Utilizing Analytical Hierarchy Process for Pauper House Programme in Malaysia

In Malaysia, the selection and evaluation of candidates for Pauper House Programme (PHP) are done manually. In this paper, a technique based on Analytical Hierarchy Technique (AHP) is designed and developed in order to make an evaluation and selection of PHP application. The aim is to ensure the selection process is more precise, accurate and can avoid any biasness issue. This technique is studied and designed based on the Pauper assessment technique from one of district offices in Malaysia. A hierarchical indexes are designed based on the criteria that been used in the official form of PHP application. A number of 23 samples of data which had been endorsed by Exco of State in Malaysia are used to test this technique. Furthermore the comparison of those two methods are given in this paper. All the calculations of this technique are done in a software namely Expert Choice version 11.5. By comparing the manual and AHP shows that there are three (3) samples that are not qualified. The developed technique also satisfies in term of ease of accuracy and preciseness but need a further study due to some limitation as explained in the recommendation of this paper

Investigation of oil palm empty fruit bunches in biosoda pulping by tropical white-rot fungi, Ganoderma australe (Fr.) Pat.

Ganoderma australe, a white-rot fungus, is well-known as a decomposer of logs and stumps in the Malaysian forest. We investigated G. australe (KUM60848) strain for production of ligninolytic enzymes i.e. lignin peroxidase (LiP) and laccase, and hydrolytic enzymes, i.e. cellulase and xylanase, using oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) in solid-substrate fermentation (SSF). EFB was shown to support good mycelial growth for G. australe during 28 days of solid-substrate fermentation. All tested enzyme activities demonstrated highest activities of LiP (0.18±0.02 U/ml), laccase (1.92±0.03 U/ml), cellulase (0.72±0.11 U/ml) and xylanase (0.42±0.01 U/ml) throughout the 28 days of incubation. Compared to an untreated control, the pretreated EFB yield increased to a maximum of 18% during biopulping. Fourteen days of SSF had the highest degree of material dissolved, as shown by pulp yields and the optimum values (29.8 Nm/g tensile index and 2.73 Kpa m2/g burst index) acceptable to obtain paper sheets

A Comparative Study on Different Baits Used to Attract House Fly in Malaysia

House flies are commonly found at homes and businesses in Malaysia. Many kinds of baits are used to attract and trap these flies either by mechanical or chemical means. But all these baits are not capable of attracting flies equally. The main goal of this study is to find out the best bait that can attract house fly effectively. Two baits made in abroad and four baits made in Malaysia were selected for conducting this study because these baits are commonly used in Malaysia. Experiments were carried out by using six selected baits in food industry, fish market and poultry farm in the east coast of Malaysia. Data were collected from the field experiments continuously for six days and analysed to determine the best bait that trap the house flies very effectively. Data analysis results show that the Chinese Electronic Fly Catcher bait is the best one for trapping house flies effectively compared to other baits. Further investigation is still underway to find the volatile compound used for this Chinese Electronic Fly Catcher bait, which will help to generate new bait with the same effect

Experimental Investigation on the Effect of Web Opening Dimension on the Behavior of R/C Hybrid Deep T-Beam Subjected to Pure Torsion

. An experimental study was conducted to investigate the effect of web opening dimension on the behavior of reinforced concrete hybrid deep T-beam subjected to pure torsion. Four reinforced concrete hybrid deep T-beams were tested under pure torsion, where the three beams with different dimension of circular web opening and the other beam without opening as a reference beam. The testing program and experimental results are presented. The results show that dimension of circular web opening with diameter more than 100 mm significantly reduces the cracking and ultimate torque. It is also shown that the angle of crack inclination with respect to the longitudinal axis of the beam increases with the increase of web opening dimension

First principles study of structural, electronic and optical properties of half-heusler alloys LIMGN, NaMGN and KMGN

In this study, we performed our calculations using the full-potential linearized-augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method as implemented in the WIEN2k code based on DFT. The generalized gradient functional with the Wu-Cohen (WC) parameterization was used to evaluate the structural, electronic, optical and thermoelectric properties of the materials under this study. We have calculated the structural parameters and our obtained results are in good agreement with available experimental and previous theory calculations. The density of states and band structure figures have been calculated and analyzed. The optical properties that covered by dielectric function, absorption coefficient, refractive index, extinction coefficient, reflectivity and energy-loss function have been calculated and analyzed in a range energy from 0eV to 30eV

