International Journal of Engineering Technology and Sciences
IJETS aims to provide an international forum for the presentation of research and intellectual discussions on issues of Engineering Technology and Sciences. IJETS welcomes recent developments and findings in Engineering Technology field, including (but not limited to), Construction and Infrastructure Technology, Manufacturing, Electrical, Electronics, Chemical, Energy Management and Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Pharmceutical Technology and Occupational Safety, Geotechnical, and Mining Engineering. IJETS is an open access journal and published twice a year (every June and December) by UMP Press. IJETS is indexed in MyJurnal, Ulrichsweb, Global Impact Factor, J-Gate, Innovative Journal Impact Factor and Chemical Abstract Services. OFFICIAL NOTICE OF JOURNAL DISCONTINUATION: We hereby inform all stakeholders that the International Journal of Engineering Technology and Sciences (IJETS) has been formally discontinued. Effective immediately, the journal will cease all publication activities and will no longer accept manuscript submissions. This decision was made following a comprehensive review of the journal’s strategic direction and publishing objectives. However, all articles previously published under IJETS will remain accessible and may continue to be cited in academic and professional works. We extend our sincere appreciation to all authors, reviewers, editorial board members, and readers for their invaluable contributions and support throughout the journal’s tenure. For any inquiries or further information, please contact the journal administration at penerbit@umpsa.edu.my. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
qPCR Analysis of Quorum Sensing Genes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
A well-designed and properly validated primer produces a specific and efficient qPCR assay. The primer’s melting temperature, G-C content, its size, as well as the amplicon’s size are the principal considerations while designing the primer for this study and it was in accordance with the MIQE guidelines. Subsequently, the designed primer was evaluated prior to the analysis to verify its efficiency and precision for the relative quantification of the gene transcription analysis. The validity of a qPCR assay is reliant on three elements; the qPCR efficiency (E) and the R2 as well as the slope, that were derived from constructed standard curve. The resulted E for the genes lasI, lasR, rhlI, rhlR and rplS are 92%, 93%, 96%, 92% and 94%, respectively. While the R2 and the slope value for these genes are 0.9991 and -3.523 for the lasI, 0.9991 and -3.501 for the lasR, 0.9989 and -3.434 for the rhlI, 0.9999 and -3.535 for the rhlR, and 0.9935 and -3.487 for the rplS. Melt curve analyses carried out post qPCR assay resulted in amplification of a single product. Resulted E, R2 and slope for all studied genes fell between the acceptable range, validating the use of designed primer for further analysis in the changes in transcription level of quorum sensing genes in treated Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Copyright (c) 2023 University Malaysia Pahang Publishing http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Implementation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for Slope Mapping
This paper discusses the applications of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for slope mapping and its important parameters including perimeter, area and volume of certain selected areas at Perumahan Taman Gambang Damai in Kuantan Pahang. This study also focused on determining the potential slope hazard based on slope angle. Modern UAV able to take high quality image which essential for the effectiveness and nature of normal mapping output such as Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and Digital Orthophoto. This photo captured by the UAV will later transfer to Agisoft to generate full map of study area. With the help of Global Mapper, the measurement (perimeter, area and volume) of selected study areas can be determined easily and considered as the main interest in this study. In addition, another outcome of this study is, this modern method of mapping helps researchers and engineers to study the possibility of slope hazard based on their respective slope angle (according to slope classes). In conclusion, modern technology of UAV proves to be very effective for mapping in geotechnical engineering. Slope mapping help researchers and engineers to obtain slope measurement within short period of time compare to previous traditional method.
