COMMUNICATION AND FINANCIAL IMPACT ON CONSTRUCTION ONGOING PROJECTS DURING MOVEMENT CONTROL ORDER Study at Klang Valley, Malaysia

Movement Control Order (MCO) is known as one of the Malaysian Government to break the chain of Covid-19. Nevertheless, this action also has impacted many industries in the country. One of the important industries afected is construction. Major impacts found are project delay, communication, and fnancial impact. Communication impacts are seen at the individual level, and organizational levels. Whilst fnancial impact can be divided into two namely: cost, and income. This research in-progress intends to investigate the impact of communication and fnancial on ongoing projects in Malaysia during the Movement Control Order (MCO) phase which happened from March 18, 2020, to 1st November, 2020. The data will be collected from selected G7 contractors registered under Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) located in Klang Valley, Malaysia. 50 to 100 project managers will be invited to be participants. Validated survey instruments will be adopted and adapted to measure the fnancial impacts of ongoing projects. The fndings will provide ideas and direction for project managers in managing ongoing projects that face unforeseen circumstance

Understanding Flood Risk Management in Asia: Concepts and Challenges

In this chapter, an attempt is made to review the behavior of flood in Asian region and mechanism of flood risk management adopted among Asian nations. Flood is the most frequent natural disaster at present and vulnerability is widespread across the globe. Though, Asian region is on a knife-edge. Distribution of natural disasters in Asia followed by economic damage and human killing is illustrated in this chapter. In addition, discourse of China, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka on flood risk management is examined. Flood risk management policies framed by these nations over the period of time are synthesized. Research and investment on forecasting, planning, preparedness, assessment, evaluation, and mitigation of flood risk are explained. This synthesis can present a pathway for better response and flood management for debated Asian countries through filling the identified policy gaps. This chapter also urges a need of holistic and inter-countries research and cross country analysis followed by increased funding for sustainable management of risk

Modeling Viscosity and Density of Ethanol-Diesel-Biodiesel Ternary Blends for Sustainable Environment

Rapid depletion in fossil fuels, inflation in petroleum prices, and rising energy demand have forced towards alternative transport fuels. Among these alternative fuels, diesel-ethanol and diesel-biodiesel blends gain the most attention due to their quality characteristics and environmentally friendly nature. The viscosity and density of these biodiesel blends are slightly higher than diesel, which is a significant barrier to the commercialization of biodiesel. In this study, the density and viscosity of 30 different ternary biodiesel blends was investigated at 15 °С and 40 °С, respectively. Different density and viscosity models were developed and tested on biodiesel blends soured from different feedstock’s including palm, coconut, soybean, mustard, and calophyllum oils. The prognostic ability and precisions of these developed models was assessed statistically using Absolute Percentage Error (APE) and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). The MAPE of 0.045% and 0.085% for density model and 1.85%, 1.41%, 3.48% and 2.27%, 1.85%, 3.50% for viscosity models were obtained on % volume and % mass basis. These developed correlations are useful for ternary biodiesel blends where alcohols are the part of biodiesel blends. The modeled values of densities and viscosities of ternary blends were significantly comparable with the measured densities and viscosities, which are feasible to avoid the harm of vehicles’ operability

A short review on causes of sea level rise for climate monitoring

Sea level rise has currently become a major issue for climate change. It has globally drawn attention because as time passes, global sea levels will continue to rise at an accelerating rate in the 21st century. It will cause a serious impact on environmental problems such as coastal inundation, salt intrusion, coastal erosion, and other phenomena. These scenarios lead to earth problems in which land and oceans continue shifting due to climate change, posing a threat to the very existence of all living beings in the coming years. As a result, climate monitoring is critical for tracking the change. Therefore, this paper reviews the physical factors that contribute to sea level rise. The main contributors for sea level rises, such as ice melting from land into the ocean, thermal expansion, a slowing of the Gulf Stream, and land sinkage, are being discussed. This paper also emphasises the studies of regional sea level, and sea level rate changes. Finally, this review will be discussed in order to clarify the causes of sea level rise issues for human society

Euler pole parameter estimation of sunda plate from present-day GPS site velocities in Malaysia

Malaysia is situated at Sunda plate that experience highly dynamic of earth's crust with frequent earthquake and volcano activities. The effect of plate motion causing the static-based geodetic reference frame in Malaysia is no longer relevant to support the centimeter level of Global Positioning System (GPS) application. Therefore, an updated Sundaland plate motion model is necessary to cater to the effect thus preserving the reliability of the geodetic reference frame. This study aimed at determining regional plate motion of Sundaland in support of dynamic reference frame. The work involved in generating precise Position Errors Time Series (PETS) from GPS Continuous Operating Reference System (CORS) data in Malaysia and neighbouring country. The Coordinates Time Series (CTS) were then used to estimate velocity vector and the precision form the results depicted at -8.0429±3.0215mm, 3.873±3.288mm, and 0.913±7.775mm for component northing, easting and up, respectively. From the velocity vector, location of Euler pole of Sunda plate was found at latitude 5.8482 ° N and longitude -95.1017 ° E with estimated angular momentum of 0.201O/Myr± 0.0389. It can be expected that the result will be useful for maintaining the reliability of the reference frame in South East Malaysia

Public perceptions on the importance of ecosystem services from vulnerable forest: a case study of Ampang Forest Reserve, Selangor, Malaysia

