bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of heat treatment to the colour of Pauh Kijang (Irvingia Malayana)
Authors: Md Noh Nur Ilya Farhana , Hashim Wardati , Jing Lin Ng , Chai Lee Jin , Razman Ruzaimah , Syamsunur Deprizon 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
As timber with natural durability and excellence properties is limited and high in price, there is a need to make use of the timber with low durability and properties. In order to use this kind of timber, the timber needs to be treated to improvise its properties and durability. The well-known treatment used worldwide is by using chemical preservative; however, this kind of treatment is bad to the environment. Therefore, there is a need to find an alternative way to replace this treatment with an environmentally friendly way of treatment. Heat treatment is one of the treatments which may equip the timber with new properties without using any chemical or preservative but heat where the heat is used to achieve new material properties rather than to dry the wood. Heat treatment generally causes an apparent decrease in wood mechanical properties due to the material losses in the cell wall, hemicelluloses degradation and the modification of long chain molecules. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of heat treatment on the colour of one of the Malaysian hardwood timbers; Pauh Kijang which located in Strength Group 3 of timber (SG3) after had been treated by heat. The size of the timber beam for each sample is 50mm x 90mm x 1800mm. The total numbers of the sample are 90 which 15 numbers of sample allocated for control, kiln dried and four levels of heat treatment. There are four different levels of temperatures namely 150°C, 170°C, 190°C and 210°C were applied on the timber beam samples within 1 hour. Control and kiln dried samples been used as comparisons to each test conducted to identify the changes that occur on the colour after heated. The colour turned darker as the temperatures increased for these four species of heat-treated timber which had been analysed by CIE-Lab system.
Absorption and strength properties of lightweight foamed concrete with egg shell powder as partial replacement material of cement
Authors: Tiong Hock Yong , Lim Siong Kang , Lee Yee Ling , Yew Ming Kun , Lim Jee Hock 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Around 85 thousand tonnes of egg shell waste were yield in Malaysia at 2017, and when its utilization rate is low and not treated and disposed properly, it might result in environmental problem. By partially replacing cement with egg shell powder, the waste can be reduced and meanwhile reduce cement production that results in depletion of natural limestone and emission of carbon dioxide. Therefore, this study was carried out by aiming to mitigate the environmental issue by reducing eggshell wastes and pure cement production, and meanwhile, to promote the application of lightweight foamed concrete. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects on spread diameter, stability water absorption, initial surface absorption, sorptivity, and compressive strength of lightweight foamed concrete with fresh and hardened density of 1000 ± 50 kg/m3 and 1400 ± 50 kg/m3 when the cement is partially replaced by egg shell powder at replacement levels of 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% by mass. The results showed that with incorporation of egg shell powder at all levels, the water absorption, initial surface absorption, sorptivity were improved, but spread diameter was reduced. Besides, stability of foam and compressive strength were improved in overall at replacement level of up to 7.5%. Therefore, it is feasible to use up to 7.5% egg shell powder as partial cement replacement material.
Physical behaviours of maximum loading and cracking for slurry infiltrated fibre reinforced concrete
Authors: Rahim M Abdul , Zahirah A , Shahidan S , Manaf M B H Ab , Salehuddin S , Ghazaly Z Md. , Ayob A , Bawadi N F , Anudai@Anuar S , Ahmad A N A 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Concrete prisms are being test with flexural testing by different percentage volume of steel fibres. The total number of 24 prisms were made which contain 3 %, 6 % and 9 % of steel fibres respectively. This only consist experimental results. Specimens used in this study using a prism mold of 100 mm x 100 mm x 500 mm. Eighteen prisms will be added with a layer of 10 mm of steel fibre using slurry method. All of the samples were tested using flexural testing to determine the maximum loading. The highlight scope of this research is to evaluate the physical behavior of Slurry Infiltrated Fibre Reinforced Concrete in term of maximum load and cracking pattern. The results of the study were also compared with concrete without steel fibres. However, the workability of the concrete decreased as the number of steels fibre increase. The maximum load was obtained by the lowest percentage of steel fibre (3%).
Stability of man-made slopes: A numerical case study using an extreme rainfall distribution in Brunei Darussalam
Authors: Abdul Rahman E K , Ratnayake U , Tan S J , Shams S , Haji Othman D , Abdullah R R 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
The number of slope failure cases in Brunei Darussalam has been observed to increase during periods of intense rainfall, such as during the month with peak rainfall. Like other countries around this region, a recommended value of slope angle during earthwork and construction has been established. However, the apparent correlation between landslides and high rainfall intensity suggests that an investigation needs to be carried out to see whether the recommended value is appropriate for the current Brunei’s climate condition, especially in relation to a potential reduction in the factor of safety due to rainfall infiltration. This study investigated the effect of the peak monthly rainfall distribution on the stability of different slope angles using the continuous rainfall data from December 2013 to January 2014 as a case example. A commercial software, GeoStudio2012, was used to carry out the numerical analysis of rainfall infiltration and limit equilibrium to evaluate the factor of safety of slopes. The study revealed that the current recommendations may not be appropriate for certain soil condition under the considered critical rainfall distribution. It also revealed that the daily highest intensity of rainfall did not necessarily result in a slope failure, but rather the accumulation of rainfall was a more significant factor to trigger slope instability.