Exploration of Secondary Deposit to Determine Manganese Ore Body
Manganese ore is one of the most critical mineral commodities and irreplaceable in steelmaking. With the high demand for manganese ore, exploration to find manganese ore deposits is essential before large investments in mine development. The purpose of this study is to determine the content of secondary manganese through exploration in Ladang Sungai Terah Gua Musang with an area of 40.5 hectares. The area is located near the Permian -dominated zone which can be observed during plutonic igneous granites in the southwest and in the presence of phyllite, slate and shale with subordinate sandstone and schist. The significant secondary mineral found is manganese oxide or pyrolusite. The exploration method is by excavating the trial pit (TP) and bore hole (BH) drilling. The location of TP and BH are determined from anomalies data and outcrop and boulders presence at site. Results that obtained from the thirteen TP sampling showed that the deepest TPs are excavated at 4.0 meter depth and the shallowest depth was at 3.6 meter depth. The thickest manganese ore was at 0.4 meter for TP 06. The highest-grade manganese was 54.3% at 3.8 meter depth of TP 01 located at north-west from BH1. The BH soil which obtained at 12.0 meter depth with silt clay and the presence of sand gravel. The BH soil was taken and homogenised prior testing in order to get representative result. The XRF analysis shown that the manganese ore was found at 55.90 % and second highest mineral was silica oxide which was 21.74 % followed by aluminium at 14.32 %. The calculation of manganese ore reserves was estimated at 157,545 tonnes of which the lifespan of manganese mining operations was estimated at only 10.375 months. Even the quality was high but it still not reaching the ore body It can be concluded that this area is not economical for commercial production of manganese ore and by pursuing this area will surely contribute to business risks, negatively impacting on potential profitability. Mining revenue calculated from estimated ore reserved in this area is not expected to cover costs such as the exploration working capital, property acquisition costs, mine development costs including development drilling and infrastructure development such as roads, utilities, plant and equipment costs which include mining equipment, mill and processing equipment and building, structure and many more.
Effects of Environmental Waste Plastic Bottle Cover (EWPBC) on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Concrete
The rapid industrialization and urbanization in many countries of the world is leading to great infrastructural development which in turns result to problems like shortage of construction materials and increased productivity of wastes – which has caused environmental issues due to inadequate recycling and disposal facilities. Construction industry is in need of materials which can increase the strength of concrete structures with low cost and less environmental impact. This research is aimed at addressing such issues by investigating the effect of environmental waste plastic bottle cover (EWPBC) on the physical and mechanical properties of concrete. EWPBC samples was collected within the environs and used at different percentage (0%, 12.5%, 25%, 50% and 100%) replacement for coarse aggregate. Physical properties of the materials were investigated and found to be in accordance with relevant specifications. Mechanical properties such as compressive strength and flexural strength tests were also carried out in line with relavant codes of practice. The compressive strenght increases with days of curring and at 12.5% EWPBC, the strength is 4.7% higher than the conventional concrete. The flexural stress is also higher than that of the conventional beam sample at 12.5% EWPBC. The flexural strain is 0.00248-0.0036 and within the specified acceptable limit (0.002-0.0035) for concrete with grade less than or equal to C50/C60. This shows a promising properties at 12.5% EWPBC replacement and also a reduction in cost. It was concluded that EWPBC can be used as substitute for aggregates and also a means of reducing environmental wastes and cost of disposal of such waste.
Conceptual Risk Assessment Conceptual Risk Assessment for New Township Infrastructure Expansion at Kuantan
This paper intends to contribute about the risk assessment on New Township located at Kuantan. Researchers found that, it has a lot of risk that will occur at that area. Researchers found that it have 5 possible risk like disease, flooding, traffic risk, soil erosion and the improper drainage system. Then, researchers will choose the top 3 major risk to do the risk assessment. So, researchers choose traffic risk, soil erosion and the improper drainage system as our major risk in this project. Lastly, researchers also have implement the solution to solve the risk..
A Review of Crude Oil Extraction Methods from Petroleum Sludge
The development of petrochemical refinery industries has resulted in increased production of petroleum sludge and its disposal, which poses a risk of introducing hazardous elements into the environment. Eliminating petroleum sludge from storage, processing, transportation, and pipeline systems were always a major problem for the oil and gas industry. Today there are an estimated 60 million tons of petroleum sludge produced annually. Statistics also show that one ton of oily sludge is produced for every 500 tons of crude oil processed. Therefore, the petroleum industry requires protected and environmentally friendly techniques to find alternative treatment methods for petroleum sludge. Among the possible methods, oil recovery using solvent extraction method has been widely used for petroleum sludge treatment under different experimental factors. The reason is because solvent extraction is one of the cheapest and most efficient recycling processes. In addition, it used lubricating oil that does not require water, and the solvent is reusable. However, solvent extraction alone is insufficient for extracting crude oil from a large volume of petroleum sludge due to low efficiency and high variability. Therefore, combining different methods of solvent extraction and freeze-thaw hybrid technique may improve the oil extraction efficiency. Thus, this paper reviews thorough analysis of petroleum sludge’s physical and chemical properties and its oil recovery using solvent extraction and freeze-thaw method to promote the waste-to-wealth initiative.
