season. Rainfall data were obtained from nearest surface rain gauge station. Detailed vehicular information logged by the counters were retrieved and processed into dry and various rainfall conditions. Only daylight traffic data have been used in this paper. The effect of rain on traffic flow and speed for each condition were then analysed separately and compared. The results indicated that average volumes shows no pronounce effect under rainfall condition compared to those under dry condition. Other parameters, however, show a decrease under rainfall condition. Capacity dropped by 2-32%, mean speed, free-flow speed and speed at capacity reduced by 3-14%, 1-14% and 3-17%, respectively. The paper recommends that findings from the study can be incorporated with variable message sign, local radio and television, and variable speed limit sign which should help traffic management to provide safer and more proactive driving experiences to the road user. The paper concluded that rainfall irrespective of their intensities have impact on traffic flow and speed except average volume.
An Investigation Into Qualitative Differences Between Bus Users and Operators for Intercity Travel in Malaysia
Authors: Minhans Anil , Shahid Shamsuddin , Ahmed Ishtiaque
Published: January 2015

Public transport usage in Malaysia is showing a downward trend. Despite major improvements implemented as well as intended for public transport, the bus user satisfaction is constantly on a decline. This study investigated qualitative differences between bus users and operators based on 11 pre-selected quality attributes for an intercity travel in Malaysia with a predominant public transport mode– the Bus. The perceptions were measured via responses on a likert scale to establish differences. Perceptual, socio-economic and trip data were collected using questionnaire from bus users and operators on a pre-selected route-Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur (JB-KL). Analyses used statistical tools particularly correlation analyses, step-wise multiple regression analyses, Mann Whitney test methods and Wilcoxon test. Quadrant analyses established relationship between relative importance and satisfaction from quality attributes. Results indicate significant correlation differences in both groups on attributes viz. ‘bus fares’ ‘travel comfort’, ‘travel convenience’, ‘ticket availability’ and the ‘facilities at the bus terminal’. Study revealed significant gaps in the understanding about the composition of bus service-quality by operators. Alternate hypothesis were rejected as bus users and operators reveal significant perception differences on quality attributes–‘bus fares’, ‘travel comfort’ and ‘bus staff behaviour’. The satisfaction levels of four extremely important quality attributes viz. ‘bus fares’, ‘travel comfort’, ‘bus staff behaviour’ and ‘bus user security’ were found low to average. Similarly major deterrents of the bus patronage were appraised. In this endeavour, the research exploited knowledge of perceptions to suggest quality attributes that are necessary to improve public transport ridership and consequently the modal share of public transport in Malaysia.
Trip Generation at Fast–Food Restaurants in Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Authors: Ahmed Ishtiaque , Abdulameer Ahmed , Che Puan Othman , Minhans Anil
Published: January 2015

Trip Generation rates are important for transportation engineers and planners in the Travel Demand Forecasting process as well as for Traffic Impact Studies. Trip generation by a given land use type depends on one or more factors based on the socio-economic characteristics. The Institute of Transport Engineers (ITE) publishes and updates trip generation rates for different land use types at an interval of 2-3 years.  In Malaysia, the Ministry of Public Works publishes trip generation information and the latest edition was published in 2010. Both of these documents recommend that the published trip rates be verified with local data, if possible. Different researches have been conducted in the developed countries but very rare in Malaysia. This study developed trip generation rates at fast-food restaurants in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Ten fast-food locations were studied in detail. Trip rates were related to the number of parking spaces and gross floor area. However, the trip rates did not depend on the Number of Seats in the restaurants. The trip rates found in this study were lower than the ITE Trip Generation and higher than the Malaysia Trip Generation Manuals.
Minor Road Traffic Delays at Priority Junctions on Low Speed Roads in Suburban Areas
Authors: Sahraei Mohammad Ali , Che Puan Othman , Yasin M. Al–Muz–zammil
Published: January 2015

Traffic delay is one of the important aspects considered in the assessment of the operational performance of intersections. In the analysis of priority or unsignalised junctions, delays to minor road vehicles are often estimated using the existing mathematical models. However, the applicability of such a model depends on the basis and the source of the data with which the model was calibrated. This study was carried out to evaluate traffic delays to minor road vehicles at priority junctions in suburban areas. The data were collected at two priority junctions using video recording technique. The results showed that the day time delays were longer than of those observed during the twilight time. In both situations, delay to minor road vehicles increases as the volume of major road traffic increases. However, the effect of conflicting volume on the delay to the minor road vehicles is not clear. The comparisons between observed delay and the values predicted using the HCM and Tanner’s models indicated that, in general, the observed delays are much lower than the values predicted by both models particularly during the day time. Such a finding suggests that both HCM and Tanner’s models are not directly applicable to the analysis of delays at priority junctions in Malaysia.
Comparison of Sand Patch Test and Multi Laser Profiler in Pavement Surface Measurement
Authors: Yaacob Haryati , Abdul Hassan Norhidayah , Hainin Mohd Rosli , Rosli Muhammad Fudhail
Published: January 2015

