Assesment of wetlands in Kuala Terengganu district using LandsatTM

Wetland cover mapping is very important in identifying its areal extent and the rate of change over time. This study aims to map the areal extent and its rate of change in Kuala Terengganu district which covers approximately 4,690.65 hectares. Three LandsatTM images, which dated on 15th October 1998, 14th July 2002 and 15th August 2005 were used in digital image processing by using a RGB band combination of 4, 5, and 2. The overall classification accuracies for the 1998, 2002 and 2005 images were 74.55, 82.42 and 90.91 percent, respectively. The United State Geology Survey(USGS) Classification Scheme was used to determine the wetland and the images were independently classified and total areas of wetland cover were compared between different dates of imageries. Surprisingly, there was an unexpected significant increase (from 102.35 to 381.35 ha) in the areal extent of wetlands in a seven year period of 1998 to 2005 with a rate of change of 0.84% increase per year. This study implies that the integration of remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) may provide a useful tool for temporal studies in wetland cover and its rate of change in Kuala Trengganu district

Sustainable Development Planning of Wetlands in Kuala Terengganu District Using Satellite Imagery

Wetland cover mapping is very important in the sustainable planning, identifying its areal extent and the rate of change over time. This study aims to map the areal extent and its rate of change in Kuala Terengganu district for its future sustainable develoment. Three LandsatTM images, which dated on 15th October 1998, 14th July 2002 and 15th August 2005 were used in digital image processing by using a RGB band combination of 4, 5, and 2. The overall classification accuracies for the 1998, 2002 and 2005 images were 74.55, 82.42 and 90.91 percent, respectively. The United State Geology Survey (USGS) Classification Scheme was used to determine the wetland and the images were independently classified and total areas of wetland cover were compared between different dates of imageries. Surprisingly, there was an unexpected significant increase (from 102.35 to 381.35 ha) in the areal extent of wetlands in a seven year period of 1998 to 2005 with a rate of change of 0.84% increase per year. This study implies that the integration of remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) may provide a useful tool for temporal studies in wetland cover and its rate of change in Kuala Trengganu district

Biological Diversity Assessment of Tok Bali Mangrove Forest, Kelantan, Malaysia

This paper attempts to give information about the structure of mangrove distribution at Tok Bali, Kelantan in order to initiate for management and rehabilitation program. A study was conducted in July to November 2006 to determine the species composition, diversity index and above-ground biomass in 15.8 ha Mixed Mangrove Forest. A transects forest profile length of 30 meter and 20 plots were established, a Diameter Breast Height (DBH) and height were measured and recorded, and also diversity index and above-ground biomass were determined. A total of 10 species consisting of nine exclusive and one non-exclusive mangrove were recorded. The common species found were Sonneratia alba (1,170 trees/ha, 330 saplings/ha and 22,680 seedlings/ha) followed by Ceriops decandra, Excoecaria agallocha, Avicennia alba, Bruguiera cylindrica, B. sexangula, Rhizophora apiculata, Aegiceras corniculatum, Nypa fruticans and Derris trifoliata. From the results an average of 595 trees/ha, 598 saplings/ha and 646 seedlings/ha represented a moderate good condition and regeneration potential. Total above-ground biomass was 2664.57 kg/ha and S. alba also recorded the highest because the of wide range of diameter and height. Mangrove trees showed total average of species richness (S) was 8.0, eveness (E) was 0.793 and diversity (H’) was 1.603

Imaging Spectrometry on Mangrove Species Identification and Mapping in Malaysia

This study was conducted in Tok Bali, Kelantan and Setiu, Terengganu, Malaysia with the objectives to determine the spectral properties and to identify the significant wavelength in discriminating five mangrove species at different locations. The five mangrove species selected were Rhizophora apiculata, Brugiuera cylindrica, Avicennia alba), Heritiera littoralis) and Hibiscus tiliaceus.. In the Near Infra Red (NIR) region, the mean spectral reflectance of five mangrove species at Tok Bali showed that the highest reflectance was recorded by R. apiculata with 84% and the lowest was recorded by A. alba with 69% spectral reflectance, respectively. Meanwhile at Setiu, the highest reflectance was represented by H. littoralis with 81% and the lowest was B. cylindrica with 73%. Spectral reflectance of five selected mangrove species were statistically tested using canonical stepwise discriminant analysis of SPSS program. Fifteen wavelengths were produced in discriminating among five selected mangrove species at both locations. Student t-test showed that there were no significant differences between spectral reflectance of mangrove species at Tok Bali and Setiu (P=0.345, P=0.778, P=0.753 and P= 0.513 greater than 0.05). These spectral signatures were also influenced by several factors such as cloud cover changes, atmospheric condition, leaf internal structure and chlorophyll content. This study therefore implies that individual mangrove species have a unique spectral reflectance and can be easily identified and mapped with a narrow contiguous wavelength bands in the NIR region