Forest reserve degazettement affects the sustainability of forests by altering their ecological functions, hence threatening human livelihoods. This study examines a recently degazetted forest, using a survey of 120 local respondents living near the Ampang Forest Reserve (AFR) in Selangor, Malaysia. A simple random sampling technique was implemented to reduce sampling bias, and descriptive and correlation statistics were used in the analysis. The study aimed a) to examine the public perceived importance of forest ecosystem services from the AFR, b) to determine public awareness of a range of environmental threat levels towards the AFR's ecosystem services, and c) to assess public agreement on conservation measures that could increase protection and ensure the sustainability of ecosystem services from the remaining area of the AFR. The results revealed that all ecosystem services were perceived as important, and the public was mostly aware of environmental threats. At the same time, conservation measures should be implemented to protect and ensure the sustainability of ecosystem services from the AFR. This study provides insights into public perceptions of the importance of forest ecosystem services derived from vulnerable forest reserves. This indicates the relevance and need for better protection in high-risk forest areas, as local livelihood depends on its significant ecological roles

Green strength properties of waterjet abrasive waste as potential composition in green mould By Taguchi And ANOVA approach

The sand casting process still continues today due to the cost-effectiveness of materials and processes. There is a wide variety of castings related to composition and size, but silica sand is widely available from coastal line mining and has a negative impact on the environment. Moreover, waste from waterjet cutting of non-ferrous and ferrous metals is practically unhazardous and may potentially be used in sand casting mould. The aim of this paper is to optimize the proportion of coal dust, water and bentonite added to the silica sand mixture and the waterjet cutting abrasive waste as a new way of handling waste with the potential to be used in sand casting manufacturing. The method used was L9 orthogonal array optimization and the composition was qualitatively measured using a green compression strength test and a green shear strength test. Factors were evaluated using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) to find the the critical factors while confirmation test was conducted for the optimal material proportion. The study concluded that the ideal ratio for silica sand mixture with waterjet abrasive waste is bentonite-12%, coal dust-5%, and water-7% for green compression strength while bentonite-12%, coal dust-6%, water-7% for green shear strength. With proper selection, the incorporation of waterjet abrasive waste into the green sand mixture is promising to potentially be used in green sand mould casting without undermine the quality of mould

Effect of additivized biodiesel blends on diesel engine performance, emission, tribological characteristics, and lubricant tribology

Abstract: This research work focuses on investigating the lubricity and analyzing the engine characteristics of diesel–biodiesel blends with fuel additives (titanium dioxide (TiO2) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC)) and their effect on the tribological properties of a mineral lubricant. A blend of palm–sesame oil was used to produce biodiesel using ultrasound-assisted transesterification. B30 (30% biodiesel + 70% diesel) fuel was selected as the base fuel. The additives used in the current study to prepare ternary fuel blends were TiO2 and DMC. B30 + TiO2 showed a significant reduction of 6.72% in the coefficient of friction (COF) compared to B30. B10 (Malaysian commercial diesel) exhibited very poor lubricity and COF among all tested fuels. Both ternary fuel blends showed a promising reduction in wear rate. All contaminated lubricant samples showed an increment in COF due to the dilution of combustible fuels. Lub + B10 (lubricant + B10) showed the highest increment of 42.29% in COF among all contaminated lubricant samples. B30 + TiO2 showed the maximum reduction (6.76%) in brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC). B30 + DMC showed the maximum increment (8.01%) in brake thermal efficiency (BTE). B30 + DMC exhibited a considerable decline of 32.09% and 25.4% in CO and HC emissions, respectively. The B30 + TiO2 fuel blend showed better lubricity and a significant improvement in engine characteristics

Comparative study of nanoparticles and alcoholic fuel additives-biodiesel-diesel blend for performance and emission improvements

This study aims to investigate a CI diesel engine characteristic of diesel-biodiesel blend with oxygenated alcohols and nanoparticle fuel additives. Biodiesel was synthesized from a complementary palm-sesame oil blend using an ultrasound-assisted transesterification process. B30 was mixed with fuel additives as the base fuel to form ternary blends in different proportions before engine testing. The oxygenated alcohols (DMC and DEE) and nanoparticles (CNT and TiO2) were used to improve both the fuel characteristics and engine emission and performance parameters. B30 fuel was mixed with 5% (DEE) and 10% (DMC) by volume and 100 ppm concentration of CNT and TiO2 nanoparticles, respectively, which are kept constant during this study. Engine performance and emissions characteristics were studied using a CI diesel engine with variable engine rpm at full load condition. The results were compared with B30 fuel and B10 (commercial diesel). The main findings indicated that the B30 + TiO2 ternary blend shows an overall decrease in brake specific fuel consumption up to 4.1% among all tested fuels. B30 + DMC produced a higher 9.88% brake thermal efficiency, among other fuels. B30 + DMC ternary blend showed a maximum decrease in CO and HC emissions by 29.9% and 21.4%, respectively, collated to B30. B30 + CNT ternary blend showed a maximum reduction of 3.92% in NOx emissions compared to B30

Peptide-Based Vaccine against Breast Cancer: Recent Advances and Prospects

Breast cancer is considered the second-leading cancer after lung cancer and is the most prevalent cancer among women globally. Currently, cancer immunotherapy via vaccine has gained great attention due to specific and targeted immune cell activity that creates a potent immune response, thus providing long-lasting protection against the disease. Despite peptides being very susceptible to enzymatic degradation and poor immunogenicity, they can be easily customized with selected epitopes to induce a specific immune response and particulate with carriers to improve their delivery and thus overcome their weaknesses. With advances in nanotechnology, the peptide-based vaccine could incorporate other components, thereby modulating the immune system response against breast cancer. Considering that peptide-based vaccines seem to show remarkably promising outcomes against cancer, this review focuses on and provides a specific view of peptide-based vaccines used against breast cancer. Here, we discuss the benefits associated with a peptide-based vaccine, which can be a mainstay in the prevention and recurrence of breast cancer. Additionally, we also report the results of recent trials as well as plausible prospects for nanotechnology against breast cancer