Pavement surface texture has been assessed with variety of test methods such as sand patch test and multi laser profiler. In recent years, road administrations face the issues of handling data acquired by totally different methods and the inconsistent correlation between different methods. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine and compare the texture depth value of road pavement measured by different methods namely sand patch test and multi laser profiler. This paper compares the results of two measurement methods for pavement surface macro texture which referred as mean texture depth (MTD). Tests were conducted along North–South Expressway, between km 110.5 and km 107.2 (Southbound). T-test analysis shows that there is statistically significance difference on the result obtained between these methods along emergency lane. However for slow lanes,it was found that there is no significance between sand patch test and laser based measurement. Regression analysis shows that the coefficient of correlation, R obtained from emergency lane is 0.3719 and slow lane is 0.4579. These results generally conclude that there were weak correlations between the result of these two measurement techniques.
Influence of Active Filler, Curing Time and Moisture content on the Strength Properties of Emulsion and Foamed Bitumen Stabilized Mix
Authors: Sufian Zulakmal , A. Aziz Nafisah , Matori Mohd Yazip , Hussain Mat Zain , Hainin Mohd Rosli , Oluwasola Ebenezer Akin
Published: January 2015

Foamed bitumen and emulsion are common stabilizing agents that are currently used for recycled asphalt pavement construction throughout the world. The strength of stabilized Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) is influenced by factors such as filler content, moisture level and curing time. This paper describes the strength impact of ordinary Portland cement as active filler, the length of the curing time and moisture content on the foamed bitumen and emulsion stabilized mix. The basic objective of the paper is to evaluate the effect of active filler (Ordinary Portland Cement), curing time and moisture content on the strength of foamed bitumen and emulsion treated mix. The foamed and emulsion treated samples with various contents of RAP and crushed stone aggregates were tested for their strength properties. The resultant strength increases in terms of resilient modulus, Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) and the Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS) values, were correlated with the length of curing time, using various percentages of active filler and proportions of RAP in the pavement mix. It was found that the strength decreased with increased RAP content, however if 100% RAP is to be used then the required pavement strength can be achieved by utilizing a higher active filler ratio. The effect of moisture content variation on foamed bitumen and emulsion treated samples with high percentage of RAP is not significant.
Effects of Palm Oil Fuel Ash Composition on the Properties and Morphology of Porcelain-palm Oil Fuel Ash Composite
Authors: Usman Hassan Jamo , Zaky Noh Mohamad , Arifin Ahmad Zainal
Published: January 2015

The increasing amount of disposed palm oil fuel ash (POFA) from palm oil industries has recently attracted significant attention for an alternative sustainable application. This paper presents the effects of the addition of a treated POFA on porcelain in terms of bending and compressive strength, as well as weight composition. POFA obtained from a palm oil mill was treated via sieving, grinding and heating at a temperature of 600°C for 90 minutes in order to the remove unburnt carbon and to improve the silica content of the POFA. Pellets made with various proportions of porcelain and POFA were fabricated and sintered at a temperature of 1200°C. The results reveal that the maximum bending strength and the compressive strength occurred at 8 wt% addition of POFA, Porcelain containing POFA has about 7% weight reduction compared with normal porcelain.
Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Colloidal Spheres by Sol-gel Method
Authors: Teh Sheen-Jeff , Sin Yew-Keong , Chan Kah-Yoong , Law Tai-Wenn
Published: January 2015

In this paper, zinc oxide (ZnO) colloidal spheres structures were prepared by sol-gel method which is simple, effective and less costly. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images illustrated the ZnO colloidal spheres structures with diameter size ranging between 200–700 nm. The particle size distribution of colloidal spheres was determined by the added amount of supernatant in dehydration process. 3 mL and 6 mL of added supernatant were resulted particle size distribution dominant in the range of 250–400 nm and 150–250 nm, respectively. Transmission spectra demonstrated the photonic band gap (PBG) of colloidal spheres prepared with different amounts of colloidal suspension coating sample were near ultraviolet and violet region. The thermal annealing process was introduced to narrow the PBG width of colloidal spheres based on Bragg’s law. Current-voltage measurement of ZnO colloidal spheres based thin film with particles size in the range of 150–250 nm showed that the resistivity of the thin film is 4.5 x 106 Ωcm.
Malware Behaviour Visualization
Authors: Mohd Shaid Syed Zainudeen , Maarof Mohd Aizaini
Published: January 2015

