Sugarcane Bagasse Pretreatment Methods for Ethanol Production

Lignocellulosic biomass such as sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is a renewable and abundant source for ethanol production. Sugarcane bagasse is composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, extractives, and several inorganic materials. Pretreatment methods of SCB are necessary for the successful conversion of SCB to ethanol. Each pretreatment process has a specific effect on the cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin fraction. The conversion of SCB to ethanol typically consists of four main steps: pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation, and distillation. Hence, different pretreatment methods should be chosen according to the process design for the following hydrolysis, fermentation, and distillation steps. There are many types of pretreatments such as physical, chemical, physico-chemical, and biological pretreatments. This chapter reviews the chemical and physico-chemical pretreatment methods of SCB which are often used by many researchers for ethanol production. Different chemical and physico-chemical pretreatment methods of SCB are introduced and discussed based on relevance to the sugar yield, lignin removal, and cellulose content after pretreatment

Legal Consequences of the Merger of Companies on the Implementation of Guarantee Function of Mortgage

This study aims to: 1) Knowing and analyzing the execution of mortgage guarantees due to the company merger, 2) Knowing and analyzing the legal consequences of the merger on mortgage holders to be executed, 3) Knowing the deed of settlement resulting from the company merger on the implementation of the mortgage guarantee function. The research method used empirical juridical, namely by collecting data or statutory regulations, as well as conducting interviews with related respondents. The specifications used in this study were descriptive analysis. Researchers used empirical specifications with primary and secondary data. The primary data used were obtained directly through the opinions and statements of the respondents through interviews and the reality in the field through observation. The secondary data used by the researcher is carried out by conducting a literature study by reviewing, analyzing and then processing it into a descriptive narrative so that it is easy to understand when read. The data analysis method used by researchers from the stages of primary and secondary data obtained would be descriptive-qualitative analysis. Based on the research, it can be concluded that the legal consequences of the company merger on the implementation of the mortgage guarantee function of the old company that had merged did not renew the credit agreement and mortgage certificate after the merger, so that the new company could not carry out the execution due to the negligence of the old company. Even though the guarantee is in the old company's control, the bank is only the seller of the goods, it remains the property of the debtor so that it is against propriety and violates the rights of the owner of the goods if the bank violates it by selling cheap prices. In accordance with developments in Indonesia after the birth of the Mortgage Law, the grosse deed is still maintained by introducing the mortgage certificate which also uses irah-irah so that it has executive power

Aplikasi M-pembelajaran dalam kalangan pelajar politeknik

Pembangunan dan kemajuan teknologi mudah alih berkembang pesat setelah teknologi ini diterapkan dalam sistem pendidikan di Malaysia. M-pembelajaran adalah pendekatan pembelajaran yang menentukan penguasaan pengetahuan dan kemahiran melalui teknologi mudah alih. Oleh yang demikian, kajian ini dijalankan bagi mengkaji tahap penggunaan m-pembelajaran dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran, faktor-faktor yang penggunaan m-pembelajaran serta sikap pelajar terhadap penggunaan m-pembelajaran ini dalam kalangan pelajar politeknik. Kajian ini berbentuk tinjauan secara deskriptif dan melibatkan seramai 322 sampel pelajar Politeknik Ibrahim Sultan. Borang soal selidik digunakan sebagai instrumen bagi tujuan pengumpulan data. Data yang diperolehi dianalisis menggunakan perisian SPSS versi 21.0. Hasil analisis didapati tahap penggunaan m-pembelajaran dalam kalangan pelajar adalah tinggi. Faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi penggunaan m-pembelajaran seperti persepsi kebergunaan (Perceived Usefulness - PU) dan persepsi mudah digunakan (Perceived Ease of Use-PEOU) berada pada tahap tinggi. Manakala sikap pelajar terhadap penggunaan m-pembelajaran dalam pembelajaran sangat positif. Dapatan kajian ini berguna kepada pensyarah serta pentadbir politeknik dalam meningkatkan penggunaan m-pembelajaran dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran

Manufacturing and mechanical characterization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes/quartz nanocomposite

Monolithic refractory ceramic materials have outstanding heat resistant properties at elevated temperature and possess high stiffness but are generally brittle. To toughen a typical matrix of natural traditional monolithic quartz ceramic, functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (FMWNTs) were added to the matrix as filler for the first time and processed by a wet method using conventional powder processing; involving consolidation by pressureless sintering technique, to obtain the novel nanocomposite. The effect of the varied amount of carbon nanotubes (0.01, 0.1, 0.5, 1 & 4 wt.%) on densification and mechanical properties of the composites were studied. 1 wt.% FMWNTs/quartz (QF-1) possesses moderate tensile and compressive strengths, modest Young’s modulus and toughness, and high fracture strain in tension. Good combination of strengths and toughness in QF-1 nanocomposite, suggest the possibility of using 1 wt.% FMWNTs as an additive in the preparation of silica/silica-based refractory mixture for optimum mechanical properties

Pendekatan coaching dalam meningkatkan prestasi pekerja dalam organisasi di Malaysia

Program coaching di organisasi telah lama bertapak di Malaysia, namun begitu, kajian mengenai coaching masih pada tahap yang rendah. Setiap pekerja mempunyai bakat yang berbeza dan tertentu. Terdapat pelbagai cara dan kaedah dalam menyerlahkan bakat seseorang. Salah satu daripada kaedah-kaedah adalah melalui bimbingan pembimbing. Dengan nasihat dan pandangan daripada pembimbing, pekerja dapat menyerlahkan bakat dalam kerja yang diberikan, seterusnya melahirkan pekerja yang berkemahiran tinggi. Kajian ini adalah membincangkan mengenai pendekatan coaching dalam organisasi di Malaysia bagi meningkatkan prestasi pekerja. Setiap pekerja mempunyai set kemahiran dan pengetahuan yang berbeza apabila memasuki bidang pekerjaan. Pihak organisasi perlu melantik pembimbing yang sesuai yang akan ditugaskan untuk membantu pekerja menyesuaikan diri pada tempat yang baru. Mereka juga perlu membimbing pekerja mendapatkan set kemahiran dan pengetahuan yang diperlukan di dalam unit yang baru agar bersesuaian dengan tugasan yang diberikan

The Potential of Using Augmented Reality (AR) Technology as Learning Material in TVET

In the field of education today, people can choose from a variety of ways and methods to acquire specific information and skills; here are some good examples: classroom lectures with textbooks, computers, hand-held devices, and other electronics appliances such as tablets and smartphones. In a rapidly changing society, there are countless sources of knowledge and a great deal of available information; hence, adopting an appropriate method and applying relevant information at the right time and place are important in both schools and business settings. The augmented reality (AR) technology is one of the most advanced developments in the education sector tailored for 21st Century learning. With so much to offer, it is worthwhile to investigate the potential of integrating AR into the teaching-learning processes. This study focuses on exploring the possibility of merging TVET learning materials with the AR technology; the survey was carried out among the lecturers to gauge their knowledge and perception of AR as well as the relationship between the two elements. This quantitative study includes randomly selected samples of 230 lecturers from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM). The respondents were given a questionnaire to answer. The SPSS version 22 software package was used to analyse the data collected. Overall, the mean score indicates that the lecturers' knowledge level for AR technology is high. The lecturers also have a positive perception of using AR as a tool to incorporate and present the learning materials. Finally, this study discovers that there is a positive relationship between the lecturers’ information about AR and their perception of using AR as a vehicle to deliver the learning materials. AR is expected to achieve widespread adoption in schools, universities and colleges,  TVET and other higher learning institutions. Therefore, this study may be useful to the developers and providers of augmented reality solutions, end users of these solutions, teachers and students, and the experimenting digital communities.&nbsp