Effect of crude oil spillage on engineering properties of tropical residual soil
Authors: Abdulrahman Suleiman , Malami Salim Idris , Adedokun Timothy A , Haruna Abdulrahman , Attahiru Yusuf Babangida , Haruna Sadi Ibrahim 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Oil exploration in Nigeria causes serious environmental degradation. Little is known about the effects of crude oil spillage on soils found in northern Nigeria where oil exploration started less than two years ago (2018). This research is a comparative analysis of the effect of crude oil on contaminated and uncontaminated soil typically found in northern Nigeria. Five Trial pits were dug at Bayero University Kano, two of the trial pits were filled with 20 litres of crude oil while the remaining three trial pits were left uncontaminated and used as control. The crude oil was allowed to infiltrate into the soil for about six (6) weeks before samples of soil were obtained for laboratory analysis. Maximum dry density (MDD), natural moisture content, California Bearing Ratio CBR value, cohesion, and Atterberg limits test were used to analyse the soils. Average natural moisture content was found to be 21 % for uncontaminated soil and 8% for contaminated soil, the MDD value was 1.80 g/cm3 for uncontaminated soil and 1.67g/cm3 for contaminated soil, the CBR changes from 25 % to 6 % while cohesion decreased by 48 % for the contaminated soil respectively. The results show negative consequences for road and building constructions in the simulated crude oil contaminated area.
Requirement of expansion joint for temperature load for RCC structures
Authors: Rabbani S , Gupta A , Ahmed I 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Concrete is the most commonly used material in building construction. Concrete structures are subjected to seasonal and daily temperature changes due to their interaction with the surrounding environment, in addition to live and dead loads. Significant change of temperature can impose large amount of stress in a structure. These thermal stress values can even exceed the stress values induced by the live and dead loading in case of no or little thermal insulation and could lead to severe damages if not considered during the design. One way of minimizing the temperature stress is to limit lengths of building. In Bangladesh National Building Code and many other national codes, there is no specific guideline for length limits or provision for considering stresses due to temperature load. This paper is aimed to determine the maximum permissible length of a structure without providing an expansion joint so that temperature changes do not create undue stresses. Parametric study involving thermal effect on RCC structures was performed for varying dimensions, conditions and story levels. If temperature effect for structures with significant length is considered, it has been found that top deflection and rebar percentage exceeds limiting values. The finding could become useful in guiding to set the permissible building length without expansion gap.
Investigation of bamboo as concrete reinforcement in the construction for low-cost housing industry
Authors: Rahim N L , Ibrahim N M , Salehuddin S , Mohammed S A , Othman M Z 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Concrete is the most consumed material, with three tonnes per year used for every person in the world. Twice as much concrete is used in construction as all other building materials combined. Concrete has excellent characteristic in compressive strength, but low in tensile strength. Steel commonly used in reinforcing material because of high tensile strength. The usage of steel as reinforcing material is limited because it is costly and also has an effect on air pollution during its manufacturing process. As an alternative to overcome this problem, bamboo material has been used as a replacement of reinforcement in concrete. Bamboo is a suitable material because it is a natural material, cheap and also available material. In this research, the performance of bamboos as an alternative material in reinforced concrete has been evaluated. Tensile strength test of bamboos has been performed to identify the yields stress of bamboos. From the test, result has shown that bamboo has a similar characteristic with steel and bamboo can be used as an alternative material for reinforcing concrete. However, the characteristic of bamboos showed high water absorption and low bonding strength between bamboo’s surface and concrete. In this research, a waterproofing agent has been used to minimize water absorption and increase the bonding strength. Flexural strength test of the bamboo singly reinforced beam with the size of 150 mm x 150 mm x 750 mm has been undertaken to determine the performance of bamboo as reinforcement. From the test, it has resulted that bamboo give good potential as an alternative material in concrete reinforcement for low-cost housing industry.