Copyright (c) 2021 University Malaysia Pahang Publishing http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Thermal and morphological properties of polyhydroxyalkanoate/ nanosilver composite
Conventional plastic can lead to endless pollution as it took millions of years to be disposed of, hence an alternative to using biodegradable plastic replacing regular everyday plastic has highly participated. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) have the characteristics of a biodegradable plastic however, it exhibits low heat distortion temperature. The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of nanosilver additions on the thermal properties of the PHA composite and its morphology behavior. Initially,4 wt/v of PHA was dissolved into 30mL dichloromethane at room temperature. After that, the nanosilver particle was added with 10mL dichloromethane and it was ultrasonicated at 10 minutes. Ultrasonicated nanosilver in dichloromethane mixture was mixed with PHA in dichloromethane for 20 minutes using a magnetic stirrer. Then, thin polymeric films with a thickness of 10 µm were obtained by the solution casting method. The obtained films were then carefully dried at room temperature for 24 hours. These steps were repeated with the addition of 0.25 wt% and 0.5wt% nanosilver suspension in dichloromethane to PHA solution. The thermal properties and morphology analysis of PHA/nanosilver composite will be investigated using thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Based on thermal properties, PHA/0.5wt% nanosilver has shown a lower onset temperature compared to the pure PHA. This indicates that PHA/0.5wt% nanosilver has a slower degradation rate and higher thermal stability. In conclusion, nanosilver has greatly improved PHA properties into promising biodegradable plastics.
Formulation of herbal cream based on Ziziphus Mauritiana leaves extract and evaluation on physicochemical properties
Plant derived substances and herbal medicines have recently attracted the great interest towards their versatile application, as medicinal plants used in traditional and modern medicine. The aim of the current study was to investigate the antioxidant activity of Ziziphus mauritiana leaves extract followed with the formulation of herbal creams based on ZM methanolic extract then evaluate the physical characteristic and stability of the creams. After the methanolic extract was obtained by using Soxhlet extraction, the extract was assessed for antioxidant activity by using stable 2,2- Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) which showed the IC50 value of the ZM extract is 10.57 µg/ml, while IC50 value for ascorbic acid is 4.19 µg/ml. Four formulations of water in oil (w/o) emulsion based cream was formulated based on Ziziphus mauritiana leaves extract which are F1, F2, F3 and F4. Several physical properties were evaluated such as organoleptic, pH, viscosity, homogeneity, washability and emmolliency which proved that all formulations have good homogeneity, non greasy and under suitable pH and viscosity. Based on thermal stability test (45 °C ± 70 % RH, for 48 hours), it showed that F4 is not stable at high temperature compared to other formulations. Therefore, the present study indicated that the Ziziphus mauritiana leaves extract has great potential for personal care product development.
Copyright (c) 2021 International Journal of Engineering Technology and Sciences http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Influence of the Replacement of Ungraded-PKS Aggregate on Properties of Lightweight Pervious Concrete
Pervious concrete is not environmentally friendly due to presences of non-renewable material in its production. Pervious concrete has made a comeback as a green infrastructure and researchers came up with a proposal to use waste materials that potentially to work well as material in pervious concrete. The used of palm kernel shell (PKS) in pervious concrete is consider brilliant because Malaysia is of the larger oil palm producer in the world. In this study, natural aggregate was partially replaced by 0, 10, 15, and 20% by weight of PKS aggregate to produce lightweight pervious concrete based PKS. The testing conducted comprise of density, void content, compressive strength, and flexural strength. Inclusion of PKS aggregate reduces the mechanical properties of pervious concrete but significantly higher than recommended in the standard, utilizing some PKS aggregate as partial aggregate at up to 20% substitution level can produce lightweight PKS-pervious concrete. The pervious concrete containing 10% of PKS aggregate presented the most optimum mixture. Besides, the use of PKS as aggregate replacement in pervious concrete mixture indicates a good potential towards sourcing alternative sustainable materials for concrete.
Copyright (c) 2021 International Journal of Engineering Technology and Sciences
High-Level Performance Analysis Model for Mature Offshore Assets
In general, most offshore platforms are designed for 20 to 30 years of lifespan. After the field completed its maximum production plateau for a certain period, the reservoir pressure started to deplete, resulting in a decline in production rate until it is uneconomical to produce from the field. This declined production phase is referred to as Mature Offshore Fields/Assets. Almost 90% of offshore platforms in Peninsular Malaysia Assets operated by Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB) are within this phase. The study objective is to establish an analysis tool by consolidating the data from various system resources into a single presentation to provide the status of mature field performance, visualize the area that requires improvement, and subsequently identify performance improvement recommendations. The study will also focus on identifying which data and the resources needed to be extracted and the standards mentioned in guidelines available in the company to be used as a benchmark or comparison. This data compilation is interpreted into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and charts. As the study focuses on mature field operations, the three elements been identified as study subjects, i.e. plant utilization as production declining, operating cost and unplanned trips or shutdown. From the data simulation sample, the performance of Field A can be summarized and visualized clearly, and the area of improvement required can be identified with value creation being estimated.