Nanofluid-based Nanocarbons An Investigation of Thermal Conductivity Performance

This paper presents a study of thermal conductivity performance, using a nanofluid-based nanocarbon formulate, with three different types of nanocarbons. NC300, NC200, and commercial carbon nanotube (CNT)were used together with Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS) as a dispersant, and deionized water as a solvent. A weighted ratio of the nanocarbons (0.4 - 1.0wt%) was set-up and the thermal conductivity was measured at 6°C, 25°C, and 45°C using a KD2 Pro thermal properties analyser. The results showed that NC300 with 1wt% of nanocarbons at 45°C gave the highest improvement of almost 30%, compared to deionized water. Meanwhile, the best nanofluid, based on prepared nanocarbons (NC200) and commercial CNT, showed improvement of more than 9% and 12%, respectively, with the addition of 0.6wt% nanocarbons at 45°C. Morphology analysis using electron microscopy, revealed the structural properties of the nanocarbons. NC300 showed a loose CNT with an average diameter of 70-150nm. NC200 are supported by nanocarbons with an average diameter of 10- 30nm. Meanwhile, the commercial CNT showed a similar characteristic to that of NC300. Even though NC200 had the smallest diameter of all nanocarbons, (which should provide the highest surface area), the larger sizes of the activated carbons, as a nanocarbon support, are expected to reduce thermal conductivity performance

Development of An Automated Configuration System for Robot Work Cell

Configuration robot work cell has received considerable attention in the last few years due to it is very knowledge-intensive, intricate, and time-consuming process. This paper elaborated the development process of the automated configuration system (ACS) for (re-)configuring robot work cell while satisfying certain requirements of users in an innovative way. The primary purpose of this work was to provide a fast configuration system with less cost and human involvement at little or no further investment. The ACS was constructed based on the variant-shaped configuration concept with its mathematical model. A configuration and programming structure with a graphical user interface (GUI) were the outcomes of this work that were capable of determining the optimal robot work cell according to the user requirements e.g. the number of a robot, Nr and the types of configuration. This work utilized both macro and Visual Basic (VB) editor in CATIA 3D CAD software for creating a completed user interface. The current outcomes of this work will provide a basis for future investigation in determining the optimal layout of robot work cell that is dependable on other requirements

Incidence and Outcomes of Acute Implant Extrusion Following Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery.

STUDY DESIGN: Multi-institutional retrospective case series of 8887 patients who underwent anterior cervical spine surgery. OBJECTIVE: Anterior decompression from discectomy or corpectomy is not without risk. Surgical morbidity ranges from 9% to 20% and is likely underreported. Little is known of the incidence and effects of rare complications on functional outcomes following anterior spinal surgery. In this retrospective review, we examined implant extrusions (IEs) following anterior cervical fusion. METHODS: A retrospective multicenter case series study involving 21 high-volume surgical centers from the AOSpine North America Clinical Research Network. Medical records for 17 625 patients who received cervical spine surgery (levels from C2 to C7) between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011, were reviewed to identify occurrence of 21 predefined treatment complications. RESULTS: Following anterior cervical fusion, the incidence of IE ranged from 0.0% to 0.8% across 21 institutions with 11 cases reported. All surgeries involved multiple levels, and 7/11 (64%) involved either multilevel corpectomies or hybrid constructs with at least one adjacent discectomy to a corpectomy. In 7/11 (64%) patients, constructs ended with reconstruction or stabilization at C7. Nine patients required surgery for repair and stabilization following IE. Average length of hospital stay after IE was 5.2 days. Only 2 (18%) had residual deficits after reoperation. CONCLUSIONS: IE is a very rare complication after anterior cervical spine surgery often requiring revision. Constructs requiring multilevel reconstruction, especially at the cervicothoracic junction, have a higher risk for failure, and surgeons should proceed with caution in using an anterior-only approach in these demanding cases. Surgeons can expect most patients to regain function after reoperation

Importance of soil temperature for the growth of temperate crops under a tropical climate and functional role of soil microbial diversity

A soil cooling system that prepares soil for temperate soil temperatures for the growth of temperate crops under a tropical climate is described herein. Temperate agriculture has been threatened by the negative impact of temperature increases caused by climate change. Soil temperature closely correlates with the growth of temperate crops, and affects plant processes and soil microbial diversity. The present study focuses on the effects of soil temperatures on lettuce growth and soil microbial diversity that maintains the growth of lettuce at low soil temperatures. A model temperate crop, loose leaf lettuce, was grown on eutrophic soil under soil cooling and a number of parameters, such as fresh weight, height, the number of leaves, and root length, were evaluated upon harvest. Under soil cooling, significant differences were observed in the average fresh weight (P<0.05) and positive development of the roots, shoots, and leaves of lettuce. Janthinobacterium (8.142%), Rhodoplanes (1.991%), Arthrospira (1.138%), Flavobacterium (0.857%), Sphingomonas (0.790%), Mycoplana (0.726%), and Pseudomonas (0.688%) were the dominant bacterial genera present in cooled soil. Key soil fungal communities, including Pseudaleuria (18.307%), Phoma (9.968%), Eocronartium (3.527%), Trichosporon (1.791%), and Pyrenochaeta (0.171%), were also recovered from cooled soil. The present results demonstrate that the growth of temperate crops is dependent on soil temperature, which subsequently affects the abundance and diversity of soil microbial communities that maintain the growth of temperate crops at low soil temperatures