The Effect of Slope Steepness on Soil Loss under Natural Rainfall Distribution

Similar to most of the other developing countries, Malaysia is characterised by a rapid transformation of vast areas of rainforest and steep land into agricultural, settlement and development land. These activities in the developing countries, are however carried out in an in-ecological manner especially which has led to soil erosion. Soil erosion by water is a serious problem in tropical countries like Malaysia, particularly on steep land and in areas devoid of vegetative cover. The degree of slope steepness is one important factor among others affecting soil erosion. The effect of slope steepness on soil erosion study on Munchong series was conducted in Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang. Three experimental plots of 2m X 4m were constructed on three different slopes of 6°, 12° and 15o. An experimental determination of runoff volume and soil loss as a function of slope, were studied on bare plots using the "soil erosion gauge". Rainfall intensity influences both the rate and volume of runoff and significantly affected the amount of soil loss in different category of slopes. Runoff increased appreciably with increase of slope. The non-linear regression relationship between runoff and slope steepness can be expressed as RN = 46.38 (ST) 0.655 where RN is the amount of runoff (litre/ha) and ST is the slope steepness (degree). The amount of runoff will increase approximately 1.6 times as the degree of slope is doubled. Soil losses can be expected to increase with slope steepness as a result of respective increase in volume of surface runoff. The amount of soil erosion per unit area on Munchong series with 807 mm raindepth increased approximately 9.8 times as the degree of slope is doubled. The relationship between soil loss and steepness of slope could be represented by non-linear equation A= 0.003 (ST)3.292 where A is the weight of soil loss (ton/ha) and ST is the degree of slope steepness. Slope alone does not significantly influence the amount of sediment yield harvests. Soil loss was also caused by the interaction of several other factors such as rainfall, vegetation, soil properties and mechanical practices. It is difficult to evaluate the interaction of natural rainfall with other factors causing erosion, because of its variability from one location to another

SES and executive function : exploring the role of home cognitive stimulation in the ECLS-K:2011

Past findings have established that students from low SES families tend to have poorer academic outcomes in general. What is more concerning is that SES-related differences on academic outcomes between low SES children and high SES children tend to be stable throughout adulthood. Thus, current study attempted to explore the underlying mechanism between socioeconomic status (SES) and executive functioning skills (EF), which contribute to their learning. This study also aimed to examine the mediating role of home cognitive stimulation between socioeconomic status (SES) and executive functioning skills (EF) and its three components: working memory (WM), cognitive flexibility (CF), and inhibitory control (IC) among 5th grade students in the nationally representative dataset, ECLS-K:2011. Results revealed that academic-focused activities partially mediated the relationships between SES and working memory and cognitive flexibility while arts-focused activities fully mediated the relationship between SES and cognitive flexibility. Additionally, findings also indicated that there were differences in biological sex in the mediated pathways between SES and inhibitory control and between SES and cognitive flexibility through academic-focused activities. In sum, findings from the present study highlight the importance of targeting malleable factors to lessen the impact of low SES on children's cognitive development.Includes bibliographical references

Effect of Vibration on Human Body

Vibration is a movement of an object in oscillatory motion [1]. All of the object that content elasticity a mass elements are capable of vibration. There are many types of experiments have been done to investigate between vibration in the vehicle effects on level of mental alertness in seated driver however it is still insufficient. For the reason is the level of mental alertness and drowsiness caused by vibration is still a complex phenomenon due to several factor such as traffic control and vehicle interior noise [2]. Vibration of the vehicle can cause various effect on the structure within the body such as organ, body tissues, and systems of the individual as the vibration is transmitted from the vehicle seat to a person body

Coastal communities' willingness to pay for mangrove ecotourism in Marudu Bay, Sabah, Malaysia