Copyright (c) 2019 Universiti Malaysia Pahang
Anti-Inflammation Prediction of Orthosiphon Stamineus Extract Against Covid19 (In Silico Study)
Orthosiphon stamineus Benth (OS) due to its anti-inflammation effect is one of the possible options to fight the outbreak of coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19). In this article, we evaluate in silico (molecular docking) properties of active compounds available in OS which is generally consumed by south east asian people and compare its effect with remdesivir and favipiravir as positive compounds based on docking properties. The main active compounds were grouped based on their major roles in OS. The results demonstrated that most of the studied main compounds perform better than selected drugs in inhibition of the spike protein in COVID-19. According to the combined scores in binding affinity, the drug-likeness properties of the ligand, revealed to be the best possible covid19 inhibitor as compared to the other ligands. The analysis of active site also demonstrated that OS active compounds may have the therapeutic effect against COVID19.
A Review on Potential Applications of Sericin, and its Biological, Mechanical, and Thermal Stability Characteristics
Because of its adequate biological and mechanical properties, sericin has been considered for different applications. Sericin is found to have anti-tumoral properties against colon cancer, mechanical properties, as well as anticoagulant and cryoprotective properties. According to these findings, sericin is a significant component of the health industry. Silk sericin exhibits biodegradability, non-toxicity, oxidation resistance, UV resistance, and moisturizing characteristics. The present review is mainly focused on considering the mechanical and biological characteristics of silk sericin, as well as its applications in many industries, especially in the medical industry. In addition, one of the most notable limitations of sericin forms in many application fields is their lack of mechanical properties. Better crystallinity and a longer molecular chain result in improved mechanical properties. Additionally, mechanical properties are influenced by the macromolecular structure, notably porosity. The textile silk procedure has the ability to influence the features of sericin samples, such as thermal stability and structure. Therefore, the present study reviews the past works on the improvement solutions of the mechanical characteristics of sericin.
Copyright (c) 2022 International Journal of Engineering Technology and Sciences
A review on recent research studies on vibration analysis of fluid-conveying nanotubes
Nanotube (such as carbon and boron nitride nanotubes) is a key component of modern technology applications of nanostructures due to their unique mechanical, electrical, and physical characteristics such as high elasticity modulus, suitable heat transfer, and electrical conductivity. Carbon and boron nitride nanotubes are among the promising choices in nano-fluidic, gas storage, and drug delivery systems due to their hollow cylindrical shape and appropriate chemical, mechanical, and physical properties. Thermal vibration assessment should be conducted on fluid-conveying carbon nanotubes since the effect of thermal fluctuations on the mechanical characteristics of nanostructure are significant. Previous studies have revealed that when thermal vibration is taken into account, quantum effects can become extremely important in nanoscale electronics and structures. Hence, the present review focuses mostly on previous work on fluid-conveying nanotubes and the dynamical characteristics of size-dependent vibration and non-local strain gradient theory of fluid-conveying nanotubes. Furthermore, a special effort is made to address recent and rare investigations on the vibration of fluid-conveying nanotubes in thermal environment, as well as thermal vibration concerns of carbon nanotubes.
Copyright (c) 2020 International Journal of Engineering Technology and Sciences
Rare Earth Extraction using Solvent Extraction: Which Factor Has the Most Significant Impact?
Using a two-level factorial design, a study was undertaken to change the parameters impacting the recovery of rare earth from rare earth mixture. The experimental design was used to screen and identify the major contributing aspects to rare earth recovery. The experiment aims to isolate samarium from a mixture of samarium, europium, and gadolinium. Factors involved consist of pH (pH 1 and pH 6), acid type (nitric acid and hydrochloric acid) and concentration (1.0M and 5.0M), mixing duration (30 min and 120 min), feed composition (20% samarium and 80% samarium), type of diluent (hexane and chloroform), temperature (room temperature and 60°C) and organic to aqueous phase ratio (1:1 and 2:1). The results showed that the samarium recovery was in the range of 0.98% to 90.88%. Based on analysis variance (ANOVA), five factors significantly affect the samarium recovery out of eight factors explored. The five factors according to the most significant order are pH> feed composition> organic to aqueous phase ratio>acid concentration>acid type>mixing duration>type of diluent> temperature. Statistical analysis shows that the linear model is significant, with the value of R2 is 0.9886. Based on the statistical data, five significant variables influence the separation of samarium. This research shows that two-level factorial design can anticipate significant variables impacting rare earth separation, particularly samarium, in the solvent extraction process.