BlackBerry consumers in Indonesia: Purchasing Decision, Customer Satisfaction, Lifestyle, and the Words of Mouth Communication

Indonesia has long been named as the country with most BlackBerry users in the world. In August 2012 Ericsson ConsumberLab released the result of its study that Indonesia noted as the country with most BlackBerry users in the Asia Pacific region. This phenomenon invited pretty much reactions, ranging from admiration to a sense of wonder, considering the position of Indonesia as a developing country that indicates the limited purchasing power, while the price of a BlackBerry smart phone is quite expensive. The following research attempts to uncover the phenomenon of consumer behavior in Indonesia, particularly on BlackBerry users. Basically this report is a combination of 3 (three) explorative and co relational studies, which explores factors that influence buying decisions, consumer satisfaction and lifestyle, and the words of mouth communication, especially among college students. Respondents for each study were 181, 200, and 215 students, who were taken by incidental sampling technique. Data analysis techniques using correlation and factor analysis. The results will be discussed later

A legal comparative study between Malaysia and Australia on the hygiene level of food production / Johana Baidura Putri Johari…[et al.]

There are few types of laws that govern hygiene level of food production. In Malaysia there is the Malaysian Food Act 1983 which is the Parent Act and under it there is Malaysian Food Regulations 1993 and Malaysian Food Hygiene Regulations 2009. There are also similar laws that exist in Australia which is Food Standards Australia New Zealand 1991 and Australian Food Safety Standard 3.2.3. which is under Australia New Zealand Food Standards. However, although it is similar, there are many differences that can be seen in the Malaysian food law. This study is done to compare between the laws in Malaysia and Australia in order to improve hygiene level in Malaysia so that it is at the same par as hygiene levels in Australia. In addition, it is to give proper awareness to consumers on the importance of food hygiene

Analysis of ferroresonance effect in power transformer

Ferroresonance phenomenon normally might occur in circuit that contains non-linear inductances, capacities, voltage source and small losses. The formation of Ferroresonance effect and Ferroresonance overvoltage become more topical problem today. Then by lowering of power losses during electric power transmission, system might become more sensitive on the consequences of different transient progresses. It is important to give an appropriate extra attention to the analysis and outline of simulation with the usage the most accurate mathematical models, which allow us to study the behavior of ferroresonance circuit without any risk. This paper shows a development effort to study and assess various impacts of ferroresonance phenomenon on operating performance of power transformers and to investigate ways to mitigate the effects of such phenomenon. This study used three-phase core type of transformer. The example of formation and process of ferroresonance effect in the part of power system and use of simulative software PSCAD will be described in detail in this thesis. The results of the technical investigation and the associated ferroresonance simulation work by PSCAD showed that ferroresonance can cause dangerous overvoltages and overcurrents in three-phase core type transformers

The role of knowledge, emotion, and intention in influencing students’ behaviors during COVID-19 pandemic

This study aims to investigate the influence of students’ knowledge, attitude, and behavioral intention on their behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey study was designed using an online questionnaire involving 653 respondents from the first to final-year students at a Malaysian university. A CACQ-COV instrument was designed based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) model, comprising 67 items in four constructs: students’ knowledge of the current pandemic, emotional engagement, behavioral intention, and behavioral action. The results show that the students learn most about the COVID-19 pandemic from the media and the internet platform; more than 50% of the students rated the television broadcast as the most trusted media. The mean scores of the students’ knowledge about COVID-19 facts and symptoms; emotion, intention, and action are at high levels. In addition, knowledge, emotion, and behavioral intention have significantly influenced the students’ behaviors and actions; it is noted that emotion has the greatest influence compared with knowledge and behavioral intention. The implication is that television broadcast should be the primary choice of media for carrying out future mass campaigns, in preference to social media, especially for announcing urgent matters and disseminating information related to the current issues