INVESTIGATING THE NATIONAL DIGITAL CADASTRAL DATABASE (NDCDB) DATA HANDLING WITHIN GIS APPLICATIONS

This paper explains the investigation carried out to understand NDCDB data handling within GIS applications. The method used was a case study replicated to five established GIS applications from different agencies, namely eKadasOnline, SKiP, iPlan, TM SmartMap and DBKL Interactive Portal. The case study was propositioned to the statements of; i) “Such methods of applying NDCDB are because user understands its characteristics”, and ii) “such methods of applying NDCDB are because users know how to adopt it.” Cross-case comparison analysis was then conducted to identify rival findings and explanation building. Based on the evidence of the multi-case study, it was concluded that such methods of adopting NDCDB by the GIS applications administrators and developers were because most of them have a partial understanding of the NDCDB characteristics which led to NDCDB being adopted based on the method that they think were suitable. Recommendations are highlighted in this paper to rectify knowledge-based mistakes found in this study, that included; i) ensuring the NDCDB’s cut-off-date; ii) utilises all existing NDCDB layers; iii) ensure to use the map projection parameters are the authorised and official value; iv) understand that the NDCDB utilises the GDM2000 datum with ITRF2000 epoch 2006; v) False Easting and North Easting can be discarded for geocentric datum; vi) adopting the built-in Geocentric Cassini map projection of GIS software is not advisable; and vii) obtaining relevant additional NDCDB layers. With the recommendations emplace, it is hoped the full potential of NDCDB can be tapped especially for multipurpose cadastre implementation including to ease spatial analysis. Data replication, exhaustion of resources, and reduce risks or costly investments made by decision makers, policy makers, developers or individuals can be avoided when NDCDB is fully optimised for spatial analysis

Analyzing windstorm pattern in Malaysia based on extracted Twitter data.

Wind-rain interactions often lead to severe windstorm events and consequently cause damages and fatal destructions. The increase in frequency of recent windstorm events overwhelmed the nation. Thus, efforts in obtaining and recording these events are intensified with the help of current technology. This study aims to analyze the pattern of recent windstorm events by utilizing big data and GIS. In this study, the reported windstorm events in Twitter application were extracted using R-programming. Prior to analyses, the extracted data were screened to remove any outliers found. The extracted data were selected based on the credibility of its sources to ensure the accuracy and quality. These selected data were extracted from trusted users such as Meteorological Department of Malaysia (MMD), Berita Harian, Bernama and others. This study has demonstrated the possibility of Twitter data as an alternative data source in windstorm studies based on its reasonable findings. It is exhibited that there is drastic increased of windstorm events frequency in years 2018-2020, especially in the northern and west-coast regions of Peninsular. The highest frequency was recorded in April (inter-monsoon season) while the lowest is in February and December (northeast monsoon). The increase of frequency in several locations in the Peninsular is very alarming especially in the Klang Valley since this region is highly populated and serves as Malaysia's important economic zones. Hence, risk control should be considered in this region to reduce the negative impacts as suggested in SDG11 and SDG13

Batch study on COD and ammonia nitrogen removal using granular activated carbon and cockle shells

Landfills generate leachate that contains elevated concentration of contaminants and is hazardous to human health and the ecosystem. In this study, the mixture of granular activated carbon and cockle shells was investigated for remediation of COD and ammonia from stabilized landfill leachate. All adsorbent media were sieved to a particle size between 2.00 and 3.35 mm. The optimum mixing ratio, shaking speed, shaking time, pH, and dosage were determined. Characterization results show that the leachate had a high concentration of COD (1763 mg/L), ammonia nitrogen (573 mg/L), and BOD5/COD ratio (0.09). The optimum mixing ratio of granular activated carbon and cockle shells was 20:20, shaking speed 150 rpm, pH level 6, shaking time 120 min, and dosage 32 g. The adsorption isotherm analysis reveals that the Langmuir isotherm yielded the best fit to experimental data as compared with the Freundlich isotherm. The media produce encouraging results and can be used as a good and economical adsorbent