The Effectiveness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for Digital Slope Mapping
This paper discusses the applications of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for slope mapping and its important parameters including perimeter, area and volume of certain selected areas. Modern UAV able to take high quality image which essential for the effectiveness and nature of normal mapping output such as Digital Surface Model (DSM) and Digital Orthophoto. This photo captured by UAV will later transfer to commercial software to generate full map of study area. Three locations in Kuantan Pahang are chosen (Sungai Lembing, Politeknik Sultan Ahmad Shah ‘POLISAS’ and Pahang Matriculation College) for slope mapping. With the help of established software, the measurement (perimeter, area and volume) of selected study areas can be determined easily and considered as the main interest in this study. In addition, another outcome of this study is, this modern method of mapping will be compare to traditional method of mapping which proven to be more effective in term of low costing, low time consuming, can gather huge amount of data within short period of time, low man power needed and almost no potential risk of hazardous effect to man. In conclusion, modern technology of UAV proves to be very effective for mapping in geotechnical engineering. Slope mapping help researchers and engineers to obtain slope measurement within short period of time compare to previous traditional method.
Concrete Tensile Strength Test Using Different Sand Gradation Zones t o Mitigate Earthquake Buildings
Sand is one of the building materials forming the concrete mass. Sand has a type based on quarry sources, namely sea sand, river sand and mountain sand. Sand has different characteristics such as gradations (grain fineness), unit weight, mud content. Based on the SK-SNI 03-2834-1993 standard, sand has a grain size which is classified as very rough, rough, medium, smooth and very smooth. Sand that has a good gradation is separated in the form of a graph as zones 1 to 4. Concrete has good compressive strength but is weak on tensile strength. To increase the tensile strength, fiber can be added. The use of wire fiber is expected to increase the performance of buildings in earthquake-prone areas. In this study the fiber used was metal wire with a length of approximately 2 cm, designed compressive strength of concrete of 25 MPa, with a cylindrical sample diameter of 15cm and a height of 30cm, 3 month old age split tensile strength test was conducted, by using sea and mountain river sand with different zones. The results obtained that the division of the sand zone into rough to fine classification does not provide a significant trend for the tensile strength of the concrete. Mechanically, the addition of wire fibers for Air Lakok sand, Lubuk Kebur river sand and Penanding river sand has decreased the tensile strength. While the sea sand of Selubuk, the river sand of Talang Rasau and the mountain sand has increased tensile strength. Visually, all concrete that is given wire fiber has better ductility, where the concrete does not experience brittle cracks and the elements are still bound to each other.
Recent advances in solar drying system: A Review
Research on solar dryer technology proliferates since it reduces the drying period while keeping nutritional values in the agricultural products. This paper presented a review of recent advances in the solar drying system. This review is composed of working principles and classifications of solar dryers. They were classified into two main elements: airflow modes, either passive or active, and the way heat is transferred: direct, indirect, mixed-mode, and hybrid. The hybrid system used several types of elements to supply additional heat in the drying system, as elaborated in this paper, such as the electrical heater, biomass, and photovoltaic system. The advantages and disadvantages of the solar dryer also being discussed in this paper
Flexible Mass Spring Method for Modelling Soft Tissue Deformation
It is well accepted that soft tissue deformation is a combination of linear and nonlinear response. During small displacements, soft tissues deform linearly while during large displacements, soft tissues show nonlinear deformation. This paper presents a new approach for modelling of soft tissue deformation, from the standpoint of Mass Spring Method (MSM). The proposed MSM model is developed using conical spring methodology which allow the MSM model to have different stiffnesses at different displacements during deformation. The stiffness variation creates flexibility in the model to simulate any linear and nonlinear deformations. Experimental results demonstrate that the deformations by the proposed method are in good agreement with those real and phantom soft tissue deformations. Isotropic and anisotropic deformations can be accommodated by the proposed methodology via conical spring geometry and configuration of the springs. The proposed model also able to simulate typical viscoelastic behaviour of soft tissue.
