Haze in the Klang Valley of Malaysia

Continuous measurements of dry aerosol light scattering (Bsp) were made at two sites in the Klang Valley of Malaysia between December 1998 and December 2000. In addition 24-h PM2.5 samples were collected on a one-day-in-six cycle and the chemical composition of the aerosol was determined. Periods of excessive haze were defined as 24-h average Bsp values greater than 150 Mm-1 and these occurred on a number of occasions, between May and September 1999, during May 2000, and between July and September 2000. The evidence for smoke being a significant contributor to aerosol during periods of excessive haze is discussed and includes features of the aerosol chemistry, the diurnal cycle of Bsp, and the coincidence of forest fires on Sumatra during the southwest (SW) monsoon period, as well as transport modelling for one week of the southwest Monsoon of 2000. The study highlights that whilst transboundary smoke is a major contributor to poor visibility in the Klang Valley, smoke from fires on Peninsular Malaysia is also a contributor, and at all times, the domestic source of secondary particle production is present

Insulinoma management in a geriatric local dog

A 14-year-old, spayed female local dog was presented to University Veterinary Hospital-University Putra Malaysia (UVH-UPM) for the complaint of uncontrollable seizures. The intracranial neoplasia or trauma as a cause of seizures was ruled out based on magnetic resonance imaging conducted prior to presentation. Full diagnostic investigation inclusive of haematology, serum biochemistry, parasitology, thoracic and abdominal radiography and abdominal ultrasonography was conducted. A diagnosis of insulinoma was made from the persistent, low fasting blood glucose levels and the inappropriately high fasting insulin level, as well as the response to treatment with prednisolon

Positioning analysis of multiple antennas in a dense RFID reader environment

©2006 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE.The study and analysis of RFID antenna positioning is important for supply chain large-scale deployment. In a dense reader environment, there will be multiples of RFID readers and readers interference will reduce the reliability and efficiency of the RFID system. In the worst case, the interference would paralyse an entire RFID system. This paper explores antenna positioning in an RFID deployment zone and aims to provide guidelines on safe distance between antennas in a dense reader environment or even in a "Listen Before Talk" regulated area. By planning of antenna positioning, a RFID system can be optimised and its interference to other RF systems in the surroundings can be minimised. All the simulations results presented in this paper are obtained using MATLAB.Kin Seong Leong, Mun Leng Ng, Peter H. Col

Synchronization of RFID readers for dense RFID reader environments

©2006 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE.For a dense RFID reader deployment, such as in warehouse RFID deployment, where hundreds of antennas are positioned in a building, the interference between all these readers must be studied carefully to avoid severe reader collisions. Strict RFID regulations and standards have been imposed, trying to address the problem of reader collision and also the problem of RFID devices interfering with other devices operating in nearby frequency bands. However, these guidelines and regulations are not entirely friendly for dense RFID reader deployment, in some cases it is not possible to have a feasible RFID system while adhering to these regulations. Hence, this paper proposes the synchronization of RFID readers, to enable successful dense RFID reader deployment. A case study targeted at European operations is presented in this paper to visualise the actual synchronization of RFID readers in real life applications. Some fine-tuning methods are also suggested to further improve the performance of readers in a high reader density population area.Kin Seong Leong, Mun Leng Ng, Alfio R. Grasso, Peter H. Col

Information theoretic approach to single-particle and two-particle interference in multi-path interferometers

We propose entropic measures for the strength of single-particle and two-particle interference in interferometric experiments where each particle of a pair traverses a multi-path interferometer. Optimal single-particle interference excludes any two-particle interference, and vice versa. We report an inequality that states the compromises allowed by quantum mechanics in intermediate situations, and identify a class of two-particle states for which the upper bound is reached. Our approach is applicable to symmetric two-partite systems of any finite dimension.Comment: RevTex 4, 4 pages, 2 figure

Composting paper and grass clippings with anaerobically treated palm oil mill effluent

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the composting performance of anaerobically treated palm oil mill effluent (AnPOME) mixed with paper and grass clippings. Methods Composting was conducted using a laboratory scale system for 40 days. Several parameters were determined: temperature, mass reduction, pH, electrical conductivity, colour, zeta potential, phytotoxicity and final compost nutrients. Results The moisture content and compost mass were reduced by 24 and 18 %, respectively. Both final compost pH value and electrical conductivity were found to increase in value. Colour (measured as PtCo) was not suitable as a maturity indicator. The negative zeta potential values decreased from −12.25 to −21.80 mV. The phytotoxicity of the compost mixture was found to decrease in value during the process and the final nutrient value of the compost indicates its suitability as a soil conditioner. Conclusions From this study, we conclude that the addition of paper and grass clippings can be a potential substrate to be composted with anaerobically treated palm oil mill effluent (AnPOME). The final compost produced is suitable for soil conditioner

Processing of strong flux trapping high T(subc) oxide superconductors: Center director's discretionary fund

Magnetic suspension effect was first observed in samples of YBa2Cu3O7/AgO(Y-123/AgO) composites. Magnetization measurements of these samples show a much larger hysteresis which corresponds to a large critical current density. In addition to the Y-123AgO composites, recently similar suspension effects in other RE-123/AgO, where RE stands for rare-Earth elements, were also observed. Some samples exhibit even stronger flux pinning than that of the Y-123/AgO sample. An interesting observation was that in order to form the composite which exhibits strong flux trapping effect the sintering temperature depends on the particular RE-123 compound used. The paper presents the detailed processing conditions for the formation of these RE-123/AgO composites, as well as the magnetization and critical field data

Network governance for large‐scale natural resource conservation and the challenge of capture

Large‐scale natural resource conservation initiatives are increasingly adopting a network governance framework to respond to the ecological, social, and political challenges of contemporary environmental governance. A network approach offers new modes of management that allow resource managers and others to transcend a single institution, organization, resource, or landscape and engage in conservation that is multi‐species and multi‐jurisdictional. However, there are challenges to network governance in large‐scale conservation efforts, which we address by focusing on how special interests can capture networks and shape the goals, objectives, and outcomes of initiatives. The term “network capture” is used here to describe an array of strategies that direct the processes and outcomes of large‐scale initiatives in ways that advance a group\u27s positions, concerns, or economic interests. We outline how new stakeholders emerge from these management processes, and how the ease of information sharing can blur stakeholder positions and lead to competing knowledge claims. We conclude by reasserting the benefits of network governance while acknowledging the unique challenges that networks present