Coastal change detection using GIS in Setiu Lagoon, Terengganu, Malaysia.

The Peninsular Malaysia coastline, which is covered about 4,800 km in length, is rich by coastal resources and has an abundance of natural biodiversity. The development which occurred along the coastal lines have led to the host of problems such as increased erosion, siltation, and loss of coastal resources and the destruction of the fragile marine habitat. In order to conserve the depleting coastal resources, the changes due to development and associated activities must be monitored. This paper was intended to detect changes of coastal area in Setiu Lagoon, Terengganu and to provide future database in coastal management studies. Analysis was carried out using GIS platform and the results of coastal change were disseminated in digital format which can be used for conducting further geographic analysis. The results showed that from 1980 to 2004, the movement of sand spit was about 7.0 m/yr for shoreline length and 0.8 m/yr for the small islands. This study emphasized that the critical areas were found around the estuary and islands were eroded slowly due to the waves, current and dominant winds actions during monsoon loaded. The other factor was due to depletion of the mangrove forest areas. It is therefore necessary to monitor coastal zone changes because the importance of environmental parameter, storm impact prevention and human disturbance

Malay Women’s Responses to a Changing World: A Feminist Postcolonial Reading of Ellina binti Abdul Majid’s Perhaps in Paradise

Malay women play multiple roles not only in the family but they are also very much connected to their surroundings. One of the dynamics in their surroundings includes political decisions which would inevitably leave marks on the Malay women themselves. Based on such a premise, this paper aims to investigate how the female characters in the novel Perhaps in Paradise respond to the socio-political changes occurring in their milieu. The novel is chosen since it represents the lives of privileged middle class Malay women beginning in the late 1960s who undergo various changes as a result of what happened in Malaysia at that time. This novel which is penned by Ellina binti Abdul Majid is studied by engaging the feminist postcolonial theory. The analysis uncovers that the female characters’ lives in the novel are governed by the hegemonic practices of tradition and religion. Despite the changes which usurp their lives particularly in terms of westernisation and consumerism, they cannot escapefrom the identity which labels them as Malay. At times the characters are subordinated when they succumb to such practices. On the other hand, in certain cases when they retaliate and choose to look to the west for liberation, they could actually be marginalised in their own society. At other times, the cultures of east and west can be negotiated to provide meaningful lives to the characters. Keywords: Feminist; Postcolonial theory; Changing world; Sexuality, Sexual rightsRésumé: Les femmes malaisiennes jouent de multiple rôles non seulement au sein de la famille, mais elles sont également très liées à leur environnement. L’une des dynamiques de leur environnement est la décision politique qui laisse inévitablement des marques sur elles-mêmes. Sur la base de cette prémisse, le présent article vise à étudier comment les personnages féminins dans le roman Peut-être au Paradis font face aux changements socio-politiques survenus dans leur milieu. Le roman a été choisi car il représente la vie des femmes malaisiennes de la classe moyenne privilégiée à la fin des années 1960, qui ont vu des changements divers à la suite de ce qui s’est passé en Malaisie à cette époque. Ce roman écrit par Ellina binti Abdul Majid a été étudié en introduisant la théorie du féminisme post-colonial. Cette analyse révèle que la vie des personnages féminins dans le roman est régie par les pratiques hégémoniques de la tradition et de la religion. En dépit de ces changements qui usurpent leur vie, notamment en terme de l’occidentalisation et du consumérisme, elles ne peuvent pas s’échapper à leur identité malaisienne. Parfois, les personnages sont subalternes quand elles succombent à de telles pratiques. D’autre part, dans certains cas, quand elles choisissent de riposter et de regarder l’ouest pour la libération, elles pourraient être marginalisées dans leur propre société. À d'autres moments, les cultures de l'est et de l'ouest peuvent être négociées pour donner une vie significative à ces personnages.Mots-Clés: féministe; post-colonial; monde en mutation; sexualité, droits sexuel