Building Information Modelling Execution Plan (BEP): A Comparison of Global Practice
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a process supported by technologies involving the development and management of 3D digital information model representations of functional and physical of the design. To implement BIM in a project, BIM Implementation Plan or BIM Execution Plan (BEP) needs to be developed as a planning and monitoring strategy document. Several BEPs have been developed around the world since 2010. However, a BEP should be tailored to the type of project, stakeholder requirement, and project objectives because a comprehensive BEP is a key factor for BIM implementation success. Also, a proper BEP helps stakeholders understand and achieve the underlying objectives in using BIM. In other words, understanding the strategic framework of BEPs is important. Hence, this study identifies and compares the key elements in existing BEPs. To accomplish that aim, twenty BEPs were identified and analysed. This study provides a benchmarked reference for industry players on existing BEPs. Through a clear description, all parties can understand the project objectives, work process, roles and responsibilities, information need and deliverables requirements in a BEP. Researchers can use the findings for further development and improvement of existing BEPs. Understanding BEPs will ensure better BIM implementation in practice.
Design of Power Over Wi-Fi Rectifier Circuit for IoT Based Sensor Application through Simulation
Energy harvesting has been a phenomena throughout the year as it produces renewable clean energy which not only benefit to the user but also to the environment. Radio frequency energy is among the possible choice that can be harvested for low power usage application. By doing so, low power application such as IoT based sensors can eliminate usage of input power from battery which has limited supply over time or restrained from limited cable length. The objectives of this study are to design a power over Wi-Fi rectifier circuit for IoT based sensor application, analyze the effect of different type of diodes to the power over Wi-Fi rectifier circuit, and determine of minimum voltage required to power an IoT sensor. Cockcroft Walton voltage multiplier configuration was chosen as the rectifier circuit to be employed in the simulation by using Multisim software. With two different Schottky diodes, the output were recorded, and analyzed. Both diode has achieved the minimum required voltage of 3.3V and above for IoT sensors at stage 3. Among the diodes, BAT68 has recorded better output with 4.145V compare to diode BAT17 with 4.090V. Output of diode BAT68 also has reach its stable condition fast than diode BAT17. This configuration can be used and applied in prototype for future study. Even though there are many other factors that need to be considered, radio frequency energy harvesting should be explored more as it promotes clean energy and longevity lifespan as the world are moving wireless in many tasks.
Slope Inspection System: Using image processed by machine learning algorithm to determine risk of slope failure
Malaysia is a tropical country that experiences rainy and hot weather throughout the year. The higher rainfall intensity leads to higher landslide occurrences in Malaysia. Landslides that occur nearby human settlements increase the risk and hazard to the public and properties that lead to significant economic losses. There are various methods in surveying the risk and hazard of landslide areas such as terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and global positioning system (GPS). Most of the past research uses the conventional method which requires an in-situ field survey, lab analysis, and an additional software package to determine the hazard level for a slope. The conventional method is inefficient and time-consuming. In this paper, the potential of a machine-learning algorithm to improve the conventional approach in detecting the hazard in a landslide is discussed. The algorithm assesses the level of risk based on trained supervised images identified by experts in the field. Using the trained model, it was found that Convolution Neural Network (CNN) is able to perform better than Fully Connected Layer within the reduced processing time, with increased accuracy of 22%. However, the accuracy of the CNN on test data in IIUM could still be improved further. Currently, there is an actual prediction accuracy is at 50% for the test data in IIUM, a 17% error compared to CNN prediction. More training data could be added to the CNN to improve the current accuracy.
Gelatin Extraction from the Bangladeshi Pangas Catfish (Pangasius pangasius) Waste and Comparative Study of Their Physicochemical Properties with a Commercial Gelatin
Abstract- Production of gelatin from the aquatic source is gradually replacing the mammalian sources because of some socio-cultural and religious issues. The Pangasius pangasius catfish is a native species and very popular in Bangladesh due to their availability and cheap price. The perspective of this study was to extract the gelatin from the skin and bones of this catfish and compare them with commercial gelatin. Gelatin was extracted by applying the acid-base extraction process and the resultant gelatins were evaluated based on some physical properties. The gelatin yield was found significantly higher from the skin sample (10.85±0.93%) than the bone (5.23±0.39%) of Pangasius. The extracted skin gelatin had higher moisture and fat content than the bone and Commercial gelatin, while the ash content was significantly higher in bone gelatin. Protein content was noted in skin gelatin (81.34±3.45%), bone gelatin (73.44±2.58%), Where commercial gelatin (92.38±3.89%). Skin gelatin exerted significantly higher (p<0.05) viscosity (4.62±0.3 mPa.s) than the extracted bone gelatin (3.11±.24 mPa.s) and lower than the commercial gelatin (5.76±0.34 mPa.s). The melting and setting temperature of this catfish skin and bone gelatin were very near to each other and significantly lower than the commercial gelatin. Skin gelatin had exerted higher water holding capacity (2.36±0.11 ml/g), fat binding capacity (3.23±0.05 ml/g), foaming capacity ratio (1.88±0.07), and foam stability (1.51±0.04). Both the skin and bone gelatins were acidic. In this comparative study, it was noticed that the skin gelatin had better physical properties than the bone gelatin of native Pangasius catfish. Pangasius skin may be recognized as a potential aquatic source of edible gelatin with good yield and desirable physical properties comparing with commercial gelatin.