The number of unique malware variants released each year is on the rise. Researchers may often need to use manual static and dynamic analysis to study new malware samples. Manual analysis of malware samples takes time. The more time taken to analyse a malware sample, the larger the damage that a malware can inflict. A lot of techniques have been devised by researchers to facilitate malware analysis and one of them is through malware visualization. Malware visualization is a field that focuses on representing malware features in the form of visual cues or images. This could be used to convey more information about a particular malware. Existing malware visualization techniques lack focus in visualizing malware behaviour in such a way that could enable better analysis of malware samples. In this paper, a new technique for malware visualization called ‘Malware Behaviour Image’ is presented. From the test results, the proposed technique is able to accurately capture and highlight malicious behaviour of malware samples, and can be used for malware analysis, detection and identification of malware variants.
Data Analysis by Combining the Modified K-Means and Imperialist Competitive Algorithm
Authors: Babrdelbonb Mohammad , Mohd Hashim Siti Zaiton Mohd Hashim , Bazin Nor Erne Nazira
Published: January 2015

Data Clustering is one of the most used methods of data mining. The k-means Clustering Approach is one of the main algorithms in the literature of Pattern Recognition and Data Machine Learning which it very popular because of its simple application and high operational speed. But some obstacles such as the adherence of results to initial cluster centers or the risk of getting trapped  into local optimality hinders its performance. In this paper, inspired by the Imperialist Competitive Algorithm based on the k-means method, a new approach is developed, in which cluster centers are selected and computed appropriately. The Imperialist Competitive Algorithm (ICA) is a method in the field of evolutionary computations, trying to find the optimum solution for diverse optimization problems. The underlying traits of this algorithm are taken from the evolutionary process of social, economic and political development of countries so that by partly mathematical modeling of this process some operators are obtained in regular algorithmic forms. The investigated results of the suggested   approach over using standard data sets and comparing it with alternative methods in the literature reveals out that the proposed algorithm outperforms the k-means algorithm and other candidate algorithms in the pool.
Total Phenolic Content, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties of Scurrula ferruginea Extracts
Authors: Marvibaigi Mohsen , Amini Neda , Supriyanto Eko , Jamil Shajarahtunnur , Abdul Majid Fadzilah Adibah , Khangholi Shahpour
Published: January 2015

Discovery of new therapeutic agents from nature, especially plants is one of the promising approaches for treatment of various diseases. In traditional medicine Scurrula ferruginea is applied to treat some disorders. To the best of our knowledge, there are no investigations on antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activities of S.ferruginea in Malaysia. The present study was conducted to determine total phenolic content, Fe2+ chelating activity, antioxidative and antimicrobial potential of flowers, leaves and stems of S.ferruginea extracts. Antioxidant capacity, and total phenolic content of extracts were evaluated using DPPH free radical scavenging and Folin-Ciocalteu assays. Antibacterial properties were evaluated by disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration methods. Results indicated the highest total phenolic content for stem extract (309.069). All S. ferruginea extracts exhibited antioxidant activity in a dose dependent manner. Stem extract showed capacity to scavenge free radicals and it was also found to chelate Fe2+ better than others. All extracts presented moderate inhibition ability against selected bacteria. The most significant values of MIC and MBC were belonged to the stem extract. These findings suggest that acetone extracts of S. ferruginea, particularly stem extract, are potentially sources of antioxidant compounds.
The Hybrid Feature Selection k-means Method for Arabic Webpage Classification
Authors: Alghamdi Hanan , Selamat Ali
Published: January 2015

The high-dimensional data features found in the enormous amount of Arabic text available on the Internet is an important research problem in Web information retrieval. It reduces the accuracy of the clustering algorithms and maximizes the processing time. Selecting the relevant features is the best solution. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a feature selection model that incorporates three different feature selection methods (CHI-squared, mutual information, and term frequency-inverse document frequency) to build a hybrid feature selection model (Hybrid-FS) for k-means clustering. This model represents text data in a high structure (consisting of three types of objects, namely, the terms, documents and categories). We evaluate the model on a set of common Arabic online newspapers. We assess the effect of using the Hybrid-FS with standard k-means clustering. The experimental results show that the proposed method increases purity by 28% and lowers the runtime by 80% compared to the standard k-means algorithm. We conclude that the proposed hybrid feature selection model enhances the accuracy of the k-means algorithm and successfully produces coherent-compact clusters that are well-separated when applied to high-dimensional datasets.
Cloud Computing Adoption Factors for University Administration
Authors: Badie Nasrin , Che Hussin Ab Razak , M. Dahlan Halina
Published: January 2015