The analysis of grid independence study in continuous disperse of MQL delivery system

A sustainable cutting method of Minimum Quantity Lubricant (MQL) was introduced to promote lubrication effect and improve machinability. However, its performances are very dependent on the effectiveness of its mist to penetrate deep into the cutting zone. Optimizing the MQL system requires massive experimental work that increases cost and time. Therefore, this study conducts Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis using ANSYS Fluent and focuses on the grid independence study in dispersed-continuous phase of MQL delivery system. The main aim is to identify the best mesh model that influences the accuracy of the CFD model. The analysis proposed two different unstructured grid cell elements of quadrilateral and triangular that were only applicable for 2-dimensional fluid flow in CFD. The unstructured grid was controlled with three different mesh quality factors such as Relevance Center, Smoothing, and Span Angle Center at coarse /low, medium, and fine /high. The results showed that the best mesh quality for quadrilateral was at 60,000 nodes number and coarse mesh, whereas the triangular was at 90,000 nodes number and coarse mesh. Both combinations resulted the most consistent and reliable result when compared with past studies. However, this study decided to choose quadrilateral cell element with 60,000 nodes number and coarse mesh as it is considered to be sufficient to provide accurate and reliable result as well as practical in terms of computational time for the MQL model in CFD analysis

Ergogenic, anti-diabetic and antioxidant attributes of selected Malaysian herbs: characterisation of flavonoids and correlation of functional activities

In the present work, aqueous ethanolic (60% ethanol) extracts from selected Malaysian herbs including Murraya koenigii L. Spreng, Lawsonia inermis L., Cosmos caudatus Kunth, Piper betle L., and P. sarmentosum Roxb. were evaluated for their ergogenic, anti-diabetic and antioxidant potentials. Results showed that the analysed herbs had ergogenic property and were able to activate 5'AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in a concentration dependant manner. The highest AMPK activation was exhibited by M. koenigii extract which showed no significant (p > 0.05) difference with green tea (positive control). For anti-diabetic potential, the highest α-glucosidase inhibition was exhibited by M. koenigii extract with IC50 of 43.35 ± 7.5 μg/mL, which was higher than acarbose (positive control). The determinations of free radical scavenging activity and total phenolics content (TPC) indicated that the analysed herbs had good antioxidant activity. However, C. caudatus extract showed superior antioxidant activity with IC50 against free radical and TPC of 21.12 ± 3.20 μg/mL and 221.61 ± 7.49 mg GAE/g, respectively. RP-HPLC analysis established the presence of flavonoids in the herbs wherein L. inermis contained the highest flavonoid (catechin, epicatechin, naringin and rutin) content (668.87 mg/kg of extract). Correlations between the analyses were conducted, and revealed incoherent trends. Overall, M. koenigii was noted to be the most potent herb for enhancement of AMPK activity and α-glucosidase inhibition but exhibited moderate antioxidant activity. These results revealed that the selected herbs could be potential sources of natural ergogenic and anti-diabetic/antioxidant agents due to their rich profile of phenolics. Further analysis in vivo should be carried out to further elucidate the mechanism of actions of these herbs as ergogenic aids and anti-diabetic/antioxidant agents

Enhancing the decolorization of methylene blue using a low-cost super-absorbent aided by response surface methodology

The presence of organic dyes from industrial wastewater can cause pollution and exacerbate environmental problems; therefore, in the present work, activated carbon was synthesized from locally available oil palm trunk (OPT) biomass as a low-cost adsorbent to remove synthetic dye from aqueous media. The physical properties of the synthesized oil palm trunk activated carbon (OPTAC) were analyzed by SEM, FTIR-ATR, and XRD. The concurrent effects of the process variables (adsorbent dosage (g), methylene blue (MB) concentration (mg/L), and contact time (h)) on the MB removal percentage from aqueous solution were studied using a three-factor three-level Box–Behnken design (BBD) of response surface methodology (RSM), followed by the optimization of MB adsorption using OPTAC as the adsorbent. Based on the results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the three parameters considered, adsorbent dosage (X1) is the most crucial parameter, with an F-value of 1857.43, followed by MB concentration (X2) and contact time (X3) with the F-values of 95.60 and 29.48, respectively. Furthermore, the highest MB removal efficiency of 97.9% was achieved at the optimum X1, X2, and X3 of 1.5 g, 200 mg/L, and 2 h, respectivel

