Histological observation of Gelam (Melaleuca cajuputi Powell) in different ecosystems of Terengganu

A histological and anatomical comparative analysis of Gelam, Melaleuca cajuputi Powell was conducted to determine the adaptability Gelam (Melaleuca cajuputi Powell, Family = Myrtaceae) in two different micro-ecosystems of Terengganu. The sites sampling chosen were Jambu Bongkok Amenity Forest (Formerly known as Rantau Abang Amenity Forest), a large swamp forests and prominent flooding site in the  District of Marang, Terengganu and Taman Penyelidikan Alam, Bukit Kor  - a hard top soil area of Marang, Terengganu. The objective of this study is to compare the anatomy and histology features of gelam in these two areas. Results show that gelam from both ecosystems exhibits  morphological differences and variations in some tissues (in leaf, petiole, bark, and root anatomy such as in type of epicuticular waxes, bark anatomy, leaf anatomy, vascular bundle, bark fibre pits, vessel, phloem, xylem, cortex, epidermal cells and mesophyll cells). This initial observation may suggest that gelam can adapt well in different ecosystems of Terengganu. Its ability to response well toward Terengganu’s different coastal environmental changes could make gelam a viable tree for conservation and landscape program. Keywords: Melaleuca cajuputi Powell, Gelam; anatomy; histology; microscopy; Terenggan

Microcontroller Implementation Of Single Phase Inverter Switching Strategies.

This paper presents the practical microcontroller implementation of single phase inverter switching strategies

Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar Ikatan Kimia Dengan Menerapkan Strategi Pembelajaran Peta Konsep Pada Siswa Kelas X di SMA Negeri I Telaga

This research is a class action research, which has purpose to increase student's learning achievement in chemical-bond subject by using concept-mapping strategy. The sample of this research is 31 students of 10th2 Grade at SMA Negeri 1 Telaga that consist of 6 girls and 25 boys.The increase of student's learning achievement by using concept-mapping strategy can be seen from the cycle 1 as high as 80.08% to cycle 2 as high as 85.79%.Based on the result above, the treatment hypothesis "concept-mapping strategy can be used to increase student's learning achievement in chemical-bond subject" is approved

Measuring pressure interface of local car seats under static and dynamic circumstances: a comparative study

Measuring discomfort towardthe car seat is important as the act of driving requires a driver to remain at the car seat while controlling the car. The seat condition, including sitting position as well as the driver’s posture can lead to discomfort and fatigue. The objective of this study is to investigate a driver’s pressure distribution in static and dynamic circumstances for two types of cars; the sedan and compact car. This study involved both subjective and objective evaluations of 12 respondents. For the subjective evaluation, the Visual Analog Scales (VAS) were used to obtain respondents' perception of discomfort. For the objective evaluation, pressure distribution readings of the seat interface were obtained using piezo capacitive sensors. The findings showed that the highest pressure was recorded for the compact car. Furthermore, the static circumstance showed greater pressure compared to the dynamic state. Subjective evaluation indicated that the right buttocks and the lower back (lumbar)experience the highest discomfort for both types of seats.The type of seat found to contribute to the value of different pressure. Thus, it can be concluded that appropriate seat selection can reduce pressure as well as discomfort

An immune-inspired swarm aggregation algorithm for self-healing swarm robotic systems

© 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd Swarm robotics is concerned with the decentralised coordination of multiple robots having only limited communication and interaction abilities. Although fault tolerance and robustness to individual robot failures have often been used to justify the use of swarm robotic systems, recent studies have shown that swarm robotic systems are susceptible to certain types of failure. In this paper we propose an approach to self-healing swarm robotic systems and take inspiration from the process of granuloma formation, a process of containment and repair found in the immune system. We use a case study of a swarm performing team work where previous works have demonstrated that partially failed robots have the most detrimental effect on overall swarm behaviour. We have developed an immune inspired approach that permits the recovery from certain failure modes during operation of the swarm, overcoming issues that effect swarm behaviour associated with partially failed robots

Polymer clay nanocomposites for gas separation: a review

Application of polymer clay nanocomposites for carbon dioxide (CO2) removal in gas separation by using mixed matrix membranes is promising due to the advancement of nanotechnology and polymer processing. In this regard, as clay is abundantly available, cheaper and has attractive physical and chemical properties, the incorporation of these silicate layers within the polymer matrix as filler is favourable. In principle, the exfoliated clay single layers create higher tortuosity effects and may improve the separation properties of the membrane. This review presents a synopsis of the polymer clay nanocomposites development and applications as well as their potential for the removal of CO2 from gas mixtures. Details of the recent works in the development of mixed matrix membranes embedded with clay for gas separation were also discussed. In addition, the problems and mechanism to evaluate the exfoliation properties were emphasized identifying the gaps and motivates for future research works utilizing clay nanoparticles as membrane fille

Development of an Effective Cost Management Method for Malaysian SMEs

Cost management is essential to manufacturing company for sustaining market share, competitive position and profit growth. In the past, many SMEs had made mistakes during their cost management process. Two of these major mistakes were due to lack of knowledge in cost management and not knowing the right technique to use for monitoring all production costs. This paper has two main objectives: first, to present a case study on cost management method at a local SME; and secondly, to point out their mistakes and weaknesses of its cost management system. Later, the authors will present a case study of an effective cost management method practiced by a Japanese multinational company. Based on the findings of both case studies, the authors shall propose an effective costing management method that may be applicable to local SMEs for monitoring their production costs. The authors believed this costing management method will be able to help local SMEs to improve their cost management system, which eventually giving them the opportunity to achieve more profitable sales and sustainable competitive position in global market place

Micronised Biomass Silica as Cement Replacement Material in Concrete

Micronised Biomass Silica (MBS) is an agricultural waste product which comprises of high content of silica. This study was conducted on the off-white amorphous biomass silica ash derived from the rice husk with pozzolanic index 69%. Various percentages of MBS ranging from 0% to 20% by mass have been used as cement replacement material. Compressive strength and water permeability of concrete with MBS incorporation were investigated. From the results obtained, it was identified that up to 12% of MBS is able to produce concrete with higher strength and lower in water permeability compared to control concrete

Arl3 regulates a transport system for farnesylated cargo

Arl3 is a small G-protein that is found exclusively in ciliated organisms. In addition, knocking out of Arl3 results in a plethora of ciliopathies. Arl3 is known to bind the photoreceptor (specialized cilia) specific PDE delta subunit (PDE6D), which in turn bind to prenylated proteins. The significance of this interaction and the function of Arl3 in cilia are poorly understood. Here in this study, by solving the crystal structure of a fully modified prenylated (farnesylated) Rheb in complex with PDE6D and comparing it to a structure of PDE6D in complex with the Arl3 homologue Arl2, we show that Arl3 is an allosteric regulator of PDE6D. Arl3, in a nucleotide dependent manner, releases the farnesylated cargo bound to PDE6D. We explain the molecular mechanism of this release and we further verify the mechanism in vitro and by live cell imaging. Based on this study we hypothesize that Arl3 regulate the targeting of prenylated cargo in and out the cilia