With the current financial crisis and challenging growing needs, many universities are facing problems in providing necessary information technology (IT) support for administrative, educational, and research activities. Cloud Computing (CC) has been developed to meet these demands, and is accepted by numerous organizations as a good alternative to manage their IT provisions. However, it is rarely used at universities. This paper intends to find out the major reasons that have caused many universitiesare non usage of CC. A systematic review was conducted based on recently published works on CC to identify the staff positions as well as their required services. Secondly, a correspondence to these was initiated to find out the models/services/applications that are available in the marketplace. Furthermore, an explorative case study was used to find out the factors that have caused the negligence of CC applications at universities. A semi-structured interview was also conducted with administrators, IT staffers, technicians and clerks at four public and private universities in Malaysia. The collected data were analyzed using an open coding methodology. To support the finding of interview a survey is done and a questionnaire distributed. For analysing the result of questionnaire correlation and regression is done by using SPSS.
Languages of Watson-Crick Petri Net
Authors: Mohamad Jan Nurhidaya , Wan Heng Fong , Sarmin Nor Haniza , Turaev Sherzod
Published: January 2015

Watson-Crick automata are one of the automata types that are used for transitions with two reading heads. This automata work on double stranded sequencesrelated by a complementarity relation similar with the Watson-Crick complementarity of DNA molecules. Watson-Crick automata can be related to a Petri net, which is a graphical and mathematical formalism suitable for the modeling and analysis of concurrent, asynchronous and distributed systems.From the relation between Watson-Crick automata and Petri net, a new model namely Watson-Crick Petri net has been developed. In this paper, a new variant of Watson-Crick automata with Petri net as a control unit is introduced. We also presented various types of Watson-Crick Petri nets that are generated using transitions labelled with various labelling policies and finite sets of final markings.
The Potential of Low Altitude Aerial Data for Large Scale Mapping
Authors: Darwin Norhadija , Ahmad Anuar , Wan Mohd Akib Wan Abdul Aziz
Published: January 2015

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system offers many advantages in several applications such as topographic mapping, thematic mapping, slope mapping, geohazard studies, monitoring, etc. This study utilizes UAV system for large scale mapping by using a digital camera attached to a fixed wing UAV. The main objective of this study is to explore the potential of UAV for large scale mapping and to evaluate the accuracy of the photogrammetric output produced from the UAV system. The UAV was used to acquire low altitude aerial photograph based on photogrammetric technique and subsequently accuracy assessment is performed. The Ground Control Points (GCPs) and Check Points (CPs) were established using GPS rapid static technique for photogrammetric data processing. The GCPs were used in to produce 3D stereomodel and other photogrammetric output while the CP is used for accuracy assessment. For digital image processing of the aerial photograph and map production, Erdas Imagine 8.6 software is employed. For accuracy assessment, the coordinates of the selected points in the 3D stereomodel were compared to the conjugate points observed using GPS and the root mean square error (RMSE) is computed. From this study, the results showed that the achievable RMSE are ± 0.510 m, ± 0.564 m and ± 0.622 m for coordinates X, Y and Z respectively. For this study, the digital map was also produced using the photogrammetric technique and it is compared with an engineering plan produced from ground surveying technique (i.e. total station). From this study, it can be concluded that accuracy of sub-meter is achieved using the UAV system. Also, this study demonstrates that the UAV system has the potential for large scale mapping in the field of surveying and other diversified applications, especially for small area, minimum budget and less manpower.
Pengaruh Baja Nitrogen (N) dan Kalium (K) Terhadap Padi Varieti MR 269 dan MR 284 di Sungai Nibong (PBLS)
Authors: Ismail Ahmad Arif , Che Haron Ismail , Wan Mamat Wan Zaki , Abd. Rani Muhammad Naim Fadzli
Published: January 2015