The revenue contribution of mangrove forests to Malaysia’s economic growth is usually associated with fishing. Generally, fishing is one of the main sources of income for coastal communities, and mangroves are found in abundance in coastal areas. Nowadays, mangrove forests have become a very significant product in the tourism sector. It enhances Malaysia’s economy through increasing the earnings of local communities and creating more job opportunities. The potential of mangrove forests as a dynamic ecotourism industry is being rapidly capitalized in many parts of Malaysia. However, the economic benefits of mangrove forests in the tourism sector have not been used to its fullest because of the non-existent market for this resource. This study aims to determine the willingness to pay (WTP) of the coastal communities in Marudu Bay, Sabah, to develop their mangrove areas as an ecotourism destination. To achieve this, the study engages in the contingent valuation method (CVM). Questionnaires were distributed to 400 respondents from five selected coastal villages, asking them whether they are willing to pay for five bid prices, RM5, RM10, RM15, RM20 or RM30, for mangrove ecotourism conservation. Logistic regression was applied to estimate the mean WTP by using three different types of logit models. Results indicate that the estimated mean for each WTP model is as follows: Model 1 (the full model) at RM12.96/person/year, Model 2 (the restricted model) at RM16.08/ person/year and Model 3 at RM25.68/person/year, respectively. The coastal communities’ responses of their WTP were based on the bidding prices and their socio-demographic variables. The majority of them had the WTP because they were confident that the conservation of mangroves promotes sustainable ecotourism and can improve community income, hence would better their livelihoods for generations to come

Effect of Vibration on Human Body

Vibration is a movement of an object in oscillatory motion [1]. All of the object that content elasticity a mass elements are capable of vibration. There are many types of experiments have been done to investigate between vibration in the vehicle effects on level of mental alertness in seated driver however it is still insufficient. For the reason is the level of mental alertness and drowsiness caused by vibration is still a complex phenomenon due to several factor such as traffic control and vehicle interior noise [2]. Vibration of the vehicle can cause various effect on the structure within the body such as organ, body tissues, and systems of the individual as the vibration is transmitted from the vehicle seat to a person body

Coastal Communities' Willingness to Pay for Mangrove Ecotourism at Marudu Bay, Sabah, Malaysia

The revenue contribution of mangrove forests to Malaysia’s economic growth is usually associated with fishing. Generally, fishing is one of the main sources of income for coastal communities, and mangroves are found in abundance in coastal areas. Nowadays, mangrove forests have become a very significant product in the tourism sector. It enhances Malaysia’s economy through increasing the earnings of local communities and creating more job opportunities. The potential of mangrove forests as a dynamic ecotourism industry is being rapidly capitalized in many parts of Malaysia. However, the economic benefits of mangrove forests in the tourism sector have not been used to its fullest because of the non-existent market for this resource. This study aims to determine the willingness to pay (WTP) of the coastal communities in Marudu Bay, Sabah, to develop their mangrove areas as an ecotourism destination. To achieve this, the study engages in the contingent valuation method (CVM). Questionnaires were distributed to 400 respondents from five selected coastal villages, asking them whether they are willing to pay for five bid prices, RM5, RM10, RM15, RM20 or RM30, for mangrove ecotourism conservation. Logistic regression was applied to estimate the mean WTP by using three different types of logit models. Results indicate that the estimated mean for each WTP model is as follows: Model 1 (the full model) at RM12.96/person/year, Model 2 (the restricted model) at RM16.08/ person/year and Model 3 at RM25.68/person/year, respectively. The coastal communities’ responses of their WTP were based on the bidding prices and their socio-demographic variables. The majority of them had the WTP because they were confident that the conservation of mangroves promotes sustainable ecotourism and can improve community income, hence would better their livelihoods for generations to come

