Diversity And Foraging Behaviour Of Insectivorous Birds In Limestone Areas In Lenggong Valley, Perak

Bird surveys were conducted in the Bukit Kepala Gajah limestone area in Lenggong Valley, Perak from July 2010 to July 2011. The main objectives of this study were to describe the foraging patterns of insectivorous birds in lowland rainforest, and to compare the foraging strategies of insectivorous birds in the continuous and small forest patches. In addition, this study were to determine the influences of initial and sequential observation methods on foraging data of birds, and to examine the influences of habitat structure and disturbance on the bird species composition

The foraging tactics of chestnut-winged Babbler (Stachyris erythroptera) and Abbott’s Babbler (Malacocincla abbotti) in a Lowland Rainforest, Malaysia

Foraging pattern of Chestnut-winged Babbler (Stachyris erythroptera) and Abbott’s Babbler (Malacocincla abbotti) was studied in Lenggong Valley, Perak from July 2010 until July 2011. The study examines the patterns of foraging height, foraging substrates and attack manoeuvres of two babbler species (Family: Timaliidae), to explain how these trophically similar species can coexist in the same habitat; a central question in ecology. Information on the foraging height, foraging substrate and attack manoeuvres was collected independently for each foraging bird. Principal component analysis and Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that these two species used similar proportion of foraging height (>0-2 m above the ground) and foraging substrate (dead leaves), but differed in the use of attack manoeuvres. The Chestnut-winged babbler used primarily stretching manoeuvre, whereas the Abbott’s babbler used primarily gleaning manoeuvre. This niche separation allowed these species to coexist in the same area, thus follows the Gause’ Law of competitive exclusion, that states two species occupying the same niches will not coexist forever

The diet of a roosting population of Asian glossy starling aplonis panayensis in Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Communal roosting by urban birds, such as crows, mynas, and starlings, can be a public nuisance due to excessive noise and fouling of the surroundings with droppings. Food availability within proximity to the roosting area is one of the key factors influencing roosting site preference and fidelity. The diets of roosting mynas and crows have been well-studied, yet little is known about the diet of the Asian glossy starling (AGS), Aplonis panayensis. This study focused on assessing the diet of roosting AGS and food resource availability around the roosting area. The AGS diet was assessed through microscopic analysis of stomach contents and droppings. The diet mainly consisted of fruits (76%) with a minor component of animal materials, i.e. ants, snails, and beetle larvae. Intact seeds found in the samples were identified using DNA barcoding. Seven out of the nine plant species detected were new records for the AGS diet. The most common fruit found in the samples was Trema orientalis, which grows extensively along roadsides within foraging areas of AGS. The availability of fruits of different fast-growing pioneer species around the roosting site ensured a continuous supply of food to the birds. Animal materials, which were consumed by chance during foraging, supplemented the fruit in the bird’s diet. Hence, the birds’ preference for the roosting site may have been influenced by the availability of various food resources around it

Bird Species Diversity in the Padawan Limestone Area, Sarawak

Bird surveys were conducted in the Padawan Limestone Area for seven days at each of two study sites, Giam and Danu, from August to December 2008. The purpose of the study was to compare the area’s bird species richness and abundance of bird species in other limestone areas and in other forest types. The study also compared the species richness and relative abundance of birds in undisturbed and disturbed areas at both study sites. Twenty mist nets were deployed for 12 hours daily. During this study period, direct observations of birds were also made. In all, 80 species from 34 families were recorded at both sites. At Giam, 120 birds were mist-netted. These birds represented 31 species from 16 families. The direct observations at Giam recorded 13 species from 11 families. In the undisturbed area, 21 species from 13 families were mist-netted, whereas in the disturbed area, 21 species from 10 families were mist-netted. In Danu, a total of 48 birds, representing 25 species from 12 families, were mist-netted. The observations at Danu recorded 34 species from 19 families. Twelve species from 7 families were mist-netted in the undisturbed area, whereas 18 species from 11 families were mist-netted in the disturbed area. Statistical analysis showed that the species diversity index differed significantly between undisturbed and disturbed areas

Pattern recognition of Kedah River water quality data by implementation of principal component analysis

This study examines Kedah River Basin, Kedah, Malaysia, to achieve the objective of identifying and recognizing pollutant sources contributing to the water quality using a large dataset extending over a period of eight years, from the year 1997 to 2006. Principal Component Analysis was applied to simplify and provide a better understanding for the complex relationships among water quality parameters such as DO, BOD, COD, SS, pH, NH3-NL, temperature, conductivity, turbidity, salinity, dissolved solids, total solids, NO3, Cl, Ca, PO4, As, Hg, Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Oil and Grease, MBAS, E.coli and Coliform. Graphical presentation of the data also helps a better view of the overall analysis to appoint sources of pollutant in accordance to their effect. Similar pattern of water quality data reveals nine Principal Components responsible for the data structure and explained 73% of the total variance of the data set. PC score model provided apportionment of various sources contributing to the water quality. Consequently the nine causes of pollutants involved are natural causes in terms of strong river current and geological location of this river, industrial and factories effluent discharge, construction, coal and metal mining, agricultural and sewage plant, human waste and illegal oil dumping

River water quality modeling using combined principle component analysis (PCA) and multiple linear regressions (MLR): a case study at Klang River, Malaysia