Modified EDF Goodness of Fit Tests for Logistic Distribution under SRS and RSS

Modified forms of goodness of fit tests are presented for the logistic distribution using statistics based on the empirical distribution function (EDF). A method to improve the power of the modified EDF goodness of fit tests is introduced based on Ranked Set sampling (RSS). Data are collected via the Ranked Set Sampling (RSS) technique (McIntyre, 1952). Critical values for the logistic distribution with unknown parameters are provided and the powers of the tests are given for a number of alternative distributions. A simulation study is presented to illustrate the power of the new method

Magnetic micro-solid-phase extraction based on magnetite-MCM-41 with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for the determination of antidepressant drugs in biological fluids

A new facile magnetic micro‐solid‐phase extraction coupled to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry detection was developed for the extraction and determination of selected antidepressant drugs in biological fluids using magnetite‐MCM‐41 as adsorbent. The synthesized sorbent was characterized by several spectroscopic techniques. The maximum extraction efficiency for extraction of 500 μg/L antidepressant drugs from aqueous solution was obtained with 15 mg of magnetite‐MCM‐41 at pH 12. The analyte was desorbed using 100 μL of acetonitrile prior to gas chromatography determination. This method was rapid in which the adsorption procedure was completed in 60 s. Under the optimized conditions using 15 mL of antidepressant drugs sample, the calibration curve showed good linearity in the range of 0.05–500 μg/L (r2 = 0.996–0.999). Good limits of detection (0.008–0.010 μg/L) were obtained for the analytes with good relative standard deviations of <8.0% (n = 5) for the determination of 0.1, 5.0, and 500.0 μg/L of antidepressant drugs. This method was successfully applied to the determination of amitriptyline and chlorpromazine in plasma and urine samples. The recoveries of spiked plasma and urine samples were in the range of 86.1–115.4%. Results indicate that magnetite micro‐solid‐phase extraction with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry is a convenient, fast, and economical method for the extraction and determination of amitriptyline and chlorpromazine in biological samples

Leaf nutrient status in relation to severity of Ganoderma infection in oil palm seedlings artificially infected with Ganoderma boninense using root inoculation technique

Basal stem rot (BSR) caused by Ganoderma spp., a basidiomycete fungus, is a major devastating disease of oil palm, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia. Several factors were reported to influence the outbreak of BSR disease which include nutrient status, age of palm, types of soil, previous crop and replanting techniques. Elemental nutrient is known to have some beneficial effects on plant disease control. Over many years, macro- and micro-nutrient application has been totally overlooked in oil palm fertiliser programmes in relation to outbreak of BSR disease incidence. A study was conducted to determine leaf nutrient concentrations in relation to severity of Ganoderma infection in oil palm seedlings artificially inoculated with G. boninense using root inoculation technique. This study was conducted at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang which involved a total of 210 Durax Pisifera (DXP) oil palm seedlings. After inoculation, external and internal symptoms developing on seedlings and disease severity index (DSI, four disease classes of 0, 1, 2 and 3) were recorded. At 15 months of inoculation, leaf samples were collected and macro-nutrient such as Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg) and micro-nutrient such as Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe) and Boron (B) were analysed. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to test the difference between leaf nutrient concentrations in relation to DSI, followed by comparison means using Least Significant Difference (LSD) test at 0.05 significant levels. A total of 25.0% of inoculated seedlings were dead due to G. boninense infection. Significant difference of leaf nutrient concentration in relation to DSI was observed. Leaf macro-nutrient concentration of N, K, and Ca showed significant difference (p<0.05) while P and Mg showed no significant difference in relation to BSR disease development. Meanwhile, leaf micro-nutrient concentration of Cu, Mn and B showed significant difference (p<0.05) while Zn and Fe showed no significant difference. Among significant nutrients, Ca and Cu were found higher in healthy seedlings (DSI - 0) compared to infected seedlings (DSI – 1, 2 or 3). This study suggested that formulation of fertiliser consists mainly of Ca and Cu are needed in order to reduce BSR disease incidence in oil palms