Rheological criteria assessment of a rapid setting emulsion as compared to quick set for emulsified asphalt cold mixes
Authors: Usman K R , Hainin M R , Satar M K I , Warid M Naqiuddin M , Giwangkara Grawira Ganjur 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Pavement deterioration is inevitable on roads. Unlike structural failures that can only be remedied by total reconstruction, road’s functional failures are corrected through effective maintenance works. Preventive maintenance in the form of an emulsified asphalt cold slurry micro-surfacing is considered superior to corrective maintenance – which is a reactive approach. Exploring alternative(s) to the normal quick setting emulsion used for pavement preservation maintenance will make it more robust and cost-effective. This study conducted an assessment of the key parameters specified by the department of public works (Jabatan Kerja Raya) JKR-2008 and International Slurry Surfacing Association (ISSA A143) specifications for emulsified asphalts emulsions used for cold mixes, specifically, emulsified asphalt micro-surfacing mixtures used for pavement maintenance. Cationic quick set (CQS-1h) and Rapid Set (RS-1k) emulsions were tested in the Transportation laboratory of UTM under controlled laboratory conditions. Tests include settlement and storage stability, particle charge, residue by evaporation, sieve test, and Say bolt Furol viscosity, while the residue from evaporation was tested for microstructural and mechanical performance, results were compared with JKR-2008 and ISSA A143 standard specifications. The result indicated that although the desirability for opening traffic within 1hr is not guaranteed with RS-1k, yet, it gives promising similar properties with CQS whilst satisfying cold mix requirement.
Review on the potentials of natural rubber in bitumen modification
Authors: Abdulrahman Suleiman , Hainin Mohd Rosli , Mohd Satar Mohd Khairul Idham , Hassan Norhidayah Abdul , Al Saffar Zaid Hazim 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
In recent times both natural and synthetic rubber were blended with bitumen with the hope of producing a more durable hot mix asphalt. Although the application of natural rubber (NR) in bitumen modification have started long time ago prior to crumb rubber; only few literatures that completely characterised its performance are found today. This review aims to remind researchers and paving agencies on the benefits of NR rubberised asphalt. The study draw attention to NR production process and its unique properties, how NR was used to solve four major asphalt pavement failures namely rutting, fatigue, thermal cracking, and moisture susceptibility. It also presents barriers limiting the application of NR in bitumen modification with possible solution. Lastly, the concept of applying NR in warm mix asphalt was introduced.
A state-of-the-art review of multi-agent modelling of crowd dynamic
Authors: Mohamed Daud N A , Rahman N Abd 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
This paper reviews the multi-agent modelling (MAM) which applied as a platform to simulate the interaction of crowd dynamics. The research and development of MAM related to crowd dynamics can generate specific analytical evaluation, improve the safety level of the pedestrians and the quality operation of the urban space. Furthermore, crowd dynamics have become a major concern for urban space and are mainly constrained imposed by the ever-increasing populations. Consequently, these scenarios causing more attention are paid to the crowd safety in capacity assessment, especially during an emergency evacuation. This paper presents a concise review on the development of MAM over the past few years. The discussion on the state of the art of the multi-agent methods includes the history of the multi-agent method and the development of multi-agent modelling. This paper also discussed the state of the art of multi-agent methods in modelling crowd dynamic by focusing only on the microscopic approach. The advantages of multi-agent modelling approach have become one of the best methodological approaches in analysing and predicting crowd performance in the real world as a substitute for physical experimentation in a current research field.
Anaerobic digestion industries progress throughout the world
Authors: Akhiar Afifi , Ahmad Zamri Mohd Faiz Muaz , Torrijos Michel , Shamsuddin Abd Halim , Battimelli Audrey , Roslan E , Mohd Marzuki Mohamad Hanif , Carrere Helene 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Anaerobic digestion is a process where microorganisms degrade organic matter in the absence of oxygen to produce biogas, mainly composed of methane and carbon dioxide. Recent years have seen a strong development of anaerobic digestion units worldwide, especially in USA, Europe and China. Countries like China, Germany, USA, Italy, UK and France are seen leading in the biogas sector in the world due to long establishment, intensive research and government incentives for renewable energy as well as waste management solution option. Asian countries have also shown their interests in the biogas technology. With more proper research and studies on-going, Asia will see the growth of biogas sector in the next few coming years. Even though African countries are in their primary phase to develop this biogas technology and there are still more hurdles to overcome, there have been interests, development and implementation work to apply this technology for its potential renewable energy production as well as its waste management solution.
Renewable energy development in Malaysia: Communication barriers towards achieving the national renewable energy target
Authors: Khairudin Noor Faezah , Bidin Rosmiza , Shamsuddin Abd Halim , Akhiar Afifi , Ideris Fazril , Rahman Adlansyah Abd 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
In Malaysia, the utilization of renewable energy (RE) as in “five fuel diversification policy” has been intensified since 2000 in the 8th Malaysian plan (2001-2005) as an addition to the supply from conventional energy sources. However, the RE goal in the policy was achieved minimally and later continued in the 9th Malaysian plan (2006-2010). At the end of 2010, The RE goal was again achieved minimally. Previous studies have been carried out to understand the influence of technological, economic, social and political barriers to the development of renewable energy in Malaysia, but not much on the communication barriers. Therefore, this paper will thoroughly examine the perceptions and understandings on the communication barriers towards renewable energy development in Malaysia.