An experiment to study influence of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) on new rice varieties MR 269 and MR 284 has been carried out in Parit 12 Sungai Nibong, Sekinchan, 45400, Sabak Bernam, Selangor from February 2012 to January 2013. Compatibility tests need to be carried out on current fertilizer recommendation towards these new rice varieties. There are three rates used in this experiment which are 0, 100 and 200 kg/ha for both N and K fertilizer. The experimental design used in this experiment is Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 3 replications. A set of 54 small plots were erected with 4 m x 4 m in size. Manual Teknologi Penanaman Padi Lestari is used as crop management guideline for this experiment. Results indicated no significant interaction between N and K on yield of the newly tested rice varieties. The rice yield was significantly affected by N but not by K. Results suggest that there is significant interaction between cropping season and N towards rice yield. Analysis showed that fertilizer application of N up to 200 kg/ha contributed to higher yield in first season (Off-season). However, yield increment in season 2 (main season) only took place up until N fertilizer application at 100 kg/ha and began to drop when subsequent additional of 200 kg/ha. This study indicated that number of panicle and number of seed per panicle had positive influence to the rice yield.
Kawalan Siput Gondang di Sawah Menggunakan Umpan Penarik
Authors: Amzah Badrulhadza , Yahya Mohd Hafizi
Published: January 2015

Pomacea spp. or apple snails are one of the main rice pests in Malaysia. It is unfortunate that farmers prefer to use chemical molluscicides especially the illegal mollusicicides from other countries to control this pest. The use of chemicals brings negative effect to farmer's health and environment. One of the suggested measures to avoid the excessive use of chemical molluscicides is by physical control through handpicking. However, manual handpicking is backbreaking and not very effective. The use of attractant baits can ease the hard work of manual handpicking or enabling spot spraying of molluscicides which minimizes the overuse of application. The effectiveness of several materials as apple snail attractant baits was studied on screen house scale and field scale. Jackfruit and papayas are highly recommended to be used as attractant baits as well as cassava leaves and water spinach. Most of the snails were found attached to the materials either to feed or for shelter. All these type of attractant baits can be used to gather and collect apple snails in rice fields especially before the broadcasting stage of the rice seeds. The use of attractant baits also is seen as an important component of integrated management of the apple snail.
Ciri Morfologi, Fisiko-Kimia dan Kerintangan Dua Titisan Padi Kemandulan Jantan Sitoplasma (CMS) Baru
Authors: Sunian Elixon , Jamal Mohd. Solihen , Ramli Asfaliza , Omar Othman , Hashim Habibbudin , Misman Siti Norsuha , Mohd Saad Maisarah
Published: January 2015

CMS (cytoplasmic male sterile) line is one of the most important hybrid parents in hybrid rice production technology using Three-Line systems. Test-crosses for selection of candidate local maintainer lines were conducted using 24 rice varieties and two CMS-WA (wild abortive) lines IR78374A/B and 1A/B. The F1 of the two combinations, namely IR78374A/P519 and 1A/MR243 had less than 10% spikelet fertility (6.4 and 7.2%, respectively), indicated that P519 and MR243 are partially maintainers and could be used for the development of new locally adapted CMS lines. As a results, two CMS lines, namely 0025A/B and 0047A/B were generated after 5 to 6 successive backcrossing of IR78374A with P519 and 1A with MR243. The CMS 0025A/B and 0047A/B lines had maturation age which is comparable to other commonly grown inbred varieties. The percentage of stigma exertion rate for CMS 0025A/B and 0047A/B were 17.9 and 21.3%, respectively, lower than that of IR78374A/B (43.2%). Both showed poor out-crossing rate. CMS 0025A/B and 0047A/B are classified as long and slender grain. They had intermediate amylose content. Their gel consistency was hard, comparable to that of MR263 (medium).  CMS 0025A/B and 0047A/B lines were also moderately resistant to foliar blast disease and brown planthopper infestation.
Kesan Suhu Pengeringan dan Darjah Pengilangan Terhadap Kandungan 2-Acetyl-1 Pyrroline (2-AP) di dalam Beras Wangi
Authors: Hosni Hanisa , Mirad Razali , Md. Saleh Rosalizan , Said Wahid , Ramli Asfaliza , Engku Abdullah Engku Hasmah , Ramli Noor Amin
Published: January 2015

Investigations on the main compound of aroma rice, which is 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP), treated under different drying temperatures and milling degree was carried out. The results showed that the 2-AP was higher when paddy dried at 45°C, compared to 40°C and 50°C. The compound was extracted and absorbed using Solid Phase-Micro Extraction (SPME) fiber and analysed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Milling degree is determined by percent of bran removal. High bran removal means higher milling degree. The finding showed that the 2-AP was higher in rice with higher percent bran removal.