The influence of samarium doping in Bi1.6 (Pb0.4)Sr2- xSmxCa2Cu3Oy prepared by coprecipitation method

The influence of Sm doping on the phase formation, normal state properties and microstructure development of Bi-2223 superconductors was systematically investigated. Samarium was incorporated in the strontium site with x ranging from 0.00 to 0.30 prepared via coprecipitation technique. The four point probe measurements showed the loss in metallic behaviour for the samples with Sm doped above x=0.2. XRD results showed the decrease of the volume percentage of the 2223 phase followed by increasing in the density of the lattice. The SEM micrographs showed the decrease in the grain size for all samples containing samarium. The temperature dependence of ac susceptibility data shows the shifting towards lower temperature as the Sm concentration increases presence of low Tconset phase. The imaginary component, χ”, shows a decrease in the intergranular coupling peak, Tp, towards lower temperature as the Sm concentration increases. Samarium did not enhance the Tc(R=0) but gradually decreases its value from 102. K to 52 K for x=0.00 to x=0.20 respectively

Batch isotherm and thermodynamic studies of pineapple (Ananas comosus) plant stem as agricultural biosorbent for the removal of Basic Blue 3 and Congo Red dyes

There are considerable amount of dyes to be discharged in the effluent from dyeing and finishing processes in the textile industry. The discharged dyes are known to be toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic toward the aquatic system. A low concentration of dyes in the effluent can affect the aesthetic and transparency of water stream. Remaining dyes in the effluent necessitated colour removal along with the stringent restrictions and regulations established. Agricultural waste generally is preferred due to its cost-effective and good performance in adsorption. Pineapple plant stem (PPS) is one of the agricultural residues after shoots transplantation. Utilisation of PPS in dyes removal not only can remediate textile wastewater but also reduce the agricultural waste management problem in Malaysia. In the present study, the performance of pineapple plant stem for cationic (Basic Blue 3, BB3) and anionic (Congo Red, CR) dyes removal has been evaluated in a batch process. The isotherm equilibrium studies indicated that BB3 could be well described by Freundlich model (R² = 0.999) while high correlation values of CR obtained from Langmuir (R² = 0.999) and Temkin (R² = 0.997) models. The maximum sorption capacities for BB3 and CR were found to be 59.52 and 11.92 mg g¯¹, respectively under a favourable sorption process. The dependency of BB3 and CR adsorption on temperature was validated by van’t Hoff equation. The effect of temperature on the BB3 and CR removal by PPS was ascertained by studying the temperature-dependence dyes distribution between bulk solution and adsorbent, and the interaction between dyes and adsorbent. Removal of BB3 and CR by PPS was found to be exothermic. The result suggests that PPS has higher affinity on cationic than anionic dye

Integrating ILS in dissolving palm fruit cellulose

Ionic liquids (ILs) are introduced to improve the production of palm oil in industry in order to extract more thus lowering the oil losses. The main objective of this study is to investigate the potential of sulfate-based ILs in dissolving palm fruit cellulose. The interpretation study was done in lab scale by dissolving cellulose (that directly extracted from palm fruit) in ILs and percentage of cellulose dissolved is calculated based on weight percentage dissolved. The highest average percentage dissolving of cellulose was 10.67 wt% with condition concentration of sulfate-based ILs is 9000 ppm and the mixing time was two hours. In a nutshell, the higher concentration of ILs and more mixing time will achieve higher percentage of cellulose dissolved