A case study on the application of Mahalanobis-Taguchi system for magnetic component
System integration is one of the elements contributes into the industrial revolution 4.0 also comply with current Malaysia agenda. It is very important for electric and electronic (E&E) industry to classify a better quality to produce accurate profit of magnetic component using an appropriate method. The aim of this work is to apply Mahalanobis-Taguchi System (MTS) developed by P.C Mahalanobis and G. Taguchi in production environment specifically visual mechanical inspection (VMI) at E&E industry. MTS is used to classify normal and abnormal observations and optimize various parameters in workstation to produce better quality product. This work found that positive gain through signal to ratio (SNR) indicated the quality of system still in good condition from January with 0.3298 until December with 0.3667 after insignificant variable have been removed. This work also suggested height of excess plastic header as one of variables in VMI should be removed since the variable does not contribute to the system as shown in 2018. Meanwhile, there are two parameters reduced in March (Number of epoxy spot on winding coil and height of excess plastic header), July and August (Condition of marking and height of excess plastic header) and November (Number of scratches and height of excess plastic header). This concluded that MTS is a practical method for classification and optimization in the industry.
Optimal Technological Selection for Biomass Torrefaction
Malaysia palm oil sector plays a strategic role as the key producer for generation of renewable energy and production of biodiesel. The raw biomass has poor qualities such as high moisture content, low energy density, low bulk density and heterogeneous in nature. Biomass could supply sustainable energy in the form of bio-power, heat and bio-fuels if the suitable pre-treatment method is applied. The biomass must be pre-treated to improve properties of biomass and make it more suitable for energy applications. The pre-treatment process called torrefaction that involve the heating at 300 under 1bar. This study focused on the optimal technological selection for biomass torrefaction. The purpose of this study are to simulate the three different technologies of torrefaction using Microwave Reactor, Fluidized Bed Reactor and Rotary Drum Reactor and to optimize the selection of those technologies based on costing. There were three technology that can be model using Aspen Plus for torrefaction to represent the reactor. Then, after validation three types of torrefiers were simulated using Aspen Plus. From GAMS optimization result using CPLEX solver, one technology was selected by considering product yield of torrefied EFB, operating cost and capital cost of the technologies. The product yield, operating cost and capital cost for the Fludized Bed Reactor were 4632.67 tons per year, RM5, 683,045.50 per year and RM12, 658,926.22 per year, respectively. Fluidized bed system, has been selected to be the best technology to do torrefaction of EFB for the given conditions.
Colour and Ammonia Nitrogen Removal from Stabilised Leachate Using Two Stages Coagulation: Tapioca coagulant and Electrocoagulation
Abstract- Leachate produced in municipal solid waste landfills is known to have very high concentrations of organic and inorganic pollution substances that could contaminate the surrounding. Degradation of leachate pollutants by coagulation was done conventionally by using single chemical coagulation. The application of natural coagulants, together with electrocoagulation (EC) is still at an uncertain stage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of two stages of coagulation (TSC) consisting of coagulation (tapioca starch coagulant) and EC in removing colour and ammonia nitrogen from stabilising leachate under the influence of dose, leachate pH, duration, and electric current. Coagulation of tapioca starch without EC, removed 24% and 18% of colour and ammonia nitrogen, respectively. However, combining EC with coagulation at the optimum duration (20 minutes), a dose of TF (2.5 g/L), leachate pH (7), and electric current (0.15 A) achieved 37% and 61% removal of colour and ammonia nitrogen, respectively. The enhancement of colour and ammonia nitrogen were recorded by TSC. Therefore, TSC is proven able to improve colour and ammonia nitrogen removal from stabilised leachate.