Vitamin E and the Healing of Bone Fracture: The Current State of Evidence

Background. The effect of vitamin E on health-related conditions has been extensively researched, with varied results. However, to date, there was no published review of the effect of vitamin E on bone fracture healing. Purpose. This paper systematically audited past studies of the effect of vitamin E on bone fracture healing. Methods. Related articles were identified from Medline, CINAHL, and Scopus databases. Screenings were performed based on the criteria that the study must be an original study that investigated the independent effect of vitamin E on bone fracture healing. Data were extracted using standardised forms, followed by evaluation of quality of reporting using ARRIVE Guidelines, plus recalculation procedure for the effect size and statistical power of the results. Results. Six animal studies fulfilled the selection criteria. The study methods were heterogeneous with mediocre reporting quality and focused on the antioxidant-related mechanism of vitamin E. The metasynthesis showed α-tocopherol may have a significant effect on bone formation during the normal bone remodeling phase of secondary bone healing. Conclusion. In general, the effect of vitamin E on bone fracture healing remained inconclusive due to the small number of heterogeneous and mediocre studies included in this paper

Vitamin E and Bone Structural Changes: An Evidence-Based Review

Purpose. This paper explores the effects of vitamin E on bone structural changes. Methods. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify relevant studies about vitamin E and osteoporosis/bone structural changes. A comprehensive search in Medline and CINAHL for relevant studies published between the years 1946 and 2012 was conducted. The main inclusion criteria were published in English, studies had to report the association or effect of vitamin E and osteoporosis-related bone changes, and the osteoporosis-related bone changes should be related to lifestyle variables, aging, or experimentally-induced conditions. Results. The literature search identified 561 potentially relevant articles, whereby 11 studies met the inclusion criteria. There were three human epidemiological studies and eight animal experimental studies included in this paper. Four animal studies reported positive bone structural changes with vitamin E supplementation. The rest of the studies had negative changes or no effect. Studies with positive changes reported better effects with tocotrienol vitamin E isomer supplementation. Conclusions. This evidence-based review underscores the potential of vitamin E being used for osteoporosis. The effect of one of the vitamin E isomers, tocotrienols, on bone structural changes warrants further exploration. Controlled human observational studies should be conducted to provide stronger evidence

Hector SLAM 2D Mapping For Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM)

This study presents an application of LiDAR sensor for 2D mapping construction in an unknown environments and capability to localize its own location based on landmark detected. Previously, there are various research actively conducted by others researchers for SLAM application. In general, it can be categorized based on three different type of sensor measurement and technique such as vision based SLAM, RGB-D based SLAM and also laser based SLAM. The main focus in this project is to present an experiment result conducted of a Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) application based on laser sensor which is LiDAR in term of capability of mapping construction and localization it self. LiDAR sensor is put on the vehicle that will operate in real-world environments and computational processing done by using Robotic Operating System (ROS). This project is tested and verified in a curtain room with several parameter by using Robot Operating System (ROS). SLAM was implemented to provide localization estimates in environments where there are static landmarks that are only rarely recognized by the vehicle or robot. This project also, consider the features that enter and leave the environment as temporary landmarks that can be used in combination with the rarely seen static landmarks. As conclusion, performance of SLAM by using LiDAR sensor can be apply for several robotic system such as flight control, obstacle avoidance, navigation and other function in the future application

Image processing approach for detection and quantification of corrosion behaviour of AZ91D magnesium alloy

The AZ91D magnesium alloy is known for its high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent machinability and good castability making it an ideal material to be used in automotive components fabrication. But due to its weak corrosion resistance towards the environment, identifying and quantifying AZ91D magnesium alloy corrosion behaviour before any manufacturing processes can be a huge impact and may provide useful information to the manufacturers. The limitation of conventional corrosion detection and quantification methods also justify the further needs of image processing approach in this study. This paper study the feasibility of an image processing approach using the automatic thresholding method and various manual thresholding level in order to identify the corrosion attack on the AZ91D magnesium alloy. This method converts the original colour image to grayscale image and then convert it to binary image. Then through image processing approach, the image will be segmented to non-corroded and corroded area and labelled as 0 (black) and 1 (white) and make it easier to analyze. The white dots (1) distribution was then presented in percentage to shows that the pitting corrosion on the surface can be identified better by using the Otsu’s method of automatic thresholding. The resulting image of various thresholding shows which thresholding values successfully portray similarity of the original corrosion image. Thus, this increases the reliability of AZ91D magnesium alloy corrosion detection and quantification via image processing approach