A collective set of data over five years (2003 to 2007) in Klang River, Selangor were studied in attempt to assess and determine the contributions of sources affecting the water quality. A precise technique of multiple linear regressions (MLR) were prepare as an advance tool for surface water modeling and forecasting. Likewise, principle component analysis (PCA) was used to simplify and understand the complex relationship among water quality parameters. Nine principle components were found responsible for the data structure provisionally named as soil erosion, anthropogenic input, surface runoff, fecal waste, detergent, urban domestic waste, industrial effluent, fertilizer waste and residential waste explains 72% of the total variance for all the data sets. Meanwhile, urban domestic pollution accounted as the highest pollution contributor to the Klang River. Thus, the advancement of receptor model was applied in order to identify the major sources of pollutant at Klang River. Result showed that the use of PCA as inputs improved the MLR model prediction by reducing their complexity and eliminating data collinearity where R2 value in this study is 0.75 and the model indicates that 75% variability of WQI explained by the five independent variables used in the model. This assessment presents the importance and advantages poses by multivariate statistical analysis of large and complex databases in order to get improved information about the water quality and then helps to reduce the sampling time and cost for reagent used prior to analyses

Natural fiber-reinforced hybrid polymer nanocomposites: effect of fiber mixing and nanoclay on physical, mechanical, and biodegradable properties

Combining two kinds of fibers is a potential way to improve the essential properties of natural fiber-reinforced hybrid polymer composites. Biocomposites produced from natural resources are experiencing an increase in interest due to their high demand in the market for manufacturing, in addition to environmental and sustainability issues. In this study, natural fiber-reinforced hybrid polymer nanocomposites were prepared from coir fiber, wood fiber, polypropylene, and montmorillonite nanoclay using a hot press technique. The effects of fiber mixing and montmorillonite on their physico-mechanical and biodegradable properties were subsequently investigated. Before being used, both the wood and the coir fibers were alkali-treated to reduce their hydrophilicity. The mechanical properties of the fabricated composites were measured using a universal tensile testing machine and found to be enhanced after fiber mixing and nanoclay incorporation. Fourier transform infrared spectra indicated that the characteristic peaks of the composites shifted after fiber mixing. A new peak around 470 cm-1 was observed in the case of the nanocomposites, which confirmed the interaction between the fiber, polymer, and montmorillonite (MMT). Scanning electron microscopic analysis revealed that MMT strongly improved the adhesion and compatibility between the fiber and polymer matrix. The combining of fibers improved the biodegradability and water absorption properties, while MMT addition had the reverse effect on the same properties of the composites

Fully Automatic Solar Powered Oil-Water Separation System For Grease Trap Controlled By Arduino: A Conceptual Design

Pipeline clogging in food premises frequently emerges, particularly in small range restaurants. Fat, oil and grease (FOG) disposed from food premises becoming root cause for this issue and pollute drainage system. The aimed of this project was to remove the FOG from wastewater and with automatic oil disposal system using renewable energy. Power input system was improved by designing and developing the solar tracker system for automatic oil disposal grease trap controlled by Arduino and light radiation sensor. The solar tracker was designed based on engineering design methodologies including the survey, house of quality (HOQ), morphological chart and pugh method to ensure the engineering criteria achieved with the concern of customers satisfaction. Light radiation sensor was used to improve the efficiency of solar tracker by detecting the location of sun and Arduino will give a command to the motor based on a signal received from a light radiation sensor. Dual axis solar panel with light radiation sensor gave significant reduction in terms of time consumption used to absorb energy from the sun with average amount of voltage of approximately 1.82 volt compared to fixed solar panel which has average amount of voltage of approximately 1.35 volt. The newly designed dual axis solar tracker also has advantage on flexibility where it can be put at different angle and places

Concurrent material selection of natural fibre filament for fused deposition modeling using integration of analytic hierarchy process/analytic network process

The employment of natural fibres in fused deposition modeling has raised much attention from researchers in finding a suitable formulation for the natural fibre composite filaments. Moreover, selection of suitable natural fibres for fused deposition modeling should be performed before the development of the composites. It could not be performed without identifying selection criteria that comprehend both materials and fused deposition modeling process requirements. Therefore, in this study, integration of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)/ Analytic Network Process (ANP) has been introduced in selecting the natural fibres based in different clusters of selection concurrently. The selection process has been performed based on the interdependency among the selection criteria. Pairwise comparison matrices are constructed based on AHP’s hierarchical model and super matrices are constructed based on the ANP’s network model. As a result, flax fibre has ranked at the top of the selection by scored 19.5% from the overall evaluation. Flax fibre has excellent material properties and been found in various natural fibre composite applications. Further investigation is needed to study the compatibility of this fibre to be reinforced with a thermoplastic polymer matrix to develop a resultant natural fibre composite filament for fused deposition modeling

Water Transport And Physical Properties Of Sugarcane Bagasse Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastic Potato Starch Biocomposite

Nowadays, development of bio composites from renewable resources has become great interest as the alternative to replace petroleum-based polymer. Starch is one of the examples of bio polymer that are biodegradable. However, there is limitation on starch usage where starch based polymer has poor mechanical properties and high water sensitivity. Sugarcane waste produced from the extraction of sugarcane juice has potential application to be used as reinforcement material for producing bio-based composites. In this study, Thermoplastic Potato Starch reinforced Sugarcane Fibre (TPPS/SF) composites were developed by using dry mixing and hot press method at 145°C for 1 hour by maintaining the composition of starch and glycerol at ratio 80:20. The sugarcane fibres content ranged from 0 to 15wt.%. This paper presents the results of water transport and physical properties of TPPS/SF composites by using water absorption, thickness swelling, water solubility and moisture content tests. In terms of water transport, the composites show decrease in water absorption capacity of the composites following the addition of sugarcane fibre. Dimensional stability of the composites was increased indicated through the lower thickness swelling reading of the composites. In terms of physical properties, the water solubility of the composites was decreased which indicate improved resistance against water. The moisture content of the composites was decreased gradually following increasing amount of sugarcane fibre in TPSS matrix. Overall, this study shows that incorporation of sugarcane fibre into TPPS has improve the functional properties of this green material