Nature & structure: merging blue & green landscape for holistic well being at Metropolitan Batu Park

This project is about enhancing the holistic well-being of the community around Metropolitan Batu Park and Sungai Batu Retention Pond that might have face the urban issues in term of environment, social and economy aspect. Therefore this project is proposed to create an integration of the blue and green landscape element, infrastructure and technology in merging these two area into one family park that can give the platform in spreading the positive well-being effect to the users. The project is located at Metropolitan Batu Park which is 33 acres and Sungai Batu Retention Pond which is 253 acres. The total area is 286 acres. Figure 1 shows the key and location plan of the selected site. Both area is classified as zone A (Sungai Batu Retention Pond) that consist of natural retention pond area that is not accessible to public engagement, and Zone B (Metropolitan Batu Park) which is a lake park consist of few recreational activities however is not being fully utilized due to maintenance problem Both water bodies of these two area is from the ex-mining open pit that have turned into beautiful lakes. Figure 2 shows the zoning area between these two parks throughout the planning process and the demographic data of the community area. This two zone is separated by Jalan 1/18D, a newly constructed road crossing the area connected to the main road

Effect of different drying treatments on colour quality and ascorbic acid concentration of guava fruit

Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a rich source of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) having high water content (above 80%) which makes it extremely perishable, but storage, handling, processing and transporting becomes difficult due to high moisture content. Therefore, guava needs dehydration process by upholding its natural colour and minimum ascorbic acid losses. We have carried out a comprehensive study to examine the influence of different drying treatments; under direct sunlight, freezing, convection oven (50, 60, 70, 80 and 90°C) and microwave oven (100, 250, 440, 600 and 1000 watts) on ascorbic acid concentration and colour quality of guava. The mean values of ascorbic acid concentration of dried guava slices were changed significantly (P < 0.05) as compared to fresh guava slices. The colour of guava slices became yellowish with an increase in temperature and power of conventional and microwave ovens, respectively. We found freeze drying as the best method for the dehydration of guava in terms of ascorbic acid and natural colour preservation

Thermal properties of low density polyethylene-filled kenaf cellulose composites.

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the thermal properties of the kenaf cellulose (0 - 50 %wt) and the low-density polyethylene (LDPE) composites. In addition, the effect of two different weights of compatibilizing agent, polyethylene glycol (PEG),was examined. Each sample of biocomposites was subjected to the heating of the cycle between 35-600 °C to obtain their thermal behavior by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).The differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) also was determined in the cycle heating of 25- 600 °C. By increasing cellulose content, the thermal stability was slightly improved. The thermal stability of LDPE-cellulose composites was affected by cellulose and PEG. The onset degradation temperature and the decomposition temperature of the composites were increased when the cellulose is added to the LDPE matrix. Also, the melting temperature (Tm) and the enthalpy (ΔH) of these biocomposites were slightly soared by increasing cellulose and PEG content. This enhancement of thermal stability and properties can be attributed to an improvement in the interfacial adhesion and compatibility between the cellulose and matrix, due to the treatment of compatibilizing agent

Effect of confining pressure on particle breakage during shearing stage in consolidated drained (CD) triaxial tests on sand

The effect of confining pressure on particle breakage during the shearing stage of quartz sand has been studied in Consolidated Drained (CD) triaxial tests. Experimental investigations have been carried out on saturated sand specimens using standard triaxial apparatus. Two series of triaxial tests were done, firstly without unloading during the shearing stage and second, with unloading at 1% axial strain during the shearing stage. CD triaxial tests have been performed at high and low confining pressures i.e. 50, 100, 150, 200, 300 and 400 kPa. The specimen size is 50 mm in diameter and 100 mm in height and compacted to equal density. On each specimen, the particle size distribution test was carried out before and after the triaxial test was completed to check the number of broken particles. The results show that no definitive peak point was observed in the stress-strain relationship even after 20% axial strain and this is suspected due to particle breakage. As the confining pressure increased, it was found that the maximum deviator stress also increased. This study has shown that the particle breakage is very small. The increment in % finer material (<0.6 mm) ranged from 0.13% to 0.22%. It was found that the particle breakage increased with increasing the confining pressure. The particle breakage was very important in considering the sand's strength and volume change

Users' perception on children at masjid - planning for children friendly masjid

Masjid is an important institution to know Allah SWT, empower, and unite society. Early exposure of children to masjid is crucial as nurturing them to love masjid is a process towards loving the creator, strengthening their faith, and improving akhlaq (behaviour) towards becoming a good Muslim and eventually forming a stable society and nation. However, there have been some negative perceptions on the presence of young children in masjid among the jamaah (congregational members). This discourages families in engaging their young children with masjid as early as possible. Eventually, it would hinder them from learning high values of Islam that would strengthen their faith, shape good character, and akhlaq. This study aims to identify the perception of the parents or guardian that bring children to masjid as well as other jamaah on the presence of children at masjid through a structured questionnaire survey with random sampling approach. Eight masjids within the urban area of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor were involved with the target of fifty respondents each. 55.2% of the 400 respondents were parents/guardians that bring children to the masjid. The findings suggest that respondents welcome the presence of children at masjid as it is deemed suitable as a place for children's education and that masjid should provide educational programmes for them. Crying and playing children seem to distract the jamaah. Hence they feel designated spaces for children is deemed necessary

Effect of PEG on the biodegradability studies of kenaf cellulose -polyethylene composites