Study on benefit of guide vane for vertical axis wind
Authors: Haneen S , Roslan E , Akhiar A , Zamri F , Salleh F , Isa R , Shamsuddin A H 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Guide vane was introduced to overcome the problem of high turbulence intensity due to the high rise building in the urban area. The guide vane is a fixed aerofoil that directs air into the moving wind turbine. Guide vane borders the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) and improves the VAWT performance by increasing the wind velocity, decreasing turbulence intensity and increasing torque because it acts as wind concentrator and wind shielding to an optimum angle before it interacts with turbines. This project is based on the VAWT on the College of Engineering (COE) building in Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN). This VAWT had been fabricated in CREO software to study the benefit of guide vane onto it and the design of guide vane also was constructed by using similar software. SOLIDWORKS Flow simulation was used to analyze the performance of the VAWT. The simulation had been done by simulation of VAWT without and with guide vane to study the benefit and analyze the flow characteristic of the guide vane towards wind turbine. The simulation result shows that the presence of guide vane increase wind speed by maximum 0.0051 m/s and torque increment is about seven times from VAWT without guide vane. Other than that, decreasing of turbulence intensity value also detected in flow simulation result. To sum up, guide vane had the potential to be installed in the urban area because it improves the power output of the wind turbine.
Production of biodiesel from Jatropha curcas mixed with waste cooking oil assisted by ultrasound
Authors: Kusumo F , Shamsuddin A H , Ahmad A R , Dharma S , Milano J , Silitonga A S , Fazril I , Marzuki H , Akhiar A , Sebayang R , Tambunan B H 
Published: June 2020

Abstract

Jatropha curcas oil has a high amount of free fatty acid, while waste cooking oil has a low amount of free fatty acid content. The purpose of this study was to investigate the production of biodiesel from a mixture of Jatropha curcas and waste cooking. The highest biodiesel yields from the mixture of Jatropha curcas and waste cooking was obtained at 99.3%. The result shows that the physicochemical properties of mixed Jatropha curcas and waste cooking oil methyl ester met the standard requirements laid in ASTM D6751 and EN 14214.
A study of energy demand and consumption in University of Abuja, Nigeria
Authors: Evuti Abdullahi Mohammed , Baba Yusuf Mohammed , Adeyemi Kafayat 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Efficient energy supply to academic institution is necessary for the successful delivery of its primary mandate of teaching, research and community service. Hence, there is need to monitor and control the energy consumption pattern in a university environment. In this study, a preliminary energy audit was conducted over 24 identified buildings at the main campus of University of Abuja, Nigeria to assess pattern of electricity consumption and efficiency in the University. The breakdown of the energy loads revealed that cooling systems (Air conditioning-33%, Central Air Conditioning-2%, Fans-13%), and Lighting 28% accounted for 76% of the total energy demand followed by office equipment (Desk top-11%, Photocopier-9%, Refrigerator-2%) and least being Lap top and Television accounting for 1% each. These on the overall gave the total energy demand of 1675.365KW and the equivalent total annual energy consumption of 1563491kWh (₦ 55,534,481.96). The senate building being the administrative building has the highest energy demand of 278.08KW (17%), followed by main library which is the second largest building in the university with energy demand of 206.615kW (12%), while among the academic buildings, the Faculty of Science has the highest energy demand of 174.285 kW (10%), followed by Faculty of Art with energy demand of 142.815 kW (9%). About 154854kWh and the sum of ₦ 5,534,481.96 would have been saved per annum if the 40W bulbs are replaced with a more energy efficient 25W bulbs in all the buildings assessed.
Improvement of oxygen transfer efficiency in the activated sludge process
Authors: Kan S L Eh , Fahmi M R , Shum K J , Ibrahim A H , Abidin C Z A , Kusuma B S 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Sequential batch reactor (SBR) is a feasible and economically attractive alternative to continuous activated sludge process to remove pollutants (dynamics and flexibility). Most of the power consumption is consumed by the aeration system to aid the removal of contaminants. Therefore, an optimal aeration system must be proposed to ensure cost-effective and efficient treatment of wastewater. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of air flow rate on the oxygen transfer efficiency of the SBR reactor. Based on the results, the removal efficiency of COD and AN at an air flow rate of 7.0 LPM (5.0 mg/L) were slightly higher than the air flow rate of 5.0 LPM (4.0 mg/L). However, the improvement is not exceptional. Excessive DO level and aeration should be avoided to achieve cost-effective yet efficient removal of pollutants.