Copyright (c) 2019 International Journal of Engineering Technology and Sciences
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE YOUTH: THE GHANAIAN PERSPECTIVE
Today's world is a global village. Everyone is connected to one another in this vast network generated by the Internet. As social media sites continue to grow in popularity it promises a lot for the modern youth. Social media has been widely adopted, with high enthusiasm among youth around the world. With very few studies focusing on youth social media use in Ghana there is wide open array of work to be done. Based on the findings of several research studies in social media area, it has been found that these Social networking sites are having a great impact on the lives of young people. Also since most of the research works have been carried out in other countries, it was found necessary and important to carry out a study in Ghana on the impact of Social Media on the youth. The main objectives of this study were to investigate the extent of social media use and the purposes, access and impact of its use by the young people in Ghana. Two hundred youth aged between 15-25 participated in the study. The findings revealed patterns of young people's social media use consistent with similar studies of youths in other countries. The study revealed the need for young people to have a greater awareness of the risks of social media use. It was found that the majority of Ghanaian youths were using Social media on an enormous scale, mainly for communication purposes. According to this study, although social media has a positive impact on the youth, yet quite a large number of respondents reported having met with negative experiences on these online sites.
Copyright (c) 2016 Universiti Malaysia Pahang
A Review: Fiber Metal Laminates (FML’s) - Manufacturing, Test methods and Numerical modeling
Weight reduction of components is the main aim of different industrial sectors. This leads to increasing application areas of fiber composites for primary structural components. Aiming this objective, a new lightweight Fiber/Metal Laminate (FML) has been developed. Fiber metal laminate is one such material which is being widely investigated for its performance compared to existing material.. The most commercially available fiber metal laminates (FML’s) are ARALL (Aramid Reinforced Aluminium Laminate), based on aramid fibers, GLARE (Glass Reinforced Aluminium Laminate), based on high strength glass fibers and CARALL (Carbon Reinforced Aluminium Laminate), based on carbon fibers. The mechanical properties of FML show advantages over the properties of both aluminium alloys and composite materials individual. This paper reviews relevant literature which deals with different manufacturing techniques for FML’s with excellent properties under tensile, flexure and impact conditions. It also reviewed recent modeling techniques on FML’s. Modeling of tensile, flexure and impacts behavior on fiber metal laminates requires understanding the bonding between the metal and composite layer. Further research is necessary in the assessment of mechanical performance of complex structures in real world conditions.
Final Year Student’s Perception before Engaging Engineering Technology Program in UTeM
In line with industrial development which is growing rapidly in Malaysia, the country is in great needs of competent technical workforce able to apply the latest concept of technology, improve equipment and system utilization, optimizing operation and maintenance of equipment. Therefore, an engineering technology program will be introduced in Malaysia education system at higher level. In determining the perception of Engineering Technology program in Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), a market survey has been conducted to gather the perception of the final year students about Engineering Technology. Total numbers of 123 students from Cohort 1 with two different departments, electrical and manufacturing were used as a sample space. The scope of the market survey covered regarding their perspective and understanding of Engineering Technology before enrolling engineering technology program from their perspective courses. The findings show that there is a difference perception in overall especially regarding their understanding of terms Engineering Technology Programs.
Formulation and Evaluation of Pregabalin Loaded Eudragit S100 Nanoparticles
In this work, polymeric nanoparticles containing Pregabalin was prepared and optimized the ideal concentration of polymer based on its in vitro release profile for a period of 24hrs.The nanoparticles were prepared by solvent displacement method using various concentrations of Eudragit S100 (EPNP1-EPNP5). The prepared nanoparticles were characterized for its particle size, zeta potential, drug content, entrapment efficiency and invitro drug release profile. The preformulation study results confirmed the compatibility between the drug and other excipients used in the formulation. The optimized formulation was selected based on its particle size, entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug release profile. The formulation which contains 300mg of Eudragit S100 (EPNP5) was selected as optimized concentration for the controlled release of Pregabalin for a period of 24hrs.
An Empirical Study of Outlook difference among Indian Students towards ICT for Demography and Educational Standards
Information and communication technology (ICT) is major backbone of Indian education system. Now days, the higher educational Institutions are using ICT based teaching and learning. Many of researchers, educators and students from the world are adapting sharply ICT in their educational life. Indian students have variety of thoughts towards ICT usage in their education. We have tried to explore the outlook difference among Indian students receiving higher education in Universities. More than five hundred students from six Universities located in Haryana and Punjab have participated in this study. This article is focusing on to find outlook difference among students towards ICT in relation to their locality and level of study. The statistically test like Z-test and T-test proves that educational standard and demography of students did not affect the outlook towards ICT awareness in higher education. This paper will support to investigators over the globe those are conducting their research on ICT awareness in higher educational institutions.