Several blends of cellulose derived from bast part of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) plant, with different thermoplastics, low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE), were prepared by a melt blending machine. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used as plasticizer. Biodegradability of these blends was measured using soil burial test in order to study the rates of biodegradation of these polymer blends. It was found that the cellulose/LDPE and cellulose/HDPE blends were biodegradable in a considerable rate. The bio-composites with high content of cellulose had higher degradation rate. In addition, biodegradability of the bio-composites made up using PEG was superior to those of the bio-composites fabricated without PEG, due to the improved wetting of the plasticizer in the matrix polymer. The results were also supported by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

Detonation effects of shallow buried explosive in sandy soil on target plate acceleration in a small-scale blast test

Small-scale blast tests were carried out to observe and measure the influence of sandy soil towards explosive blast intensity. The tests were to simulate blast impact imparted by anti-vehicular landmine to a lightweight armoured vehicle (LAV). Time of occurrence of the three phases of detonation phase in soil with respect to upward translation time of the test apparatus were recorded using high-speed video camera. At the same time the target plate acceleration was measured using shock accelerometer. It was observed that target plate deformation took place at early stage of the detonation phase before the apparatus moved vertically upwards. Previous data of acceleration-time history and velocity-time history from air blast detonation were compared. It was observed that effects of soil funnelling on blast wave together with the impact from soil ejecta may have contributed to higher blast intensity that characterized detonation in soil, where detonation in soil demonstrated higher plate velocity compared to what occurred in air blast detonation

The effect of landscape design elements and mosque design on the thermal environment of main prayer hall: a case study of Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque, Putrajaya

Climate plays a vital role in thermal comfort environment. In hot and humid climate, the increment of air temperature is normally associated with the associating phenomena of the urban heat island and green house effect. Studies have pointed out that the external features of the surroundings have a direct impact on the internal thermal environment of buildings which requires a profound perception on environmental parameters such as air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation. Implementation of bioclimatic design ought to be integrated as it may have an impact on the indoor thermal environment of buildings. Thus, this research paper aims to investigate the influence of landscape surface materials and mosque design towards the indoor thermal environment of the mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Several research methods have been applied such as survey questionnaire, site inventory, observation, and measuring the environmental parameters such as air temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and solar radiation. Some of the findings show that the concrete slab material of the outdoor landscape design absorbs more heat, which the highest reading is more than 50°C, and secondly the internal spaces reading of air temperature beside the pool areais lower which is at 27°C compared to the air temperature within the main prayer hall which is at 31°C.Hence, the paper will establish that landscape design elements such as the hard surface materials do have an impact towards the indoor thermal environment of the main prayer hall

How children use spaces in the masjid?

Ramadhan is the best month to visit Masjid as many activities are organised to liven up the month. During this time of the year, many would take the opportunity to bring their children to experience tarawih, iftor (break-fasting) and Qiyamullail(staying up to perform ibadah) at Masjid. However, there have been some unpleasant sign towards the attendance of young children in masjid among the jamaah (congregational) members. This situation caused a challenge for families in engaging their children with masjid at their tender age. This study aims to identify and map the activities of the children during tarawih prayer at selected case studies masjids. Structured observation technique is applied. The observation recorded by mapping the activities and their locations on the layout plan and further supported with photos for further analysis. The findings suggest that the main activities of the children in masjid were praying, playing, sleeping, and sitting. Most of the time, they occupied the main prayer hall, the corridor, and the masjid compound. The study provides an insight into the influence of space types of activities by children in spaces of the masjid. Some masjid had approached the Jemaah before the prayer started to remind the parents to look after their children. Hence, many children choose to stay outside the prayer hall to avoid getting scold by the adult. From the observation, it can be concluded that spatial planning is indeed vital to ensure the children and masjid are well-connected and related to create a better Muslim community

Pembinaan dan validasi soal selidik faktor sosiobudaya berkaitan COVID-19 dalam kalangan Orang Asli di Malaysia

Soal selidik sebagai alat untuk mengukur faktor sosiobudaya berkaitan jangkitan COVID-19 masih belum digunakan secara meluas oleh kebanyakan penyelidik. Di Malaysia, tiada soal selidik yang dibina dan disahkan untuk tujuan tersebut. Oleh itu, tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk membina dan mengesahkan soal selidik sebagai alat ujian yang baru bagi mengukur faktor sosiobudaya berkaitan COVID-19 dalam kalangan Orang Asli di Malaysia. Kajian rintis ini melibatkan 30 orang penduduk Orang Asli di Kuala Lipis, Pahang. Indeks Kesahan Kandungan (CVI) digunakan untuk menguji kesahan kandungan soal selidik, manakala kesahan konstruk dan kebolehpercayaan konsistensi dalaman soal selidik ditentukan menggunakan Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) dan Cronbach’s Alpha. Satu set soal selidik terdiri daripada empat konstruk telah dibina iaitu kepercayaan, amalan perubatan tradisional, adat dan budaya tradisional, dan sokongan sosial. Sebanyak 16 item telah dikekalkan di dalam EFA dengan nilai Cronbach’s Alpha setiap konstruk adalah 0.617, 0.778, 0.773 dan 0.779. Soal selidik yang telah dibina ini berjaya divalidasi dan boleh digunakan untuk mengukur faktor sosiobudaya berkaitan COVID-19 dalam kalangan Orang Asli. Walau bagaimanapun, penambahbaikan masih perlu dilakukan dari masa ke semasa untuk memastikan soal selidik ini relevan terutamanya jika ia digunakan ke atas populasi atau dari negara yang berbeza dari Malaysia, dengan mengambil kira juga penyakit yang berbeza